Monday, July 29, 2013

Homily - 18th Ordinary Sunday (Year C)


18th Ordinary Sunday (Year C)

First Reading: Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23       Second Reading: Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11       Gospel Reading: Luke 12:13-21

'RISE ABOVE MATERIALISM.'
 
One day the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing him just how poor people can be. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what could be considered a very poor family.
On their return from the trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?”
It was great, dad,” the son replied.
Did you see how poor people can be?” asked the father again.
Oh yeah!” said the son.
So what did you learn from the trip?” the father inquired.
The son answered, “I saw that we have one dog, and they have four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden, and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden, and they have stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard, and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on, and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We have walls around our property to protect us, but they have friends to protect them.”
With this, the boy's father was speechless. Then his son added, “Thanks, dad, for showing me how poor we are!”
A man who shows his wealth is like a beggar, who actually shows his poverty; they are both looking for alms – the rich man for the alms of others' envy, the poor man for the alms of others' guilt.
 
Today is the 18th Sunday in Ordinary time. All the three Scripture Readings of today are well connected in theme and fit together like three panels of a colorful mural called “Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” In other words, they warn us of the need to place our hope in the things of heaven, not on the passing things of this world. That is to say that we have to 'rise above materialism' and to strive for what is spiritual and divine.
 
“VANITY OF VANITIES! ALL THINGS ARE VANITY!”
"Vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!" These opening lines of today’s First Reading from the Book of Ecclesiastes are quite famous. The word 'Vanity,' in Hebrew 'hebel,' literally means 'breath' or 'vapor' and is used to indicate something that is transient, futile, worthless, and empty.
"Vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!" It therefore means that nothing lasts forever. It is a depressingly uncomfortable statement. But however depressing it may sound, it is an important statement because it calls our attention to that which is permanent. Something is temporary only because there is eternity. To prove how useless and vain the things of this life are, the author cites the example of a man who worked intelligently and skillfully and produced wealth and things of value. But he has to die and leave them to someone else to enjoy who did nothing to produce them. This is certainly foolishness on the part of man. That is 'vanity' in the sense of 'worthlessness.' After all the toil and worry he has to leave them behind and go empty handed.
When John D. Rockefeller died at the age of 98 at the beginning of the twentieth century, he was the wealthiest man in the world. And a reporter who was assembling his obituary asked his chief aide, “Just how much did your boss leave behind?” The aide answered, “All of it.”
The same is true for us. We will leave behind whatever we do not invest above. And how sad would it be, at the time of our death, if our bank account and coffers here on earth were bulging full and our storehouse in heaven is empty and bare.
"Vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!" Ecclesiastes therefore teaches us how to find meaning in life and gives us the understanding that all things in this life, the pleasures as well as the sufferings, are empty and purposeless. It tells us that there will come a day when all of us will be in our graves; so, it is useless to set out hearts on things that must be left behind when we die. Instead we should work at our relationship with God, because that will be the thing that lasts. Our life on earth is a succession of trials and troubles, labor and lamentations, folly and frustrations. But if the world is seen in the light of God’s revelation, it is a gift of God to man, the most useful and necessary gift. It is a bridge between our earthly and our eternal life. It is different for those who toil for spiritual labor. Their recompense is being accumulated in Heaven, their rewards awaiting them on judgment day. Their spiritual treasures will never depart from them.

“THINK OF WHAT IS ABOVE, NOT OF WHAT IS ON EARTH.”
The Second Reading of today from St. Paul's Letter to the Colossians is also on the same target. In this reading we are reminded that the life of a Christian should reflect the values of Jesus. St. Paul says, “Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Here Paul is not telling us to close our eyes to mundane realities and, hoping for the best, keep looking heavenwards. Rather he is urging us to identify our understanding of life, our values, with those of God, which have been communicated to us by the life and words of Jesus. He reminds the Colossian community, and us too, that in Baptism we have become new persons as we have been raised with Christ. There we find the perfect image of God in Jesus who is the perfect pattern of life for us. That's why St Paul counsels, “Put to death then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience.”
In following Christ's way, we are to 'strip off old behavior and the old self.' In Christ, we have put on a new self, which shares the same vision of life and the same value system and the same goals as those that Jesus proposes. It involves being ever more 'renewed in the image of the creator,' of whom Jesus is the perfect model. To grow more and more like Jesus is to grow more and more into the image of God, by whom and for whom we were created. In this image there is no division, there is only unity and as Paul says, “Christ is all and in all.”

