Faith and Works

                                    19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

                                    

All three readings today deal in one way or another with the great virtue, "Faith." The author of the Book of Wisdom says the Hebrew forefathers gained courage from the "sure knowledge of the oaths in which they put their faith."  In today's second reading the passage from the Letter to the Hebrews concludes with the famous statement about Abraham.

            By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac,

            and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son...

Faith is one of the three great virtues along with Hope and Charity. Unlike the latter two it has been the source of much controversy in the history of the Church. You could almost say that it was the single great issue in the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther criticized the Church of his time for its failure to see that faith was the key to salvation and not good works. In his arguments Luther referred to the very passage in Hebrews that we read today. Even today, Protestants still speak of "justification by faith alone."

But what exactly is Faith? We've all heard the word used in so many ways. We speak of our "Catholic faith," and sing of the "faith of our fathers." We say that something is an "article of faith" or ask someone to "take something on faith." For most of us faith is the same as belief, especially a belief in something that we cannot otherwise understand.

However, the word "faith" comes from the Latin word "fides" from which our word "fidelity" is derived. In this sense it is not a belief but a habit of loyalty, of doing one's duty. The motto of the U.S. Marine Corps is "Semper Fidelis" or "Always Faithful." I believe that this motto means that a Marine will never leave his post or shrink from his duty. He would certainly never betray or let down a comrade or his country.

In today's gospel our Lord makes it clear that "Faith" means doing one's duty especially when no one is watching or forcing us. He calls us stewards meaning that until He comes it is up to us to care for our brothers and sisters. He says,

            Blessed are those servants

            whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival....

            You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect,

            the Son of Man will come.

Now one of the major themes of our faith is stewardship. How many times does our Lord refer to stewards, both just and unjust? How many times does He tell us not to hide our talents or squander them? How many times have we heard Him say that we have to use our gifts to the full? Even today,

            Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,

            and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.

Faith, then, is itself a kind of good work or more correctly, it is a habit of doing good work on a regular basis. That is why we speak of "practicing" our faith since we must work on it each and every day. The opposite of faith is infidelity or unfaithfulness. For example, when a husband or wife is unfaithful, we all know that it's not a question of believing in marriage, but that they are not living up to their vows.

Even though Protestant leaders like Martin Luther placed such a reliance on scripture, they still had to reject the "Epistle of St. James" largely because of its emphasis on works. That's where we find the famous words, "Faith without works is dead." It's not just that epistle however, for whether it's Jesus, Peter, John, or Paul they all agree that no one can say they love while failing to actually perform the work of love.

It's not lack of belief but the failure to do the work of the Lord that will assign us "a place with the unfaithful." The unfaithful mistreat those who have been placed in their care, preferring to live only for themselves.

In today's reading St. Peter asked, "is this parable meant for us or for everyone."  Isn't it obvious that it's meant for all of us?

Our newspapers tell us that a growing proportion of teenagers have no religious faith. For those who get through high school with their faith intact, college is often a faith-shattering experience. In the same place we read about the high incidence of teen suicide. Fidelity in the workplace seems to be a thing of the past on the part of both employers and employees. Of course in politics anything goes. Just don't get caught.

In no field of endeavor would we take such little care as we do with our own lives. Athletes and musicians must practice every day to keep in shape. The good ones are "religious" about training in order to reach their goals. When our Lord says, "Gird your loins and light your lamps," He is talking about getting ourselves spiritually in shape. What's our goal? What do we really value?

            For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

###

Reading 1. Wisdom 18: 6-9

Reading II. Hebrews 11: 1-2, 8-19

Gospel. Luke 12: 32-48 (where your treasure is).

All is Vanity

                                    18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

                                   

Our Lord must have been familiar with today's first reading from the Book of Ecclesiastes. "Vanity of vanities...All is vanity." The words of the ancient author sound very similar to words our Lord would use centuries later.

"For what profit comes to man from all the toil and anxiety of heart
with which he has labored under the sun?...even at night his mind is not at rest."

