In a trial, would you be convicted for being a disciple of Christ the King?

 

FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING  A  2023

 

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King, the Lord of the Universe.

This is ironic because Jesus never acted like a king.  He embraced poverty, not wealth. He taught humility, not arrogance.  He emphasized service, not domination.  He chose a cross, not a palace.  Kinship, instead of kingship:  This is what Jesus is truly passionate about.  Kinship with “the least, the lost, and the last.”

As we reflect on Christ the King and ask if Jesus has authority over our lives, remember the qualities of the Kingship of Jesus.  Jesus embraced poverty; he taught humility; he emphasized service; and he chose the cross.  In a trial, would you be convicted for being called Christian, a disciple of Christ the King?

The Gospel describes the Last Judgment scene.  “The king will say to those on his right. ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father.  Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me food…The righteous will respond, ‘Lord when did we see you hungry and feed you…And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brothers or sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

There is nothing mysterious or difficult to figure out about today’s Gospel.  Each of us will be judged upon our performance of the simple works of mercy we hear in the Gospel. 

The Gospel suggests that our leadership in religious organizations doesn’t count for too much before God.  In the last judgment, the only thing that really counts is humble service.

As we gather on Sunday to celebrate the beauty of our liturgy Sunday after Sunday, the Gospel reminds us of the liturgy of life without which all other liturgy in Church has no meaning.  Plain and simple, if we are not focused in the liturgy of life in our service of one another, all other liturgy, no matter how beautiful it is, is pointless.

 

 

 

Jesus doesn’t even use big words like justice or democracy to explain what is going to be on our final exam.  He simply talks about food, clothes, water, and shelter – the basics of life.  Jesus took his stand with the needy people of this world and said in effect: “This is where I live.” These are my people.  I belong to them, and they belong to me.  Jesus not only cared about the needy and sought to help the needy. He completely identified himself with the needy.  There was His hunger.

God has no other name than Mercy.  Where is the Lord of the Universe to be found?  He has disappeared among the hungry, thirsty, naked, lost, sick, imprisoned, alien and persecuted of this world.  Our King is hiding in the least of our brothers and sisters.

That’s where you and I belong. This is how we strengthen our trust in God.  It isn’t as if the needy are people who need help, and we are the people who give help.  We all belong to the fellowship of the needy.  Who are the needy?  I am; you are; everyone is.  Today I may help you, but tomorrow I may need you to help me.  We are members of the same family, sharing our love, sharing our resources, sharing our needs.

The primary message of this Gospel account is not to inform you about what will happen at the end of time, but to teach how to behave today.  In the words of the writer Stephen Covey, we need to begin with the end in mind.  Jesus is suggesting how we must live.

The prayerful questions we ask ourselves:  In what ways is Jesus the ruler, the king of your life?  How does God’s love inspire us to show mercy?

Presently as we are dealing with war in the Middle East and in Ukraine and with the fear and threat that has been generated by random acts of violence, sexual harassment, and terrorist attacks.  Is the message of love and forgiveness professed by Jesus as the Lord of our lives get modified as we are gripped with fear of terrorists?  How safe are we from the threat of senseless violence?  Are we still expected to look with love on those whose hearts may be filled with hate?  Can we welcome refugees with love in our hearts if we are paralyzed by our fear that refugees are a threat to our safety?

 

 

 

We mourn the breakdown of our global family and the violence in so many places when humans created in the image of God choose death instead of life, when they choose revenge instead of mercy.  Yes, we need to ask how is Jesus the king of the culture we live in?  It is we who lose when we allow the venom of hatred and revenge to circulate through our spiritual lives.

Closer to home, is Jesus the king of your family life?  Is each and every member of your family treated with the love that Jesus has for each member of your family?  How much of a commitment do you have for family prayer?  Can you really say that Jesus is the King of your family life if you are too busy to pray together?

Our parish  commitment to grow our Penfield Hope initiative is focusing on our desire to feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the naked.  What the Lord asks of us is to make a difference in the lives of our neighbors; we are to lift each other up in hope and in humble service.  Penfield Hope responds to critical unmet needs of Penfield area residents through meaningful encounters, dialogue, and practical services.

Again going back to the Gospel, in His last words to us in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is telling us in advance that when we each stand before our God, we won’t be given a test that will be confusing or difficult.  It will instead involve only the most practical questions:  Did you feed the hungry?  Did you shelter the homeless?  Did you care for the sick?

And our answer will be….

 

Have a blessed day.