PUTTING OUR TRUST ONLY IN GOD:
Even the Psalm today, Psalm 90, strikes this same note of 'putting our trust only in God' and not in physical things. The psalmist explains that when we are born we are like blades of grass springing up anew at dawn, but by evening wither and fade. The psalmist prays that we can gain the wisdom that lets us see that God is our end, and so live our lives on a path to that end, shouting joy and gladness all our days because we seek the Lord. Let this new place of worship be where we can shout joy and gladness to the Lord, and keep us on that right path.

THE PARABLE OF THE RICH FOOL:
As so often happens, Jesus tells a parable because someone has asked him a question. The Gospel Reading of today from St. Luke starts with someone in the crowd asking Jesus to adjudicate between him and his brother - “Master, tell my brother to give me a share of our inheritance.” It wasn't uncommon to bring such disputes to a rabbi to be solved. But Jesus declines, and tells the man that he is not a lawyer or arbitrator; and in response, he warns the crowd about the trap of earthly possessions and cautions them to watch against avarice or greed - “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one's life does not consist of possessions.” Then to illustrate his point Jesus tells 'the Parable of the Rich Fool,' which relates not only to the situation of the two brothers, but also validates the earlier readings that we have heard today.
Today’s parable highlights the inevitable connection between riches and death. In the parable, there is a rich man whose lands have yielded more crops than expected. He wondered what to do with it. He decided to tear down his barns and build larger ones in which to store his grains and other goods for the future. Then he will have many things stored up for years of eating, drinking, and making merry. He has what he thinks is a brilliant idea. In his own eyes, he has been really 'successful.' But all of his industrious planning is cut short, for God tells him, "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?" The rich man eagerly looked forward to a life of abundance and leisure, unaware that he was to die that very night.
Surely, the parable does not deny the need to plan for the future, but it asks us to look at wealth from the ultimate perspective. The man in the parable is called a fool, not because he is stupid, but because he does not appreciate the true purpose of his wealth. In the midst of his good fortune he has lost the sense of what is really important. For him the acquisition of material goods has become an end in itself. He imagines that he can control his life. Possessions create this kind of illusion. The rich man is really poor in the sight of God. He does not realize all that he has is a gift from God and does not even think about the possibility of sharing what he has with others.
Jesus concluded the parable with the words, “Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.” The indictment against those who are obsessed with material possessions should make us focus on what is essential. Here there is sharp division between the essential and the non-essential … eternal possessions and temporal possessions.

CONCLUSION:
Today's Gospel Reading speaks of the right attitude towards possessions. On the first level Jesus is addressing the young man’s brother perhaps who is being selfish in not sharing his inheritance. On the other hand, he is talking to us and saying that we need to put our trust in God and not in fleeting material things, just as we heard in the other readings also.
Possessions are necessary for life. But possessions can assume such an importance in one’s life that they become obsessions. When one is so consumed with the things that one could have, so much so that one no longer hears the urgent call of God, then one has indeed got one’s priorities all mixed up. Quite honestly, for many of us Christians these priorities often take precedence over our following of Christ. But, a person's life does not consist of possessions. There is more to life than the accumulation of possessions. What one has accumulated, he has to leave behind. No matter how wide one’s lands might be, at the end he would lie on a narrow piece of soil. We cannot bring along even a single nail from our coffin. Likewise, if ever we have accumulated knowledge it is best left behind as wisdom for those whom we have counseled and mentored.
God has indeed blessed us enormously, but we need to 'rise above materialism,' we need to share our blessings, we need to find ways to build up our accounts in heaven. And this is the Good News of today.
                                          
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Monday, July 22, 2013

Homily - 17th Ordinary Sunday (Year C)


17th Ordinary Sunday (Year C)

First Reading: Genesis 18:20-32             Second Reading: Colossians 2:12-14            Gospel Reading: Luke 11:1-13

ASK...KNOCK...SEEK...”

There is a story told of the two frogs that fell into a bucket of cream. They tried very hard to get out by climbing up the side of the bucket. But each time they slipped back again.
Finally one frog said, “We'll never get out of here. I give up.” So down he went and drowned. The other frog decided to keep trying. Again and again he tried to climb with front legs and kicked with his back legs. He had almost lost his strength and his tired feet could hardly move. He said to himself, “Now...now my end has come...I am going to drown.” Then suddenly, he hit something hard. He turned to see what it was behind and discovered that all his kicking had churned up a lump of butter! He hopped on top of it and leaped out to safety.
It was perseverance in his effort that saved the second frog. Perseverance is an important virtue. It means to be persistent, to continue without stopping; it means to start something and to finish it to the end.