           

Even the illustration of the man who labored so hard and well but who must eventually leave all his property behind at death is very similar to the one our Lord uses in today's gospel.

Before we get to the gospel we should realize that in St. Luke's previous chapter, our Lord has really let the Pharisees and the Lawyers have it because of their hypocrisy. He especially reproached them for their greed and selfishness. While they feather their own nests, they load others down with burdens and will not lift a finger to help. The Pharisees and the Lawyers bitterly resent the insulting words of Jesus and a heated argument breaks out. Sure enough a crowd gathers and it is at this point that our gospel reading begins.

Someone in the crowd asks his advice about an inheritance. A Rabbi was often asked to settle problems like this one. Jesus declines to offer advice on this particular question but takes the opportunity to warn the crowd. Now whenever we hear a crowd mentioned in the gospels, we can always assume that we are in it and that Jesus is speaking directly to us. He says,

            Take care to guard against all greed,

            for though one may be rich,

            one's life does not consist of possessions.

Jesus then tells the parable of the rich man who is doing so well and making all kinds of plans for growing and expanding his business. The man thinks that once he reaches all his business goals that he will then be able to "rest, eat, drink, and be merry."

Little does he know that none of his plans will come to fruition.

            You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you,

            and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?

What would we do if we knew that tonight would be our last night on earth? I know that it's morbid to think like this and it certainly is impossible and un-Christian to begin every day thinking that it will be our last. We're supposed to get up every day with joy in our hearts, thankful for all the good things that the Lord has given us. Indeed, we're supposed to offer each day to the Lord hoping that it will be a productive one for ourselves and our loved ones.

Nevertheless, once a year when we hear the words, "Vanity of vanities...all things are vanity," it might not be a bad thing to consider what we might do if we knew this day might be our last. Who would we want to see? What would we say to them? What would we want to do that we have put off? Where would we like to go? What possessions or things would we want to use or enjoy for the last time? What book would we want to read? What song would we want to hear?

Maybe if we thought like this once a year we might appreciate the message in today's readings a little better. St. Paul tells the Colossians and us that if we have accepted Christ there is no longer any room in our life for idols. Now an idol is a false god, a mere human invention. It doesn't have to be a statue or image--it just has to be something that we have let enslave us in one way or another. Paul has a whole list of these things that are hurting us as well as those we love. He says,

            Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly;

            immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire,

            and the greed that is idolatry...

            all the anger and quick temper,

            the malice, the insults, the foul language.

            Stop lying to one another.

Our Lord was critical of the leaders of His time because of  their greed and hypocrisy. He and St. Paul might as well have been speaking of our politicians today. Greed, malice, foul language, and lying are part and parcel of politics today. Is it any wonder that our politics are so divisive? If our leaders act the way they do, they are only reflecting what is going on in our society today. Immorality, greed, anger, and lying have become virtues rather than vices. Just look at the way these behaviors are glorified on television.  

The readings today are saying that if we reflect on what is really important in life, we can bring peace and harmony into our lives, our families, our cities and our country. We've tried the old way and it doesn't work. What about a world where we recognize that because we all have the same heavenly Father, we are all brothers and sisters. Where,

            there is not Greek and Jew,

            circumcision and uncircumcision,

            barbarian, Scythian, slave, free;

            but Christ is all and in all.

###

Reading 1. Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2; 2-23

Reading II. Colossians 3: 1-5, 9-11

Gospel. Luke 12: 13-21 (this night your life will be demanded).

Persistence in Prayer

                                    17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

                                  

In last weeks readings the theme was hospitality. We saw that hospitality, one of the outstanding characteristic of the Jews of the Bible, derived from the example of their father, the patriarch Abraham. In today's first reading Abraham exhibits another quality that Jews and Christians have always prized. Persistence. 

We have to remember that before the negotiating session in today's episode, the Lord had promised Abraham a reward for his faithfulness. Abraham's barren, elderly wife, Sara, would now have a son who would carry on his race forever. Even though he had been blessed in this manner, the Biblical account in Genesis depicts Abraham interceding with the Lord to save the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah from destruction.

