Rich Man, Poor Man

  

                  26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

                  C cycle

 

 

 

Just like last week, today's first reading is from the Book of the prophet Amos. We must remember that for the most part, prophecy is not about foretelling the future but about calling attention to the wrongs in the present. Amos is no exception. His criticism of the idleness and greed of the well-to-do in his own time seems to ring true in our time as well. 

 

He says, "Woe to the complacent in Zion!" What accusations does he bring? Their homes are furnished luxuriously. They eat the choicest foods and drink the finest wines. They sing and dance with abandon. Today, we have cable channels devoted to each of those subjects. We have food channels, fashion channels, music channels, and home improvement channels.

 

One of the key messages of the Hebrew scriptures is the obligation to care for the lowly and the poor. All were expected to act as good stewards on behalf of those in need. In today's first reading the Prophet Amos claims that his people have failed to come to the aid of the needy, and that they will suffer the consequences.

 

This same theme is the subject of today's gospel where Jesus tells the famous parable of the rich man and the poor beggar, Lazarus. This parable is the third famous story in the sixteenth chapter of Luke’s gospel. Two weeks ago we heard the story of the Prodigal Son, and last week it was the story of the unjust steward who cheated his master. Jesus tells the  stories to a group of Pharisees who were known for their strict, even rigid observance of every aspect of the Law. Jesus complains that while they make an outward show of goodness, they fail to abide by the true spirit of the Law. 

 

Isn’t it obvious that the stories are directed to us as well. We live in the richest country in the history of the world. Even in economic hard times the poor in our country are more well off than most of the rest of the people on the globe. A few years ago I heard a priest say that there are 7 million street boys in Brazil alone. These abandoned street children are ill-clothed, ill-fed, ill-housed, and ill-educated. Most are already involved in criminal activity and will surely not even live to manhood. Efforts to help often seem fruitless and counter-productive. It breaks your heart.

 

What can we do? Frankly, I think it would take a great saint like Mother Teresa to deal with such a problem. But she started out by reaching out to heal one single child. From that point, through prayer and self sacrifice she built a world wide order of sisters devoted to caring for the poor. Most of us cannot match the zeal and skill of this great woman but maybe we could profit by looking closely at today’s gospel.

 

First, Jesus makes the care of the needy a personal thing. He does not talk about curing world hunger and bringing about world peace. He focuses on two men: one is incredibly rich and the other incredibly poor. The poor man does not live far away on another continent. He lives (maybe it’s more accurate to say dies) right outside the rich man’s palace. Jesus is saying that the Pharisees could have used the excuse that the beggar was unclean according to the Law, and not touchable by any self-respecting person. But Jesus is saying that this excuse in not available to us. The spirit of the law requires us to help.

 

Thank goodness most of us do. St. Paul certainly understood the message of today’s gospel. He tells the young priest, Timothy, that he has the obligation to see Christ in all those entrusted to his care, and urges him to follow the example of Jesus and “pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and gentleness.” In another letter, he told Timothy, 

 

if we deny Him

He will deny us.

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Reading 1. Amos 6: 1a, 4-7

Reading II. 1 Timothy 6: 11-16

Gospel. Luke 16: 19-31( Dives and Lazurus).

 

The Unjust Steward

                   25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

                  C cycle

 

 

One of the key messages of the Hebrew Scriptures is the obligation to care for the lowly and the poor. All were expected to act as good stewards on behalf of those in need. In today's first reading the Prophet Amos claims that his people have not only failed to come to the aid of the needy, but that they are actually cheating those they are supposed to help.

 

For these oppressors the service of God and their neighbor is of no value. The unscrupulous business practices that Amos points out in his time have their counterparts in our time. It was common in ancient times to debase the coinage or medium of exchange used in business dealings. To diminish the ephah or add to the shekel was a way of cheating the unwary. In the same way adjusting scales to give false readings was a way to give less value for the money. 

 

Today, most forms of cheating in business seem far removed from our ordinary lives. Most of us will never be involved in nefarious Wall St. scandals that will see us led off to jail in handcuffs. Most of us will never be in a position to embezzle thousands from our employer. Most of us will never be like illegitimate building contractors who take money but never complete the job.

 

Today’s gospel is about another crook, the unjust steward. He was cheating his own master or employer. You may recall that last week’s gospel was also about someone who squandered his master’s wealth. Last week it was the Prodigal Son. Today’s gospel follows immediately after that famous parable in St. Luke’s gospel and there is good reason. While there are similarities in the two stories, there is a profound difference.

 

In last week’s gospel the Prodigal Son, after squandering his father’s inheritance, realized what he had done, repented, confessed, and begged for forgiveness. In today’s account the unjust steward, after squandering his master’s wealth, neither repents nor asks for forgiveness. He just seeks a way out but only gets deeper and deeper into crime. He goes to his master’s debtors and does them favors by cheating his employer further. He’s hoping that these debtors will remember and reward him. After all, he admits that he dislikes hard work, and is too ashamed to beg.