Today is the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time and the general theme of today's Scripture Readings is 'perseverance.' The thread tying together the First Reading and the Gospel reading is 'perseverance in prayer,' and the Second Reading reminds us of our 'perseverance in living faith.'

“THE PRAYER OF ABRAHAM”
The First Reading of today from the Book of Genesis presents us with a moving example – the prayer of Abraham, our father in faith. He happens to discover that God has become so appalled at the goings-on in Sodom and Gomorrah that He has decided to destroy the towns with all their inhabitants. He cannot believe that God would really destroy the good persons along with the wicked – so he pleads for these cities by talking directly to God and asking God to change his plans. But he doesn’t just ask, he is persistent in asking, pushing for more and more mercy each time. He begins by saying, “What if there are 50 just men in the town? Will you really overwhelm them, will you not spare the place for the fifty just men?... Will not the judge of the whole earth administer justice?” And God says that He will not destroy the town because of the fifty just men. And as the conversation progresses, Abraham finally 'persuades' God not to destroy the towns even if there are only ten good people there. God listens to Abraham and answers that he would spare the cities if even ten just people could be found.
As an example of persistence and of trust in the justice and mercy of God, Abraham’s prayer would be hard to beat. It is interesting too that he is not just 'negotiating safe passage' for the good people - he is using their goodness, in a way, to save the whole town - including the less savory characters there. Perhaps it is his own search for a just and merciful outcome that allowed God to seem to be conceding points...and perhaps God was showing too that there were not even ten good people in the towns - for they were, in the end, destroyed.
On the other hand, it also shows that God is loving, kind, just and merciful. He is ready to forgive thousands of sinners for the sake of a handful of just men. He is willing to forget the sins and iniquities of entire cities for the sake of the love and adoration of ten people. This is an unmistakable teaching for all of us who seek to follow the Lord closely. According to Divine logic, the good works of a few people can out-weigh in value the sins of thousands. It is so necessary therefore that every just man pray and negotiate with God to redeem the world from injustice.

“LORD TEACH US TO PRAY...”
The Gospel of Luke is often described as 'the Gospel of Prayer,' because in his Gospel St. Luke presents Jesus always praying to the Father at all important moments of his life. Today's Gospel Reading also begins with Jesus praying. What a wonderful scene Luke paints for us today! The disciples watch Jesus at prayer. They see how much prayer means to him. Impressed, one of them comes forward and says to him, "Lord, teach us to pray..."
In response, Jesus does more than he is asked, for he teaches them WHAT to pray for, HOW to pray and WHAT RESULTS they can expect from their prayer. He begins by sharing the Lord's Prayer with them. Then Jesus completes his lesson on prayer by telling two parables. The first urges us to persist in prayer. The second reminds us that we do not always pray for the right things. God knows best how our prayers should be answered. So, today's Gospel passage can be divided into three sections:
1. The Lord's Prayer:
The first is St. Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer - the Our Father. We notice that it is a shorter form and slightly different from the version we usually use which is the longer, more familiar and deeply-loved version found in St. Matthew's Gospel. As such it may indeed be the earlier version and closer to what Jesus actually said. However, the basic elements of the prayer are always the same.
For centuries now we have been reciting the Lord's Prayer (in Matthew's version). We do so before Communion at every Eucharist and, for instance, when we say the Rosary. Yet, as it is presented here by Jesus, it is less a prayer to be recited than a list of things around which our prayer should be centered. Each phrase, in a way, can stand on its own and be a topic for prayer in its own right.
So, when we pray, we must approach God as His children, praise God and His holy name and ask that His kingdom be realized; we should ask for what is needful for the day, acknowledge our sinfulness, ask for forgiveness, forgive others, and pray that we be not tempted. The prayer tells us how to respond to God's love for us and it also tells us how we should treat our neighbor.
2. Perseverance in Prayer:
The second section in the Gospel speaks of perseverance in prayer - especially in intercessory or asking prayer. Jesus tells a story about a man who wants to be hospitable and is asking his neighbor to lend him some food to give his guests. When he doesn’t get the response he wants from his neighbor, he asks again and again until he breaks the neighbor down and does get what he wants. Jesus praises the man for his persistence in asking. The major lesson here then is to have persistence in asking God for what we want.
3. Need for Perseverance in Prayer:
The final section reinforces that need for persistence in prayer. Jesus concludes his teaching by saying that if you ask, it will be given to you; if you search, you will find; and if you knock, the door will be opened to you. Jesus never tells us what to ask for; all he tells us is that our Father will give us the Holy Spirit - his abiding presence in us and among us. What he is saying is that God will give us himself; he is the only good we will need. It should be noted here that the reference to asking, searching and knocking is a reference to requesting the Holy Spirit. For it says, "How much more will the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him." It is a reference to the gifts of the Holy Spirit and its fruits. All of these are needed for the sanctification of the soul during its perseverance in the living faith.

