Today we celebrate the first Sunday of Advent and the beginning of a new Church year. We know Advent is a time of preparation to celebrate Christmas, so it would seem logical that our readings would somehow begin to prepare us for that feast. But that is not what happens. Our Gospel continues the theme of the last few weeks, warning us to be prepared for the coming of the master, because we do not know when that will be. The Gospel begins with, Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come and ends with, What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’ In between is Mark’s version of the servants left to take care of things while the master goes away.
“Be watchful!” “Be alert!” “Watch.” It can sound scary. But I don’t think it is helpful to be scared or fearful. For me, the operative word is “alert.” For example, it is certainly more challenging to drive these days. But being afraid doesn’t help me; being more alert and watchful about the drivers around me is helpful. The same with walking in a dark parking lot late at night: being scared could paralyze me, but I certainly am alert and watchful. Similarly, being fearful could actually make it harder for us to do what Jesus wants, which is to be watchful for His coming in the beggar on the street, in the homebound person who is isolated, in the people coming into the food pantry for essentials, in the difficult coworker or family member that everyone avoids, and so on. If I am afraid and cautious, I might be less willing to take the risk of reaching out and interacting. As we begin this season of being watchful and waiting to celebrate the birth of Christ, let us resolve to grow in our ability to be watchful and alert, so that we are better able to recognize Christ as he comes to us in the people and situations of our daily lives. God bless. Church sign of the week: The right thing and the hard thing are usually the same thing.
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Judging from the number of television series about courtroom drama over the years, from Perry Mason to Law and Order, we have a fascination with law and order. Well, the ultimate “law and order” moment is presented to us in today’s Gospel about the Last Judgment.
The key sentence at the Last Judgment is whatever you did for one of the least, you did for me. This is the ultimate criterion on which we will be judged. Not how many times we went to Mass, not how many rosaries we said, etc. These are important aids to help us live as we should, but they are not the be all and end all. The most important word in that sentence is least. Jesus is concerned about those who have no power or position, those who are shunned by others. It could be the relative that everyone ignores at a family gathering – or who isn’t even invited! It could be the difficult coworker whom everyone avoids. It is the beggar on the street, the immigrant with no place to stay, the person with very different cultural norms, etc. etc. In other words, it is the people no one wants to be around. The last four words in the sentence underscore the gravity of our decisions: you did for me. In whatever way we treated these unwanted, unpopular people, we treated our judge. If we helped them, we helped our judge, And vice versa. Jesus is a compassionate judge, not a harsh one. He wants the best for everyone. He wants all those who need help or support to receive it and He wants us to do our part. As we are compassionate, He will be able to be compassionate to us. How have I done over this past Church year? Have I grown in my ability to be compassionate and supportive to those in need? Am I in a better position to meet Christ the King than I was a year ago? Perhaps reflecting on this will help me enter the season of Advent, a time of preparation to celebrate the first coming of Christ, more focused on growth in my preparation for meeting him when He comes to me at the end of my life. Christ wants desperately to be compassionate to me. Am I living in such a way as to allow Him? Church sign of the week: Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. Our readings these last couple weeks are preparing us for next Sunday’s feast of Christ the King, which ends the Church year. Last week our readings warned us, with the parable of the wise and foolish virgins, to be prepared to meet Christ at the end of our lives. Our Gospel this weekend, the last Gospel before we hear the parable of the Last Judgment on the feast of Christ the King, gives us a hint on how we can be prepared.
The Gospel presents 3 servants, each being given talents to take care of (one received 5, one received 3, and the last received 1). Each one received something and was expected to use it. The master was not comparing the servants: he did not expect the one who received only 1 talent to produce what the others did. He just wanted each one to use what was given him to him to produce a reasonable profit. What has God given you? Each of us has time. After I take care of the things I have to do, how do I use my time? Is it all for me? Or do I spend some time on others, such as visiting the homebound or volunteering at a food pantry? The same with money. After I take care of my responsibilities and basic needs, do I spend all the money left over on me? Or am I generous where there is a need? Finally, the talents and skills we have been given – and all of us have skills. Do we use them where they are needed and can help others? For example, I am not very sensate so I am not good at decorating (they don’t even want me in the church, when they are decorating). But I am a good writer and teacher. I can use those skills to build up the community and help others. I invite us all to look at the gifts that God has given us, even the smallest. When we all cooperate together and share the talents we have, our worship space gets cleaned, our flowers and grounds look wonderful, warm personalities answer the rectory door and phone, fellowship Sunday happens, music makes our worship special, the Word of God is proclaimed, people are welcomed to our services, the food pantries are stocked, wells are built in Tanzania, etc., etc. All of us have God-given gifts and even the smallest are needed. Let us resolve to use our gifts of time, talent, and treasure to the best of our ability to fulfil our responsibilities and to serve others. Then we will hear the words that the servants heard in today’s Gospel: Well done, my good and faithful servant…Come, share your master's joy. Church sign of the week: There’s only one way to get through some things: together. As we near the end of the Church year and the feast of Christ the King (in 2 weeks), our readings are reminding us that our lives will end and we will stand before our King: we need to be prudent and prepare ourselves.