Despite the tragic ending of this story, it's hard not to see humor in today's reading. It seems a little like an Abbott and Costello routine where Abraham although in a humble way dares to lecture and influence his Lord. What nerve or chutzpah! He actually asks, "Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?" He finally gets the Lord to agree to save the cities if only ten innocent men are found there. Unfortunately, we know that not even one innocent person would be found.

However, the biblical author uses this form of humorous discourse not because he believed that the Lord of All required instruction, but because he wanted to show two things. First, that the Lord encourages us to be persistent, especially in prayer. Second,  the presence of a few good men or women in a community could save the entire community.

In today's gospel reading St. Luke gives us a slightly different version of the "Our Father" or "Lord's Prayer," than the more familiar version in St. Matthew's Gospel. Now there were two famous prayers that every Jewish male was required to say each and every day in our Lord's time. Certainly a rabbi like Jesus would know them by heart. When one of the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, He chose to boil down these prayers to their very basics.

            Father, hallowed be your name,

            your kingdom come.

            Give us each day our daily bread

            and forgive us our sins

            for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,

            and do not subject us to the final test.

We say this prayer so often that we hardly think of it. But let's reflect a moment on its meaning. First, the prayer is addressed to our Father in Heaven but the word that Jesus uses for father is the familiar, Abba, which means that God is as close to us as our own fathers. He is not distant or remote and we can feel free to address Him in as familiar a way as Abraham did in our first reading. The rest is just a series of petitions asking for our Father's assistance in getting through the daily struggle of life.

It's hard to believe that this short prayer is all we have to say. In another place Jesus cautioned against the multiplication of words in prayer. Keep it simple would appear to be His advice. Our Lord makes clear that persistence in prayer is more important than words.

            And I tell you, ask and you will receive;

            seek and you will find;

            knock and the door will be opened to you.

We all recognize the importance of persistence in our daily lives. In business, especially in sales, there is no more important quality. In sports success is impossible without persistence. It's well known that great athletes, whatever their so-called natural ability, practice harder and longer than others. Basketball stars like Michael Jordan and Larry Bird were noted for getting to the arena hours before their teammates for extended practice sessions. Constant repetition and drilling built muscle memory so that when the game was on the line, they would not have to think about what to do.

I remember hearing a talk by a great American Olympic gymnast, Peter Vidmar, on his own practice routine. He and a teammate in preparing for the Olympics would practice their routines for hours each and every day. At the end of each day's exhausting session, they never failed to go through one last routine no matter how tired they were. They would pretend that they were actually in the Olympic finals with the team title on the line, and that each of them would have to hit a perfect "10" to win the title for the USA. They went through that routine each and every day and wouldn't you know when they got to the Olympic finals, they found themselves in the same situation that they had practiced at home.

If athletes know the value of persistence, why don't we? Why do we think that we don't have to put the same effort into our spiritual lives that athletes do into their games. None of us has enough natural ability to get by in life without hard work and practice. When theologians speak about virtues like Faith, Hope, and Charity they are speaking about gifts of God that we have to work on each day until they become like habits. We have to develop spiritual muscle memory to deal with the tests that life will present.

In today's second reading St. Paul says that the same Father who raised Jesus from the dead has also raised us from the dead. All we have to do now is run the race to the end.

###

Reading 1. Genesis 18: 20-32

Reading II. Colossians 2: 12-14

Gospel. Luke 11: 1-13 (ask and you will receive).

Martha and Mary

–                                    16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

                                   

Hospitality was one of the marked characteristics of the people of the ancient world. To treat a guest well was a duty of honor, but to allow him to be insulted in one's house was a serious fault. To kill a guest was the most infamous of crimes. Perhaps the well known hospitality of the Jews of the Bible had its roots in the story of their father, Abraham, which we have today in our first reading from the Book of Genesis.