“PERSEVERANCE IN OUR LIVING FAITH IN CHRIST”
Today's Second Reading from St. Paul's Letter to the Colossians reminds us of the need of 'perseverance in our living faith in Christ.' St. Paul asks the Colossians and us, too, to reflect on the wonderful gift of redemption that is given to us as a result of Jesus’ death and resurrection. He says that through our baptism we die to our sins and are raised through faith in the power of God. We are sinners, but God’s love for us pardons all our sins and gives us new life in Jesus - a sharing in the very life of the risen Lord. It reminds us to live our lives in Jesus, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, abounding in thanksgiving, just as we were taught.
So, we should have 'perseverance in our living faith in Christ.' And what does our living faith include? It includes: our worship of God; our struggle to inherit the salvation that we have received through Jesus Christ who is Lord and God; and our concern for the salvation of our spiritual brothers and sisters in Christ. And such is persevering in our living faith.

CONCLUSION:
Now, in prayers of petition, perseverance is most important. “ASK...KNOCK...SEEK...” Jesus tells us to continue knocking even when the door is bolted. Perhaps it is our heart's door that need to be opened since the problem may lie in us; i.e., our lack of faith. For with faith, we will discover that it is not really we but God who knocks at our door and He is just waiting to be let in so that He may fill us with Himself.
Again, when we persevere in our prayers (or pray constantly, with endurance, or unceasingly, or always, etc.) we are essentially putting our complete trust in the Lord. We are going to God helplessly and presenting our requests to Him. When we persevere, our faith and hope is in Him. In essence, we are not losing heart. We can go to God and persevere because we know He is omniscient and omnipotent. He will not leave us out to dry.
Moreover, this is a mystery - that there are things we pray for and do not get. God doesn't need to be persuaded, to have his arms twisted to give us what we NEED. But he certainly does not always give us what we WANT, for our wants are often short-sighted and self-centered. Also, there are things we do not pray for but which God is most willing to give. We pray for material gifts, whereas God wants to give us life. We pray for things outside ourselves which we think can make us happy for some moments but He is thinking of happiness from within which lasts.
A story is told of a mother whose only child, a son, was confined in a hospital, seriously sick. She cared for him as best she could. When some relatives or friends dropped by, she asked them to attend to her son while she went to the Chapel. On her knees and in tears before the Blessed Sacrament, she began by acknowledging God as the Source of life, and thanked Him for the gift of her son who has brought joy to her life. Then she beseeches God to spare him. The worse his condition became, the harder she prayed. But her prayers notwithstanding, her son died. Her relatives and friends were worried how she would take this turn of events. Were they surprised to see her take her son's death in peace!
When asked how come, she answered, “What I prayed for was what I wanted. But during my prayer, there was something in me that said, 'Let go, let God.' Thus at one point, I finally said, 'Your will be done, Lord.' With my child's death, it was obvious that God did not go along with what I wanted. Though painful, I accepted His will wholeheartedly. He knew best.”
If something doesn’t happen that we ask for, something better is in God’s mind. Something greater is on the way. For these reasons, we can persevere in prayer and pray continually.
Finally, praying for Christians is not about making God human, but about our becoming divine. God’s one desire for each of us is that we be his children, trusting in his goodness. When we learn to pray with trust, then we will also learn to see the goodness of our God in whatever comes to us in our daily lives. The Spirit within us will give us the strength and courage we will need to handle the situations of our life-journey. And this is the Good News of today.
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Monday, July 15, 2013

Homily - 16th Ordinary Sunday (Year C)


16th Ordinary Sunday (Year C)

First Reading: Genesis 18:1-10a          Second Reading: Colossians 1:24-28         Gospel Reading: Luke 10:38-42

INTRODUCTION: A Call to Christian Discipleship.
Today is the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time and we further continue to reflect upon the theme of Christian discipleship with the points given by the Scripture Readings of today.
Now, hospitality, a welcoming attitude and a great virtue in a disciple, is the theme which ties together the First Reading from the Book of Genesis and the Gospel Reading from St. Luke, but it is not immediately discernible in the Second Reading of today from St. Paul's letter to the Colossians.
But undeniably, St. Paul is a true disciple of Christ, whose discipleship consists in accepting the supremacy of Christ and in giving himself completely to the task of proclaiming the word to its fulness. And in so doing, he is willing to take the sufferings and hardships in his own flesh, so as to fill up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the Church. Furthermore, he invites all the believers to open their hearts and minds to 'welcome' the mystery of Christ. Those who consent, by faith, to become 'hosts' of the mystery are thereby challenged to cultivate that quality of hospitality that welcomes all others in Christ.
So today, we all are called to Christian discipleship through our dedication, action and contemplation.

My lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant.”
In the First Reading of today from the Book of Genesis we hear about the generous hospitality of Abraham which really sets the scene for the Gospel passage. The three unidentified men arrive before Abraham’s tent at the hottest time of the day. Immediately on seeing them, Abraham rushes forward to greet the complete strangers, bows to the ground before them, addresses them as “Lord” and, not only invites, but begs them to partake of his hospitality - “My lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant.” He then gives them some water to wash their dust covered feet and lets them rest in the shade as they must be tired after their journeying in the merciless sun. Meanwhile Abraham rushes in to look for Sarah, his wife, and tells her to prepare a generous amount of food for their guests. He gives them bread, choice beef specially slaughtered for them, cream and milk. And while the strangers eat, Abraham attends them as their host.
What Abraham did here was really nothing special. Any other person in that part of the world would do the same. The visitors accepted what they were offered and in response they turned his humility & hospitality into a blessing. For the three were God's emissaries and one of whom told Abraham that God would fulfill His promise of giving him a descendant the following year. Now, it is only in this spirit of reliance and humility that we can go on to accept that most difficult of truths.
Today’s story of Abraham’s hospitality reminds us that God is present in every guest. We can reverence his presence by listening to one another. We might be surprised at times by what we hear!

A woman whose name was Martha welcomed Jesus.”
In the Gospel Reading of today from St. Luke, we see another example of the same kind of hospitality; but the story is so familiar to us that it’s easy to miss how extraordinary it is!
One of the difficulties of the passage is the lack of information. It is as if we were looking in through the keyhole and getting a partial picture of what is going on. Jesus is traveling with his disciples; he arrives at a village, where “a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.” Her sister Mary sat, 'as a disciple,' at the feet of Jesus leaving Martha to do all the work. This is all we have to work on. We could suggest that it is likely Martha is so busy because the disciples are also there along with Jesus, but although this is plausible we are not told that this is the case. We are given a partial view, yet we look for a definitive answer.
Secondly, it is obvious that Jesus is going against all the cultural conventions of his day. It is scandalous that he is a guest at the home of two unmarried women who are not related to him - unmarried men didn’t do that. Are we to suppose then, that Jesus did not enter the house alone, or perhaps that there were other males present who belonged to the household? From St. John's Gospels we know that Mary and Martha lived in Bethany and had a brother – Lazarus – who becomes important later in Jesus’ life, and that Jesus thought very highly of him, even crying when he died. Could Lazarus have been present on this occasion acting as a chaperone to the two women? In any case, the omission of this information is quite remarkable. It is also interesting to note that Martha is the one who invites and welcomes Jesus into the house and Jesus allows her, a woman, to serve him - notice that Abraham served the guests in today’s First Reading. Also, Jesus is teaching Mary, a woman; in Jesus’ day, only men were disciples. This shows that Jesus is radically pro-woman!
Now, we know that the Gospel of St. Luke is often referred to as the 'Gospel of Women,' as St. Luke gives a very special place to women and holds them in a more emancipated position. Today, he vividly presents the picture of two female protagonists: Martha and Mary. Martha welcomes the Lord and serves him. As a pious Jew she receives the Lord as a peaceful sojourner. To receive a peaceful sojourner, like Sarah and Abraham received the three messengers, is to receive the blessing of God. To receive God’s blessing is to receive God. Martha is doing exactly what she’s supposed to do. She receives the Lord, waits on him, and serves him.
Again, while the circumstances of this event are unconventional, so too is its message. Poor Martha is very busy about all the tasks of hospitality, which is a very important virtue. But is her generosity motivated by her pride in being the provider? Her indignation towards her sister certainly takes the edge off the atmosphere of welcome. However, Jesus gently reminds her that her anxiety, her distress, has distracted her from what’s really important in hospitality - listening to her guest. Here, is Martha being rebuked by Jesus for trying to do too many trivial things? Or is Martha rebuking Jesus for indulging Mary?

Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”
Receiving Christ requires, first and foremost, hearing him and having the soul of a disciple. The Christian is not forced to choose between acting and contemplating. The point is rather that he must first of all listen and receive Christ with interior peace and simplicity. Any reproach of Martha is for her anxiety, not for her zealous activity in receiving Jesus. One thing is necessary. What is this one thing? Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken from her.”
A story is told of a father who had a little daughter that he dearly loved. They were great friends – the father and the daughter – and were always together. But there seemed to come an estrangement on the child's part. The father could not get her company as formerly. She seemed to shun him. If he wanted her to walk with him, she had something else to do. The father was grieved and could not understand what the trouble was.
Then his birthday came and in the morning his daughter came to his room, her face radiant with love, and handed him a present. Opening the parcel he found a pair of exquisitely worked slippers. The father said, “My child, it was very good of you to BUY me such lovely slippers.” “O father,” she said, “I did not buy them. I MADE them for you.”
Looking at her he said, “I think I understand now what long had been a mystery to me. Is this what you had been doing the last three months?” “Yes,” she said, “but how did you know how long I had been at work on them?” He said, “Because for three months I have missed your company and your love. I badly wanted you with me, but you have been too busy. These are beautiful slippers, but next time BUY your present and let me have YOU all those days. I would rather have my child herself than anything she could make for me.”
Now, today’s gospel is the story of two sisters, Martha who is busy with the work of the Lord, and Mary who is more interested in knowing the Lord of the work. For Martha service comes first, for Mary relationship comes first. Shall we say that Mary has chosen the good because she is there contemplating the words that come forth from the mouth of the Lord? Or shall we say that Martha is the wise woman who wants the Lord to help her teach her sister that the practicalities of life must be met as well? It is not that Martha does wrong in serving her guest, nor that Mary is perfectly justified in leaving her sister to do all the work. Rather, it is the attitude towards their roles in respect of Jesus that causes the scene between the three of them. Everything given to Jesus at dinner, food, drink, even Mary's attention, is all a gift of God, the God who has come to their table.
Choice is at the heart of discipleship and freedom. Given two things – being active and being contemplative – and one has to chose between them, is always a challenge. Jesus says the second is the better choice. Today too many of us think that the active life is the better choice. Please note that Jesus is not saying that we don’t do things. Both are good. One is better. So it is that Mary has chosen the “better” part, which is to listen to Jesus, the Word of God. Only those who have listened carefully to the Word of God know how to behave in the way that God wants.
On the lighter side - a monk asked his superior, “Can I work while I pray?” “No,” answered the superior. The other monk asked, “Can I pray while I work?” “Yes, you may.”

CONCLUSION: Martha vs Mary – A Balanced Life.
There have been many interpretations of this story of Martha and Mary over the years. It is obviously a story about contrasts between the doer and the listener. In our day-to-day life, action and contemplation, work and prayer should not be looked at as opposites but as complementary. Just as prayer should lead to action under God's inspiration, work should bring us back to prayer - to discover before God whether we are doing His will or just advancing our pet interests, sometimes, even at the expense of ourselves or of others. As much as we need to work, we also need to pray - to be alone with God - in order to make our work, our life, meaningful. In short, we should strive to arrive at a balance between work and prayer, action and contemplation in order to make work become meaningful and grace-filled.
The point of the story of Jesus with Martha and Mary is not to invite us to choose between being a Martha or a Mary. The true disciple needs to be both Martha and Mary. Virtue stands in the middle. The Christian disciple is one who acts and listens. He is a contemplative in action. There is a Martha and Mary in each of us. Both are expressions of love. The point of the story is to challenge our priorities so that we come to see that fellowship with the Lord, being with the Lord and hearing his word, should always precede the work we do for the Lord. Do we have a program of daily fellowship with the Lord? Many people fulfill this by assisting daily in the Eucharist where they can also hear the word of God. Others schedule a holy hour or quiet time when they can pray and read the word of God. Whatever way we fulfill this need, today’s gospel invites all Christians first to be a Mary who sits with devotion at the Lord’s feet listening his word, and then also to be a Martha who throws herself with energy into the business of serving the Lord.
But there is also a wider lesson in the story. Always wanting to be busy about serving and becoming anxious about it are traps for the disciple. There is real danger that we get so busy in striving to be active Christians, so absorbed in our tasks and duties, that Christ himself will be less loved. He may say to us, 'I like your works, your toils, your service – but I miss your love you gave me first.' In order for our serving to have its greatest benefit, we must first take time just to be with the Lord in prayer - listening to whatever he may have to say to us. Our effort to listen first keeps our service focused on sharing the Lord’s love in all we do. And this is the Good News of today.
 