Our Gospel this weekend is the parable of the 5 wise virgins and the 5 foolish virgins. Today we would use the word “bridesmaids.” The groom went to the bride’s house to get her and bring her back to his own house, where the celebration would begin. They did not have Ubers then, the distances could be long, and so it was unclear when the couple would return. The bridesmaids were to be waiting with torches to welcome them and lead them safely into the house. It may seem harsh and un-Gospel-like that the 5 wise virgins refused to share with the others. But, if the oil was divided, the reality was that all of them might not have had enough oil and the arriving couple would be left to fumble in darkness. They were not being mean: they were being practical. The point of all of this is to remind us that we need to live in such a way that we are ready to meet Christ our King, whenever that may be. It might be today; it might not be for 30 years! But it will happen and we need to be prepared. I find it hard to wrap my mind around the reality that I WILL die someday. It could be a sudden heart attack. It could be a violent automobile crash. It could be…. But the point is this: if I am doing my best to live a life of Gospel values, sharing God’s love, compassion and goodness with others, I have nothing to be worried about. Jesus will say to me: Come, you who are blessed by my Father…for I was hungry and you gave me food… Am I ready? What can I do to be more prepared? Church sign of the week: Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. Our readings this weekend are a reminder to us that we need to LIVE the faith we profess: we need to walk the walk and not just talk the talk. In both the first reading and the Gospel, religious leaders are chastised because they are more concerned about themselves and their status than the people they were supposed to be serving.
This is obviously a challenge to priests and other religious leaders to remember that it is all about being of service to others, not honor and glory for oneself. I believe Pope Francis says it well when he reminds us clerics that we have to “smell like the sheep.” The honor, for me, of being a priest is the opportunity to serve others. But every person, no matter their status in life, can take a lesson from these readings. As I go through life, what criteria do I use for making decisions? What is important to me? To look good? To make money? To have more power? Being concerned for ourselves is a natural, human need and these things will be a part of our decision making. But, is the welfare of others also a part? Helping others? Sharing with those in need? Do I always have to be first or can I let others go ahead? Living a life of Gospel values means gradually allowing the “me” in my decision making become less dominant, as I reach out to others in need. It is not either/or, but rather both/and. The challenge before us is to make sure we are growing in our ability to live a life that includes the needs of others in our decision making. Let us pray that each one of us, no matter where we are in life, will continue to grow in our ability to show our love of God through love of neighbor. Church sign of the week: Kindness is the only investment that never fails. Throughout my many years as a priest, I have often stressed the two greatest commandments in my homilies and writings: first, love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind; second, love your neighbor as yourself. Recently, a thought crossed my mind: maybe there are three greatest
commandments??? The first commandment has been very clear all through the Old and the New Testament. We have to love the God who made us and sustains us. Jesus attached the second to the first and emphasized that ALL are our neighbors through the parable of the Good Samaritan, his answer to the question, “And who is my neighbor?” But hidden in there is “myself.” I need to love “myself.” Maybe that’s the third of the greatest commandments? Because, if I don’t love myself, will I be capable of loving others? And if I can’t love others, will I love God? By loving myself, I don’t mean being self-centered, but rather realizing my value because I am a child of God, made in His image. God chose to create ME, as I am, with all my strengths and weaknesses. God doesn’t expect me to be perfect in order to love me: He loves me as I am and invites me to grow in my ability to be loving. I AM SPECIAL because God made me and loves me. That doesn’t make me proud or obnoxious, because I realize I didn’t do anything to deserve it: it was God who did it all. But, hopefully, experiencing that love and letting it sink in will help me to be loving and forgiving to others, who also are loved by God, even though they are flawed like I am. I invite us to reflect this week on how special we are because God made us and loves us, allowing that to help us be more accepting and loving to others, who were also created by God and are loved by God. Church sign of the week: If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. We can be funny creatures: we complain about potholes, slow mail service, etc., but we don’t like to pay the taxes that provide for all these services. Some people complain about the politicians running the country or the state or the city, but they never vote. Our Gospel today, in which Jesus answers the question about paying taxes to Caesar, tells us we have to be involved both in worldly concerns and
spiritual concerns: we need to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God. One way of looking at this is that we need the help and support of community both in worldly matters and spiritual matters. When we have a strong civic community, a community that works together for the common good and not individual interests, we have a well-oiled, functioning society: safety, good roads, mail service, hospital care, snow removal, etc. We cannot survive without the support of each other in our various tasks and positions. The same is true in the spiritual life: it is difficult to live Gospel values, to forgive 77 times, to initiate a process of reconciliation when we are the aggrieved party, to be pleased that someone who worked only one hour has what is needed to feed the family – all the challenges we have been hearing in our Gospels during Ordinary time. Our parish community comes together to hear the word of God and receive the Eucharist, so that these things can strengthen us AS A COMMUNITY to be supportive of each other, as we give to Caesar what he deserves (our contribution to the welfare of all) and to God what he deserves. One final comment: everything we do, including our civic duty, needs to be influenced by the Gospel value of love: love of God shown through love of neighbor. If not, no one will benefit, including ourselves. I invite us to reflect this week on the importance of community in both our civic and spiritual lives. God bless. Church sign of the week: What you have, give; what you lack, seek. Whom does God love? The answer is absolutely everybody! Our long, complicated Gospel tells us that God invites EVERYONE to his heavenly banquet. It doesn’t matter where they live, what color they are, or anything else: all are invited.
