October 18, 1998Twenty Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time |
St. Paul continues to speak to his disciple St. Timothy this Sunday about the importance of Sacred Scripture, and the importance of fidelity to one's tasks in daily life. We live in a society that encourages us to abandon whatever we are working on, or whatever our commitments might be when things don't go just right. Our current Western culture also leads us to believe that there should never be any troubles, or problems, and that life should be smooth sailing at all moments. This can make things extremely frustrating when life is not what we expect it should be. St. Paul gives good sound advice: to stay with our task, to be patient and not to lose heart, no matter what is going on around us. A tall order, to be sure, but one which can be accomplished in us through the power of Christ and our Faith. When we are uncertain of life or there is doubt present, St. Paul also reminds us to think back to the basic values, attitudes, and prayers and beliefs about God which we learned when we were young. These will not fail us. We may have lost sight of them in our journey of life, but they are always waiting to be rediscovered anew.
The Gospel of St. Luke also reminds us not to lose heart, but to persevere always, in our prayer..that will strengthen our Faith. God always hears, even if the response we would hope for is not forthcoming, but in some manner, some way, He will respond.
Is our faith that shallow? It must be or Jesus in today's gospel reading wouldn't so pointedly urge us not to lose heart. He saw his own disciples stumble all the way to Jerusalem. Worse, their faith collapsed completely at Calvary. Later the disciples would need the constant presence of the Spirit to make their faith firm. Luke saw the same flickering faith in his own community, especially during the hard times of persecution when his friends, so dearly hoping for the Lord's quick return, began to weaken. So why not us? It doesn't mean Jesus is trusting us less; he's only loving us more, accepting us as we are but expressing his concern for us. The Lord knows us as brothers and sisters. He knows our problems, the things that shake us up and trouble our faith; a terrible sickness in the family, a worrisome child, a nagging spouse or a nagging boss, a budget so tight it's choking the fun out of life, boredom, hurt, outrage over a dozen injustices a day, a yearning for more of the good things of life, wounded pride when we're overlooked for promotion, every sort of torment and temptation that corrodes our faith. Jesus isn't judging us; he isn't giving up on us. Rather, he's asking us not to give up on him or His Father - or ourselves. He is only warning us and urging us: Don't quit now. He is saying that if only we believe in God, God is with us, strengthening us, giving us the grace to endure. That's the gut meaning of faith. We trust God to love us and care for us. Always.
1) Exodus 17, 8-13
2) 2 Timothy 3, 14-4, 2
3) Luke 18, 1-8
Some people truly love their work and look forward to beginning each days labor with enthusiasm. On the whole, such persons are somewhat rare. Most folks realize that work is just something that needs doing. If we want to eat we have to work. If we want to play we have to work. Work is tiring, but it has to be done. Moses raised his arms in prayer and the battle improved for Israel. When Moses tired and lowered his arms the battle went against his people.(1) The practice of the faith is hard, daily work. Our stewardship is not completed by the writing of a single check. Our task is not finished at the end of an hour of worship on Sunday. We have only begun our labor when we have volunteered. Lift up your hearts! (And your hands. And your arms. And put your back into it!) The kingdom of God is at hand, but it needs work.
Next Sunday the reading's will be: 1)Sirach 35, 12-14. 16-18; 2)2 Timothy 4, 6-8. 16-18; 3)Luke 18, 9-14.
On October 16th, our Holy Father Pope John Paul II celebrated the Twentieth Anniversary of his election as Pope. As the successor of St. Peter, Pope John Paul II is the head of the college of bishops, the Vicar of Christ and the pastor of the universal Church. This is a responsibility that is not always easy; and yet one that our Holy Father has embraced with his entire being. He has truly reached out to all people to proclaim Jesus' message of love, forgiveness and salvation. Let us remember our Holy Father in prayer daily, that God will guide him as he walks in the shoes of the fisherman from Galilee.
Father of providence,Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Amen.
The Church is a communion of saints. This refers to both a common union in holy things and in holy persons. The sacraments unite us to Christ and join us to one another. This is seen and experienced most clearly in the Eucharist by which we are joined to Christ, our head, and to one another to form the visible body of Christ. In most Eastern Rite Churches God's Holy Gifts for God's Holy People is proclaimed in the consecration at the time of elevation emphasizing our communion with Christ and one another. Christ's body and blood to grow in communion with the Holy Spirit and to show forth this Spirit in the world feed the faithful. This unity of believers is not broken by death. We believe in the communion of all the faithful, those of us who are pilgrims on earth, the dead being purified in purgatory, and the blessed who are now with the Lord in heaven. As one body, we pray and give praise to the One Holy God.
