August 5th - 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Father Chris on Vacation)
August 12th - 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (English) Fr. Chris
August 15th - Feast of the Assumption of Mary (English) Fr. Chris
August 19th - 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time (English) Fr. Chris
August 26th - 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
(English) Fr. Chris
We all make plans for things. You probably had made plans
for vacation this summer. It was necessary to plan for the trip by
saving for it. In order to get on the plane you wanted you needed
to make airline reservations. Maybe you had to make hotel or motel
reservations. Maybe you planned for a cruise or long trip for months
ahead of time. These kinds of plans are typical of the way we plan
all of the time. Hopefully you have made provisions for your future
by planning for retirement. Maybe you have set up funds for your
children’s college education. Many people buy a home not only to
live in the present, but as an investment for the future.
We also plan the little things of our days. You probably carry
a calendar or maybe a Palm Pilot to keep track of important dates, phone
numbers, and obligations. We make plans to visit relatives or attend
important events like birthdays and anniversaries. All of this planning
is done in the expectation that you will be able to complete the events.
Right? You expect to be alive and well to attend the events that
you plan. You believe that you will have a retirement to enjoy the
savings of your life. You believe that the future will be bright
enough to do everything that you desire.
But none of us knows what the future will hold. We do everything
that we do based on our hopes and dreams. So, who guides those dreams?
What or who is the source that we use for inspiration? Abraham and
Sarah placed their trust in God. He set the agenda and they were
led to leave their homeland and live in another. It was by trust
that they bore Isaac even though they were beyond childbearing age.
By having God the source of their dreams they were able to sacrifice their
own wants and desires only to have them fulfilled by God a hundred-fold.
The same could be said about Clare of Assisi. She had everything
that the world could provide. She was from wealthy and influential
parents. She could have married any man from the area. In fact,
her parents had already arranged what would have been suitable marriage
partners for her and her sisters. Yet, Clare had another influence
in her life. She heard the voice of God call to her to dedicate her
life in service and humility. She knew that she had to follow that
voice. When Francis preached in the village she knew that his life
of poverty and simplicity was the way God was calling her. St. Francis
cared for the lepers and the poor by begging and he was filled with joy.
That is what Clare desired too. She placed her faith in God even
though it was not clear how her life would look by doing so.
She left the privilege and future that her parents planned for her.
She embraced a new vision, one that was not well-defined. She could
do so because she believed the author of that vision would not disappoint
her. She could leave the money and security that her family provided
for the very risky poverty that Francis offered. She could live as
a contemplative even though she desired very much to travel with Francis.
She could let go of that desire because she trusted that the Lord would
direct her life.
We honor St. Clare this weekend for her trust in God. We know
that she trusted in God to save the community of nuns she led by the power
of the Eucharist. We know that she trusted that God would tell her
how to lead this small community of women even though she didn’t have a
blueprint to use. Her trust in God inspires us to do the same 800
years later with far different problems and opportunities.
Our plans for the future need to be guided by the same vision that
Abraham and Sarah, Francis and Clare followed. We may be asked to
do things which will not make sense by the world’s standards. Our
time and treasure may be called upon to care for the poor of our world.
Maybe God is calling you into ministry in the Church. We must always
be vigilant in waiting on the Lord. That can be frightening.
Hopefully your trust in God will be stronger than the fear that holds you
back.
This weekend reminds us that as in the life of St. Clare the future
is not charted clearly. We see the broad outlines that God has drawn.
We know that the changes that we will face in the coming weeks and months
seem scary right now. But we also know that God will be with each
of us. That trust makes it easier to embrace the changes. So
we call on St. Clare, our patroness, to help us embrace the future that
God has planned for our parish and for each of us as individuals.
We ask her to pray for us. Let us pray for one another as well to
always be guided by the Spirit of God in our hopes and dreams and plans
for the future. Amen.
Photographers will go to great lengths to get pictures of Hollywood
stars. They will rent a house with a line of sight into the backyard
of someone famous. Then they will buy powerful lenses for their cameras
to zoom in on their target. Some will pretend they are maintenance
staff to get close. Others will try to bribe friends or family of
a star to get access. Why do they go to these great lengths?
Because Americans like to know all the inside secrets about their favorite
movie and TV people. Photographers and journalists know they will
be paid big bucks to get a scoop on someone. That is why they are
willing to do crazy things for a picture or an article.
I don’t know what it is that makes us so interested in celebrities.
I suppose it could be that we think that these people must be so different
from ourselves. Maybe if we could learn what they have that we don’t
have, then we could be famous too. It could be an infatuation with
fame or simply a desire to live a fantasy. Imagining what it would
be like to live in a fancy mansion and have all that money could buy is
very attractive.
It seems that there were some that thought the same about
Jesus. They figured that he must be so different if they could only
be in his inner circle they too would have his fame. Jesus reminds
his audience that it is not by kinship that one gets into heaven.
It’s not just saying that you know him or his mother that will get you
the “backstage pass.”
The true disciple of Jesus is the one who hears the Word of
God and then puts it into practice. Our honoring Mary today in her
assumption is not simply trying to use a back door method to get into heaven.
Instead, we look to Mary as our example of what we can be. Mary’s
assumption into heaven is what we desire at the end of our lives.