In the scriptures, sharing food is a sign of close identity and acceptance. The epitome of sharing food is a banquet, which is sharing food at a special occasion, such as a wedding. God wants everyone to be happy with him forever: he wants us at his heavenly banquet. That is why it is unacceptable to be prejudiced against anyone: we are all God’s children. God wants us. He invites us. But we, for our part, have to wear the wedding garment to get in. Our Gospel sounds harsh, having the man who was invited in off the street, with no warning, thrown out because he wasn’t wearing proper attire. But Jesus’ audience would have known that garments were handed out at the door, if needed. The man had a garment: he chose not to wear it. So, what do we have to do? What is the wedding garment that God asks us to wear, in order to enter his heavenly banquet? The answer is simply how we treat others: love one another as I love you. Over and over in the Gospel, Jesus models for us love of his Father, shown in His love for others. Even those who crucified him! At the last judgment, we will be wearing the wedding garment if we can claim that we did what Jesus was saying: when I was hungry, you gave me to eat, when I was thirsty, you gave me to drink… He will then be able to say to us, “now enter in to the home of my heavenly Father.” In other words, welcome to the heavenly banquet. I invite us this week to reflect on how well we are living the law of love. That is our wedding garment! Church sign of the week: God expects spiritual fruit, not religious nuts. The beginning of our reading this weekend from Paul’s letter to the Philippians has a wonderful message for us: Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
The key is in the second part of this reading: Then the peace of God… It is not for God that we pray: he doesn’t need our help to know what to do. We pray because it is important for us: First, praying helps to make God more present in our lives. It is a way of connecting, it is building and strengthening a relationship. Second, prayer of petition is admitting that we are NOT in control, that we don’t have to be able to control everything, that we will never be in control. As a result of God being present to us and our acceptance of not having control, we will be less anxious. “The peace of God… will guard our minds and hearts,” as Paul tells us. Anxiety can cripple us, making us unable to act and very unhappy. God’s presence can calm us and bring us peace. It will not take away our problems, but it will remind us that someone who loves us very much and has our welfare in mind IS in control. But it is not magic, we have to allow it to happen. We need to pray and by “pray” I mean taking quiet time to be with the Lord, sharing our concerns and then being quiet, allowing him to speak to us, to calm us. I repeat the wonderful wisdom we heard from St. Paul, inviting you to meditate on it this week. Are you spending enough time talking with the Lord? Brothers and sisters: Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. God bless. Church sign of the week: Cast your cares upon the Lord. He has broad shoulders. Our Gospel this weekend is an important one for those of us who “practice” our religion, that is, those of us who go to Mass on Sundays and holydays, who don’t eat meat on Fridays in Lent, who say our morning and evening prayers, etc. Observing the “rules” is important, because all these things strengthen us to do what is really important: love others and show that love by being generous,
compassionate, and forgiving. The danger is that we can be like the first son in our Gospel parable, who says he will do what his father asks, but then doesn’t do it. That happens if we substitute our religious practice for what God REALLY wants. When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus answers love of God and love of neighbor, and immediately adds the Good Samaritan parable to tell us that all are our neighbors. In the Last Judgment, it is how we treated others that is important, not religious practice: when I was hungry, you gave me to eat… THAT is what we have said “yes” to, as followers of Christ. If we are performing our religious duties but not growing in our ability to be generous, loving, and forgiving to others, including those we might deem “not worthy,” we are like the first son who agrees to do what his father asks but then reneges. Let me be clear: religious practice is essential for our Christian life. We need the graces and help that come from a strong relationship with the Lord to be able to go out of ourselves to others. We just need to make sure we are USING our religious practice to help us grow in our ability to relate to others as did Jesus, not SUBSTITUTING it for the challenge of making the needs of others a part of our life. I invite us this week to reflect on how well we are doing at using our religious observance as a help to grow in love of God shown through love of neighbor. Church sign of the week: You worship a homeless man on Sunday. Don’t ignore one on Monday. |
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