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Monday, July 8, 2013

Homily - 15th Ordinary Sunday (Year C)


15th Ordinary Sunday (Year C)

First Reading: Deuteronomy 30:10-14           Second Reading: Colossians 1:15-20           Gospel Reading: Luke 10:25-37

INTRODUCTION:
Today is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time and we continue reflecting upon the theme of Christian discipleship. As a matter of fact, the Gospel Reading of today from St. Luke underlines a very important element of Christian discipleship, viz. 'LOVE OF GOD AND LOVE OF NEIGHBOR.'
'The parable of the Good Samaritan,' which we hear today, delineates the Christian exigency of active service, and helps depict an image of Christian discipleship as love of Jesus present in our neighbor. Indeed, Christian discipleship is not a matter of intellectual knowledge, but of unmitigated love of Jesus as concretely expressed in service and compassionate acts to our brothers and sisters in need.

THE GOOD SAMARITAN:
The gospel message starts with the introduction of the Jewish lawyer who comes to Jesus and poses the question regarding eternal life in order to disconcert Jesus: “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” The question 'What must I do?' was the lawyer’s first attempt to throw dust in his own eyes, for the answer was: ‘You know the commandments, do you not?' To this the scholar replies as every good Jew would have responded to the question – 'We are to love God with all our hearts, strength, mind and being and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.' When acknowledged & affirmed by Jesus, as if that was not enough, in his second attempt the scholar made a fool of himself. And in order to recover from this, because Jesus had made his poorly motivated question seem so easy, he pretended to be trying to get to a deeper understanding. But, really hoping Jesus would hang himself, he further raised the crucial and politically colored question: “And who is my neighbor?”
Now, in each of the cases in the Scripture where Jesus is being tested by someone, he manages to get the better of that person very subtly. So also in this case. And he does it through the parable he tells. The answer that the scholar is expecting, because of course, he knows the answer, is that one’s neighbors are his kith & kin, his relatives, and also those who live in close proximity. But Jesus extends this understanding. He does not only extend it, but he subverts it and turns it around. And so, a great story teller that Jesus is, he tells one of the greatest, most beautiful and powerful stories ever told – The parable of the good Samaritan.
Jesus refuses to answer the question - “And who is my neighbor?” in terms of identifying boundaries which separate neighbors from non-neighbors, whether these boundaries are defined by faith, national identity or special election by God. Instead, the parable of the Good Samaritan is a concrete illustration of the universal dimension of God's plan of salvation and the extension of his grace to the whole world, a major theme for the Evangelist Luke. The word 'neighbor' is usually referred to the person who lives or works next door to us. However, in today’s gospel, Jesus defined who our neighbor is in the context of our Christian faith. The parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us that the concept of 'neighbor' is not a matter of blood bonds, nationality, or religious communion. There is no theoretical definition of neighbor or practical limits to those whom we could consider a neighbor. Our 'neighbor' is the one to whom we draw near because he or she is in need of our help and evokes our compassion. The new definition of neighbor is 'one who loves.'
However, there is another important point that Jesus wants to tell us in the story. The badly beaten man was a Jew. Two other people, who were also Jews, one a priest and the other a Levite, saw the injured victim and chose to pass him by. They did nothing and ignored his plight. A badly injured Jew left to die on the road, and ignored by his fellow Jews! Instead a passing Samaritan , supposedly hated by the Jews, came to the rescue of an injured Jew.
We can say that this Samaritan could love those who hated him, that he could even risk his own life to treat the victim, and bring him to an inn for further caring, that would cost him his own money. The Samaritan reached out to help and care for that man, because he did not see him as an enemy who would hate him, but a fellow human being who needed compassion and care. Jesus, by telling that story, also intended to remind us of his teaching that we need to love and show mercy toward our enemies.