This weekend, October 16-18, I am participating in a "Rachel's Vineyard" retreat in Kansas City, Missouri. Father Peter Meis, Capuchin, is celebrating the weekend Masses to make this possible. Project Rachel is a national program, not just something we do here in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. It is a compassionate - a Gospel - response to the serious problems caused by abortion.
Project Rachel is coordinated by Kathleen Ames-Oliver, a parishioner here at St. John's. At the request of Archbishop Keleher and Rebecca Messal, Kathleen spoke at the Right to Life banquet on October 3rd and explained the Project Rachel response to abortion. Here is an edited version of her talk:
A sister I had in Junior High told us that if we were ever in a situation where we weren't certain what behavior or action was appropriate to ask ourselves this question: "How would I feel if what I am doing, or am about to do, were broadcast on the evening news for all my family and friends to see and hear?" Would I be proud or would I be ashamed? The question stuck with me. We have all said things and done things we probably don't want broadcast. We have all experienced shame. As a country, we have experienced the shame of abortion. Men and women who have participated in the shame of abortion often hold that secret in the deep recesses of their heart for fear of judgment and condemnation. Remember Jesus condemned the sin - not the sinner. Christ's message was of infinite mercy and compassion of God's love.
That, too is the message of Project Rachel.
Project Rachel is a program that reaches out to those who seek reconciliation and healing from the trauma of abortion. though it is primarily Catholic in approach, many non-Catholics have benefited from the program as well. Project Rachel is named for the Old Testament woman who wept over the loss of her children. The program has three components that are often interwoven in assisting post-abortive men and women on their journey back to God and wholeness: referral to a priest for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, individual counseling with a counselor who has training and experience working with post-abortive men and women, and support groups.
My dear family in Christ,
Today we take some time to focus on being missionary. The third Sunday of October has traditionally been designated as MISSION Sunday. This means many different things. What I should like to stress today is the importance of living and sharing the faith we have received.
God has freely called each one of us into life and has shown His total commitment by sending the Son. Jesus Christ commissioned the apostles to go to all parts of the world and proclaim the Good News. We are part of that today.
In order to share it with others we need to know it ourselves. God is very generous. Let us be more conscious of seeing beyond our own lives and community and see ourselves as part of the world. In the Christian sense this is important because Jesus Christ became human and salvation, therefore, is for all humankind.
Let us pray for missionaries and deepen our own sense of mission in the way we take the Gospel message into our lives and marketplaces. As Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew: "Let your light so shine before men and women, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Mt. 5:16).
Fr. Ron
We come to a full sense of the dignity of the lay faithful if we consider the prime and fundamental vocation that the Father assigns to each of them in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit: the vocation to holiness, that is, the perfection of charity. Holiness is the greatest testimony of the dignity conferred on a disciple of Christ...
The Church...is the choice vine whose branches live and grow with the same holy and life-giving energies that come from Christ. She is the Mystical Body whose members share in the same life of holiness of the Head who is Christ. She is the beloved spouse of the Lord Jesus who delivered Himself up for her sanctification (see Ephesians 5:25ff). The Spirit that sanctified the human nature of Jesus in Mary's virginal womb (see Luke 1:35) is the same Spirit that is abiding and working in the Church to communicate to her the holiness of the Son of God made man.
It is evermore urgent that today all Christians take up again the way of the Gospel renewal, welcoming in a spirit of generosity the invitation expressed by the Apostle Peter to be holy in all conduct (see 1 Peter 1:15)...Everyone in the Church, precisely because they are all members, receives and thereby shares in the common vocation to holiness. In the fullness of this title and on equal par with all other members of the Church, the lay faithful are called to holiness...
The call to holiness is rooted in Baptism and proposed anew in the other sacraments, principally in the Eucharist. Since Christians are reclothed in Christ Jesus and refreshed by His Spirit, they are holy. They therefore have the ability to manifest this holiness and the responsibility to bear witness to it in all that they do. The Apostle Paul never tires of admonishing all Christians to live as is fitting among saints (Eph 5:3).
Life according to the Spirit, whose fruit is holiness (see Romans 6:22; Galatians 5:22), stirs up every baptized person and requires each to follow and imitate Jesus Christ in embracing the Beatitudes; in listening and meditating on the Word of God; in conscious and active participation in the liturgical and sacramental life of the Church; in personal prayer; in family or in community; in the hunger and thirst for justice; in the practice of the commandment of love in all circumstances of life and service to the brethren, especially the least, the poor, and the suffering. [CL n. 16]