 

People have wondered why the master seems to “commend” the unjust steward for his criminal behavior. “And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.” Personally, I detect sarcasm here. It’s as if the master was saying, “Sure, hang out with those bums. Just wait and see what happens. Why would any of those debtors ever trust the steward when they know that he has cheated his own master? Even crooks understand the words of today’s gospel.

 

 

The person who is trustworthy in very small matters

Is also trustworthy in great ones;

And the person who is dishonest in very small matters

Is also dishonest in great ones.

 

Politicians like to tell us today that there is a difference between private and public morality. They think that they can cheat on their spouses but serve their constituents faithfully. Nevertheless, deep down we all know that if they are unfaithful to their own spouses, why should they be faithful to us?

 

In today’s second reading St. Paul asks us to pray for those in authority. He must have known how difficult it would be for people in power to be faithful and just stewards. Still, it is clear that it is not just political leaders who are called to be stewards. We are all called to stewardship. We must follow the example of Jesus “who gave himself as a ransom for all.”

 

We have all been entrusted with the responsibility to care for others. Husbands and wives have the responsibility to care for each other. It’s amazing to me how often people in business will treat their clients with the greatest care and respect, but ignore the needs of their spouses. In another place, St. Paul tells us that single people have an even greater responsibility to care for others. Speaking of responsibility don’t we make a great mistake when we give our children little or no responsibility? 

 

Even though most of us are just ordinary people, we are all called to be stewards. In the eyes of those who have been entrusted to our care we are the biggest shots of all. Why on earth would we turn our backs on our loved ones to make friends with the “mammon of iniquity” ?

 

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Reading 1. Amos 8: 4-7

Reading II. 1 Timothy 2: 1-8

Gospel. Luke 16: 1-13 (the unjust steward).

Exaltation of the Cross

                                    Exaltation of the Holy Cross

                                    

Crucifixion*
Station of the Cross
Assumption Church
Fairfield CT

In the Catholic Church a feast day commemorating the Cross is celebrated every September 14. Since Sept. 14 falls on a Sunday this year, the feast supplants the regular readings in Ordinary time.

From the earliest days the sign of the Cross has been a prominent feature in the Church. We bless ourselves with the sign of the Cross when we enter and leave church; and we will make the sign of the Cross many times during the Mass. The Cross is always exhibited prominently in our churches, and practically every church has Stations of the Cross where the faithful can virtually walk in the footsteps of Jesus. Many famous churches have even been built in the shape of a cross. 

Most Christian homes will contain a cross or crucifix. Every rosary has a cross. We cross ourselves before we say grace at meals. Not only churches but also schools and even cities have been named after the Cross. Santa Croce is a famous Franciscan church in Florence, Italy. Holy Cross is a well-known college in Massachusetts. St. Croix is the name of a river and city in Minnesota. Santa Cruz is a city in California. 

Today’s feast is actually called the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Despite being an instrument of torture and disgrace and death, the death of Jesus on the Cross has always been regarded as a sign of the triumph of love over sin and death. 

The theme is set in the first reading from the Book of Numbers. The Church has always regarded the lifting up of the pole with the sign of the saraph serpent as pre-figuring the lifting up of Christ on the Cross. 

Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole,

And whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent

Looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

Today’s gospel from the Gospel of John contains one of the most famous passages in the Bible, and it relates to the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,

So that everyone who believes in him might not perish

But might have eternal life.

This verse is John 3:6 and we often see it lifted up on signs and placards in the stands during sporting events.

In the last few weeks we have been following Jesus on his way to Jerusalem to take up his Cross. We have heard him tell the disciples and us to take up our own crosses of humility, sacrifice, and service to others. All of us will have our own cross to bear in life even if we have never heard of the Cross or even if we reject its message. No one goes through life without pain. For Christians, the Cross is the way through the pain and suffering. 

It is true that for some the pain will be greater. Here is Fr. Luis Montes observing the suffering of the persecuted Christians in Iraq.

“The number of martyrs the Middle East is giving to the world is amazing. It is not well known but it will be in many years, and we will speak of them like we do of the acts of the martyrs of the early years of Christianity. The faith they have despite the persecution is moving, as well as their sensitivity towards others...Almost all the people I know in Iraq and in other countries of the Middle East know a family member killed out of hatred for the faith. Others have suffered direct persecution or discrimination. For us it is an honor to serve these people. Lord knows what He will ask of me in the future but as for me I would like to serve here my entire life”

We do not yet face such danger in our own country but Catholics are becoming increasingly marginalized in today’s secular culture. In colleges and universities all over the country our children are being taught that religion is an obstacle to true love and happiness. Rather than being asked to take up our Cross, we are urged to abandon and even despise it.

For those who ridicule and hate the Cross, it is clear that they have not been able to eliminate the pain and suffering in the world, much less in their own lives. They have just given up the Christian way to deal with life’s arduous journey, but have found nothing to take its place.

Even though John 3:16 is justly important, verse 17 is equally valuable.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,

But that the world might be saved through him.

Jesus said that if we really want to save our life, we must first lose it. We must give up our selfishness and pride, and find our lives in the service of others. This was the example of Jesus on the Cross. St. Paul understood this after his own conversion. In today’s reading from the Letter to the Philippians, he says that merely in taking human form, Jesus humbled himself even to the point of enduring a cruel death on the Cross.