THE GOOD SAMARITAN PAR EXCELLENCE:
Now, there is also another way to look at this story. The man was so badly beaten up by brigands that he was left almost dead, apparently with serious injuries. When that passing Samaritan saw the pitiable state the victim was in, he was moved with great compassion to help him out by tending his wounds, and bringing him to an inn, where he could rest till he fully recovered. The Samaritan even said to the inn keeper to look after him and that he would be coming back for the man. He gave the inn keeper the understanding that he would bear whatever extra cost that would be incurred. Who is this victim to the Samaritan that he had to make such a great sacrifice ?
A story:
When the Communists came to power in China, not a few Christians were arrested and tried for their faith. One was given the opportunity to reveal why he chose Christianity instead of the religion of his ancestors.
I was in a deep pit, he said, sinking in the mire, and helpless to deliver myself. Looking up I saw a shadow at the top, and soon a venerable face looked over the brink and said, “My son, I am Confucius, the father of your country. If you had obeyed my teachings you would never have been here.” And then he passed on with a significant movement of his finger and a cheerless farewell, adding, “If you ever get out of this, remember to obey my teachings.” But alas! That did not save me.
Then Buddha came along, and, looking over the edge of the pit he cried, “My son, just count it all as nothing. Enter into rest. Fold your arms and retire within yourself, and you will find NIRWANA, the peace to which we all are tending.” I cried, “Father Buddha, if you will only help me to get out, I will be glad to do so. I could follow your instructions easily if I were where you are, but how can I rest in this awful place?” But Buddha passed on and left me to my despair.
Then another face appeared. It was the face of a man beaming with kindness, and bearing marks of sorrow. He did not linger a moment, but leaped down to my side, threw his arms around me, lifted me out of the mire, brought me to the solid ground above, then he did not even bid me farewell, but took off my filthy garments, put new robes upon me, and bade me follow him, saying, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” That is why I became a Christian.
As followers of Christ, we can very easily see ourselves in that injured man because we were once dead, badly beaten up by our sins. But, we have been spotted by - 'The Good Samaritan par excellence and our ultimate neighbor, beyond all comparison,' who healed and delivered us from our sins out of his loving mercy and compassion for us. After he healed us, he entrusted us to his inn, which is his Church, for further spiritual caring and nourishment. And, our Samaritan who saved us is none other than Jesus himself, who said that he will be back someday in the future to take us with him to his Kingdom. This is what St. Paul tells the Colossians in today's Second Reading, which is actually a Christological hymn: “God wanted all things to be reconciled through him and for him, everything in heaven and on earth, when he made peace by his death on the cross.”
 
IMPLICATIONS:
So, what does this teach us about following Jesus Christ? Do we see a parallel here between what Jesus did for us and the Samaritan in the gospel story? Thank God that we have a Good Samaritan in Jesus who could sacrifice by laying down his life to heal and restore us – giving us life in him. Now, he expects us to do the same for others , which is the point he is getting at in this gospel. Like Jesus, 'The Good Samaritan, par excellence,' we have to follow him in identifying with the needs of others, including strangers, and enemies, showing them the same compassion that God has for each of us.
Surely, we often hear “The parable of the Good Samaritan.” In fact, ‘Good Samaritan' is a frequent expression we use about a person who helps others. We think of a good Samaritan as a moral example of compassion for the needy, and we would like to be like such a person. Today we are called to be a 'Good Samaritan.' But the big question here is - “And who is my neighbor?” It is not only the person or persons who live next door. Whoever has a need is our neighbor to whom we must reach out as followers of Christ. It has nothing to do with the race, color, nationality and status of the other person.
With “The parable of the Good Samaritan,” Jesus brought out the concrete application of 'The commandment of love,' which those different sects recite every Sabbath day, but fail to implement. Many of us think that we can earn God’s favor just by attending Church regularly, observing all days of obligations, devotional events, actively participating in various church activities, and being prayerful. In citing that the priest, a supposedly religious person, who also chose to go by a different way to avoid helping out the injured man, Jesus is pointing out that our being religious and prayerful are not good enough; we have to be as merciful as God is toward our neighbor, who is someone in need. He will want to see us applying actions of mercy toward our fellowmen.
In the First Reading of today from the the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses, in one of his final speeches, tells the people that the Commandment of God is not beyond their power - “No, it is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out.” So, with God living in our hearts, applying His commandments on love will be within our strength and is something that will not be too difficult for us to do. God’s Word is accessible to all of us, and can be in our hearts and in our mouth. If we do not have His Word in our hearts, we can remain egocentric, narcissistic and selfish which will be nothing but obstacles to our being sensitive and responding to our neighbors’ needs as the good Samaritan did in the gospel.
Finally, what this means is that Christianity is not only a body of doctrine to believe and recite but a way of life to live out. It is not only in our lips to profess and proclaim; but in our hand to touch and share. The way to eternal life is not merely a mental perception of what is written in the law: 'You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself,' or the ability to verbalize it, but to translate this twofold love command into action. Let us pray then, during this Mass, that God’s Word be in our hearts wherever we are : at home, at our workplace, and even when we are taking on leisure activities to chill ourselves out. Let's not forget to reach out to someone in need right after this Mass, beginning with those in our families. And this is the Good News of today.
                                                   
 
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