This story is set at the Terebinth of Mamre. A terebinth is a tree, and it seems as if  Abraham and his family and his cowhands had camped by a whole grove of terebinths where grass and water would be plentiful. Right before the episode with the three visitors  the Lord had appeared to Abraham and promised that he and his elderly wife, Sara, would conceive a son which would carry on his race forever. Now Abraham had had a child by one of his slaves, but Sara, his legitimate wife, had been unable to conceive. When Abraham hears this news his first reaction is to fall down laughing in disbelief since he and Sara are beyond child bearing age.

Now in our reading these three strangers come into town and Abraham rushes to offer them the traditional hospitality. He springs into action and involves his wife and servant in preparing food and drink for the visitors. Abraham waits on the men himself while Sara remains in the tent. Is this a breach of hospitality on her part? Could it be that like many wives she doesn't like the idea of waiting on every Tom, Dick, and Harry her husband brings home? Finally, our reading ends when one of the visitors tells Abraham that Sara will indeed have a son by next year. If our account had gone on a few more verses we would have found that when Abraham told Sara this news, she also broke out laughing in disbelief. Was that another breach of hospitality?

For the last few weeks our readings from St. Luke's gospel have given us a picture of Jesus’ travels on the road to Jerusalem. Chapter 10 of St. Luke's gospel seems to be all about hospitality. First, Jesus entered a Samaritan village but was refused hospitality. Then he sent 72 disciples out with instructions to expect hospitality wherever they went. Last week, he told the great story of the "Good Samaritan"  who offered hospitality to the man who had been beaten and stripped by robbers. This week our Lord is welcomed at the home of the sisters, Martha and Mary.

The story of Martha and Mary is deservedly well-known. Theologians have discerned great significance in the roles of the two women. Mary is regarded especially in the Greek and Russian church as the symbol of the contemplative life. She has turned her back on the cares of the world, and seeks only to discover the word of God. Martha is the symbol of the active person who enters into life and seeks to do good works.

It is true that the world could not go on without Marthas. Many of the greatest saints had a lot of Martha in them. St. Teresa of Avila, a noted mystic of the 16th century, was also a skilled administrator and reformer of her religious order. In our own time Mother Teresa of Calcutta, whose whole life was devoted to prayer, still ministered to the sick and dying with her own hands, and created the most successful religious order of the 20th century.

In fact, all of us, whether man or woman, are a lot like Martha. It is hard not to take her side against her sister. Who of us has not been at a family gathering where one member of the family seems to be doing all the work while the others sit around talking and having a good time? Nevertheless, our Lord finds it necessary, although with great feeling and love, to gently admonish Martha.

            Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.

            There is need of only one thing.

Where has Martha gone wrong? I'd like to suggest a couple of possibilities. Perhaps she has committed a basic breach of hospitality. She has invited someone into her home but then gets so wrapped up in her duties as hostess that she pays little attention to her guest. Moreover, it was she who had invited the Lord into the house in the first place and now she is complaining about the work she has to do. It says elsewhere in the Bible that the Lord loves a "cheerful giver." Finally, is there a hint of jealously of her sister, Mary?

Perhaps our Lord is saying, as he never tires of saying, that the old laws or ways while good in themselves do not go far enough. The law says, "Thou shall not kill," but He says do not even be angry. The law says, "Thou shall not commit adultery," but He says don't even think about it. The law says, "Thou shall not bear false witness," but He says the Truth shall set you free. The law says, "Love your neighbor as yourself," but last week He gave us a lesson on who is our neighbor.

The basis of the law of hospitality among the Jews was the belief that the stranger or visitor at your door might have been sent by God, Himself. The early Christians believed that the visitor might be Jesus, Himself. After all, He did say in the famous passage from Matthew that when we offered hospitality to the least of our brethren, we offered it to Him. When He knocks at the door, it is up to us to drop everything and welcome Him.

Maybe this is the mystery that St. Paul speaks of in today's reading from Colossians,  "the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past." For Paul the great mystery is that the Spirit of the Risen Christ is in us and in our neighbor. It is our greatest possession and we must share it.

###

Reading 1. Genesis 18: 1-10a

Reading II. Colossians 1: 24-28

Gospel. Luke 10: 38-42 (Martha and Mary).