Hopefully, we will not have to endure persecution and martyrdom like our brothers and sisters in Iraq and Syria. Nevertheless, even in our own personal trials, Jesus has shown us the way. His words, his deeds, and his example are the way. 

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Reading 1. Numbers 21: 4b-9

Reading II. Philippians 2: 6-11

Gospel. John 3: 13-17 (God so loved the world)

* Image by Melissa DeStefano 

Wisdom

  

                                    23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

                                    C cycle

 

 

Today's first reading is from the Book of Wisdom and naturally it's subject is wisdom. In the last few weeks the Church has been offering us the virtues as guides on our journey through life. A couple of weeks ago it was Faith. Last week Humility. This week we have Wisdom. While all the virtues are gifts of God, we have to practice them regularly to stay in spiritual shape. 

 

Wisdom is not intelligence, or book learning. We all know that sometimes the smartest people are not necessarily wise. Indeed, people with no learning at all can often be very wise. Wisdom is the virtue that helps us distinguish right from wrong in any endeavor. It will also help us in making the most important decisions in our lives. Wisdom often means looking outside of ourselves for guidance. Today we regularly turn to doctors, lawyers, and financial advisors for advice in matters of their expertise. We know, as it says in today's reading, that "the deliberations of mortals are timid, and unsure are our plans." 

 

St. Luke's gospel which we have been using all year deliberately follows our Lord on His journey to Jerusalem. Every week we have been urged to accompany Him on this journey. Now as we approach the end it should not surprise us that the road is getting more difficult the closer we get to our goal. It will take a different kind of wisdom for us to find happiness. How many times do the gospels remind us that our ways are not necessarily the Lord's way.

 

Two weeks ago our Lord told us to be prepared to enter by "the narrow gate." Last week we were advised to "humble ourselves." This week our Lord indicates that if we want to stay afloat, we will have to throw everything overboard:

 

            anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions

            cannot be my disciple.

 

Not just possessions but also our most dear attachments.

 

            If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother,

            wife and children, brothers and sisters,

            and even his own life,

            he cannot be my disciple.

 

What can we make of statements like these? What kind of advice is this? Right before Jesus turns to the crowd to utter these statements, He told another little parable about the goal of life's journey. This parable was about a man who gave a banquet and invited many to the banquet but they all had excuses for not coming. They were preoccupied by their own affairs. One had just bought a farm and had to go see it. Another had bought some oxen and had to take them out for a test ride. The last said, "I have married a wife, and therefore cannot come."

 

These refusals angered the man and led him to invite "the poor, and the crippled, and the blind, and the lame." All these were not tied down with possessions and attachments. He even went out into the highways and byways to fill the banquet hall. Wisdom tells us that only if we get our priorities straight will we find true happiness for ourselves and our loved ones.

 

Both of the examples of practical wisdom that our Lord gives us in today's gospel are as appropriate today as ever. Instead of a man building a tower, we could talk of one taking on a load of debt which he would not be able to handle when interest rates rise. Don't we wish that our leaders and politicians would behave like the king in today's gospel who used foresight and wisdom before committing his men to battle? 

 

Is it possible that our Lord is being just as practical when He asks us to renounce all of our possessions in order to find true happiness in our journey through life? Will all our accumulated possessions prove of lasting value? Look at how many people just have to have the latest phone or electronic device. They line up to buy it only to find that it is obsolete a year later.

 

Today's second reading from the letter of St. Paul to Philemon gives us another example of Wisdom. This letter is unusual in that it is not addressed to a community of believers but to an individual. Philemon like most well to do Roman citizens was a slaveowner. Slavery was a common and totally acceptable practice in Roman society. The Romans believed that it was better after conquering a people to enslave rather than kill them. Slaves were very valuable possessions in the ancient world.

 

Apparently, Onesimus, one of Philemon's slaves, had run away. Either before or after his escape, he had converted to Christianity and somehow had managed to meet up with Paul in prison. In today's reading we see that Paul sends him back to Philemon but urges him not to punish Onesimus but to give him his freedom. In giving up his slave, Philemon will gain "more than a slave,' but a brother in Christ. 

 

It was our Lord's constant teaching that since we all have the same Father in Heaven, we are all brothers and sisters. We know that we are supposed to see Christ in the least of our brothers and sisters. Paul echoes this teaching when he says to Philemon about Onesimus, 'welcome him as you would me." From that time on it would be increasingly difficult for Christians to own slaves. It is true that there would be resistance to this "wisdom" but Paul's little letter to Philemon would be a constant reminder to Christians of the "un-wisdom" of slavery. 

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Reading 1. Wisdom 9: 13-18b

Reading II. Philemon 9b-19, 12-17

Gospel. Luke 14: 25-33 (carry his own cross).

Note: The image above is a painting by the Venetian Renaissance artist Giorgione. It is usually called "The Three Ages of Man" but I interpret it as the Encounter of Jesus with the Rich Young Man. Jesus instructs the young man on what he must do if he wishes to attain eternal life.