 

The Lord holds us accountable for how we use our God-given giftedness.

 

Thirty Third Sunday in OT  A  2023

Today’s scripture readings prepare us for the end of the liturgical year. They challenge us to understand our life in terms of its ultimate purpose. On this the second last Sunday of the liturgical year, our prayer centers around the accountability the Lord will ultimately ask of each of us. In terms of the Gospel parable of the various talents given to the three servants, we too have been generous recipients of blessings and talents from our loving God.

Our prayerful question is one of accountability. What are we doing with the talents God has given to us? Have we buried our talents, or have we used them to make a difference in the lives of others? 

The second Scripture reading from St Paul tells us the Day of the Lord is coming like a thief in the night. We know not the day or the hour.   The apostle Paul   told people not to get too worried about end times, but not to get too comfortable either. What really matters on the Day of the Lord is what we are doing with the graces and talents that have been given to us.

The message in the parable is about trust. God is entrusting us with God-given talents. God trusts us. In turn, we are to trust God in taking the risk and making the commitment to share the talents we have been given in the service of others. Our precious God-given talents are not ours to keep. Our talents are not to be buried in the ground. Rather that are given to us to live out the commandment of love, the first requirement of a disciple of Jesus.

Our talents are not our personal wealth. These talents are our God-given gifts that are meant to be multiplied and be life-giving for all.

We need to get our head around the talents that we have been given. As we are parishioners of Holy Spirit parish, for this reflection I invite you to think of talents as what Jesus has given to His Church:  the Gospel, the message of salvation intended to transform the world and create a new humanity; His Spirit who renews the face of the earth, and even Jesus Himself in the Sacraments; and then his power to heal, to comfort, to forgive, to reconcile with God.

These are the talents given to the three servants in helping us understand the meaning of the parable. The three servants are members of the Church. To each of them is given an assignment to be done so that this wealth of the Lord may be put to good use. According to one’s own charism, everyone is called to produce love.

The second part of the parable describes the different behavior of the servants, two are enterprising, dynamic, hardworking, while the third is fearful and insecure. The first two servants learned to love what the master did.

In the third part of the parable, we witness the rendering of accounts. The reward the first two servants receive is the joy of their Lord, the happiness that comes from being in tune with God and His plan.

Then the third servant, despite not being a main actor, appears to be the principal character of the parable. The central message of the parable is the master’s rebuke of the slothful servant:  the only unacceptable attitude is disengagement; it is the fear of risk. He is condemned because he let himself be blocked by fear.

This third servant is held accountable for not sharing the talent of forgiveness, of compassion, of loving those who are difficult to love. These talents are not to be buried in the ground. Refusing the trust that he had been given, he buried his master’s offer in the grave.

And so, we ask ourselves are we burying our God-given giftedness in the ground?

Our life as a disciple of Jesus can never be just as a spectator; we are to be active participants in sharing our God-given talents in making a difference in the lives of others. We begin within our own family. We begin within our own parish community. But the Gospel call to love demands that we move beyond our comfort zone and bring the message of the healing love of Jesus to one and all.

We are to pray over this parable individually and as the parish community of the Church of the Holy Spirit?

Has the sharing of our talents resulted in candidates for the priesthood, consecrated life as a religious, or the commitment to serve the Church as a lay ecclesial minister? Who has emerged from our faith community to serve in leadership ministries in our Church?

Has our sharing of our faith and love led others in our neighborhood to join and become active participants in our parish community?

Are we known in the neighborhood as a welcoming parish, as a family friendly parish?

How have we as a parish community shared our giftedness and talents with those who are in need? What we have been given, we are given to share. We are called to wash the feet of God’s poor.

It has been said that for us to enter the kingdom of heaven we need a letter of recommendation from someone who is poor. Who is going to write that letter for you and who is going to write that letter for me?

Have we made a pledge to support the CMA this year? Will we lend our support to empower our diocesan ministries to serve people in need?

The challenge for all of us to place God first in our lives. It’s too easy to bury our baptismal talent in the midst of a life that is filled with activity from one moment to the next.  The potential talent we have as a parish community is limitless if we commit ourselves to be a parish community that gives praise to God and if we commit ourselves to use our talents in the service of one another.

And so, as we come to the end of this liturgical year and we reflect on the accountability that is asked of each one of us and is asked of us as a parish community, may we rejoice in the joy of the blessings of life that we have been given and shared. May we also hold ourselves accountable that we have not yet finished the work that the Lord has given us to do. The Lord will hold us accountable for how we shared our faith, our compassion, our forgiveness, our welcome, and our love with one and all.

Have a blessed day!

Is is a compliment or an insult for Catholicism to be called a sinner's Church?

 

 

 

Catholicism down through the centuries has at times been called “the sinners Church.”  Now I ask you thoughtfully:  is this a compliment or an insult to be called a sinners Church?

Certainly, we all know too well that there is much sinfulness in our world. The war in the Middle East with Hamas, the Palestinians, and the Israelis, the war in Ukraine, the violence too often seen in the streets of our cities, even in the halls of Congress there is much too much polarization among our political parties.

As we begin each and every celebration of the Eucharist, we participate in the penitential rite acknowledging our sinfulness and entrust ourselves to the mercy and love of our forgiving God. Yes, we are a sinner’s Church.

There is weakness in all of us. This is why we belong to the Church. This is why we know that we stand always in need of the forgiving love of Jesus. We are sinners seeking to be saved. May we always rely on the power of the Holy Spirit within us. We don’t preach ourselves.  We preach the power of God’s love that is within us. In the power of God’s love for us, we have the means to set the world ablaze.

What is stunning to me in today’s Scriptures is that Jesus had little trouble with sinners but had his greatest troubles were with the religious leaders of his day, religious leaders who were hypocrites. To pick upon a contemporary expression, Jesus wasn’t concerned about fake news. He was concerned about fake religion.

In speaking to his followers, Jesus said: “The scribes and Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s shoulder, but they will not lift a finger to move them.”

 

Of all the evils that Jesus confronted, one of the greatest was the evil of hypocrisy. The Pharisees and scribes exalted themselves and made their mastery of the law a badge of social privilege. Worse, they lorded the law over the people.

Today’s Gospel brings us into the core of Jesus’ moral teaching. What Jesus demands of the people of the covenant is humility, being who you say you are, making all your behavior an expression of your beliefs, no matter the cost.

The critique of Jesus to the scribes and Pharisees is that they did not walk their talk. The question for us:  Do we walk our talk? This is a question for all of us, not just for preachers. What is our talk?

Whereas the scribes and Pharisees were preoccupied with their desire to be honored and exalted, Christian leadership is a call to service following the example of Jesus who came not to be served but to serve, to give his life as a ransom for many.

Whereas the scribes and Pharisees were laying down heavy on the shoulders of others, Jesus invited us: “Come to me all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Yes, there was considerable tension between Jesus and the religious leaders of his day. What about today? What about ourselves? Do we exercise our leadership in imitation of the servant leadership of Jesus? Do we walk our talk?

As parents, as you teach your children to be patient, kind, forgiving, generous and loving, are we examples to our children of the message that we teach them?

In our sister parishes, we have 96 mostly second graders preparing for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, do we as a parish community witness to the value of this sacrament of God’s forgiveness by the example of our lives? Is the Sacrament of Reconciliation part of our spiritual life?

Do we participate in the annual diocesan Catholic Ministries Appeal as a way of serving the needs of the poorest among us in the diocese? Are we a Good Samaritan or an indifferent bystander?

Are we witnessing to the dignity and the sacredness of all life as we stand against abortion, poverty, prejudice, euthanasia, and the death penalty. Are we pro-life both before and after birth?

As sister parishes of St Joseph’s and Holy Spirit, do we generously support the faith life of both of our parish communities. Are we better together in the ways we help and serve each other?

In the October synod at the Vatican, Pope Francis invited delegates from all over the world to Rome to reflect on the mission of the Church. Pope Francis has warned of the dangers of being too clerical a Church, he challenges us to a listening and discerning Church who can read the signs of the times and be a Church that washes the feet of God’s poor.

And so on and so on,

Rather than keeping our love under a bushel basket, may we follow the example of St Paul who proclaims:  With such affection for you, we were determined to share with you not only the Gospel of God, but our very selves as well.

The apostle Paul preached by the example of his life. So must we give our very selves in the ways we give witness to the love of God.

May we never try to be people who we are not. The critique of Jesus was that fake religion is intolerable. Fake Religion is when in our hypocrisy we pretend we got it all together. Fake religion is when we do not walk our talk in trusting in Jesus as the center and the North Star of our lives.

Yes, we acknowledge the brokenness and sinfulness in our lives personally and in our lives as a Church. Thanks be to God. Our God is a loving and forgiving God who embraces us with the fullness of mercy, forgiveness, and love.

Have a Blessed Day.