We pray that we too will be brought to heaven when our time on earth is
complete.
We know that Mary was given a special honor in entering heaven
body and soul. This was given to her in virtue of her sinlessness.
It was fitting that God should not allow corruption to destroy her earthly
remains. We know that this special honor will not be ours.
But what we hope is that our soul would be assumed into heaven awaiting
the great day of redemption when it will rejoin our flesh in the resurrection
of the body on the last day. This is our desire and dream.
But our desire is different from a Hollywood photographer.
It will do us no good to simply adore Mary from a distance. She desires
that we follow her example to attain the grace that God has in store for
us. We look to Mary and see that she is a woman of faith. She
trusted that what God had promised would be fulfilled. When the Lord
called on her to be the mother of the Savior she trusted and said yes.
When Jesus was in mortal danger from Herod she trusted in God to flee to
Egypt. She trusted that God could do great things through Jesus for
the couple from Cana who had run out of wine. Mary desires that we
have the same kind of faith. We ask her to help us to believe when
it is difficult. We honor her faith by being faithful to God.
We also honor Mary for her patient endurance. Like faith,
endurance means that one allows God’s will to be done even when it is hard
or painful. Mary endured patiently the three hours on the cross and
the three days in the tomb. She endured with the disciples the fifty
days of Easter waiting on the Holy Spirit. She is a model for us
of accepting the will of God even when that will is not clearly known.
If you endure suffering due to hardship or disease it is easy to give up.
Mary tells us to trust in God even at those times.
Mary only desires that we follow Jesus. She has given
us an example in her life on earth. Now through her intercession
and through the many apparitions worldwide she reminds us time and again
to follow Jesus. So, if we can’t imitate her sinlessness, we can
use her example of faithfulness and patient endurance as our means of attaining
everlasting life.
This is my first Sunday with you. This is a time when
our thoughts naturally turn to unity and oneness. Then we hear the
Gospel we had today about division and disunity. What should we make
of this? We are forced to ask why Jesus would have spoken of this
kind of violence and separation. In most other areas of the Gospel
Jesus speaks of peace. Even from Jesus’ birth the angels heralded
his coming by declaring “Peace on Earth, Goodwill to mankind.”
Scripture scholars believe that these words of Jesus were
a reminder to the apostles that when they lived out their faith publicly
they could expect that everyone would not accept them. Perhaps their
family members would even reject them. This division could lead to
martyrdom. It was certainly so in Jesus’ own family. John the
Baptist proclaimed a baptism of repentance and conversion to the crowds
that came to the river. He spoke boldly to King Herod. This
landed him in jail and to his beheading. Jesus could see that his
own concern for the poor and the outcast and his challenge to the Scribes
and Pharisees was leading to a real division between him and them.
He figured it was only time before he would suffer martyrdom too.
So, Jesus tells the Twelve that they too will find the same division in
their lives.
You and I don’t expect to be martyred for the faith.
We are fortunate to live in a country where religious toleration is the
norm. Many other nations follow this same policy. But we know
that it is not universal. In China and Cuba religious toleration
and acceptance is not guaranteed. In many Middle Eastern nations
the only acceptable religion is Islam. Christians and Jews are not
allowed to worship publicly. Even in Catholic countries violence
occurs due to religion. Certainly that has been the case in Northern
Ireland for years.
So, it is possible that one can experience persecution for
the faith in some areas around the globe. But I would contend that
if we were really faithful to the Gospel today in our country and in our
culture we too would find it difficult. God calls every person to
live faithfully, honestly, and with care and concern for the poor and lowly.
I have heard of people being fired or reprimanded at their
jobs for not fudging figures to make the boss look good. Being honest
meant that they were ostracized. Sometimes those who will discover
that their company is polluting or doing something unjust will find that
they are threatened. Another person I know discovered that their
boss was having an affair that she had to lie about, even to his wife.
She couldn’t take it anymore and went to administration. She asked
to be transferred to another department. Instead they fired her.
This kind of problem can occur in families too. I know
of a couple who were not very religious. They didn’t attend Mass
regularly nor did they have any outward signs of their faith in their home.
The wife went on a retreat and discovered that God had so much more for
her in mind. She came home on fire with the desire to serve him more.
She started attending church regularly. She put up religious pictures
around their home. She also didn’t want to watch TV or movies that
had sex and violence in them. Her husband couldn’t understand this
change. He resented it and began to resent his wife. Eventually
they separated because their religious differences were so profound.
In all of these cases religion and faith were at the core
of the disagreements. Jesus knew that this could and would happen.
He wanted his disciples to realize that when it happened they were not
alone. They would find that there were many saints and angels who
were with them guiding them through it. This cloud of witnesses helps
us this day and every day to live faithful lives. So, do not fear
when you experience trial and distress for living the faith. Do not
think that you are abandoned or alone. You are not. God never
abandons His own. That gives us courage to live faithful lives pleasing
to the Lord come what may.
It was near the end of the semester. All of the students
knew that the Final Exam was coming. Naturally they were concerned
that they would do well on it. So one of the students asked the professor
the best way to study for the exam. He said, “Don’t worry about the
exam. In fact there is no way you can really prepare for the exam
except to read over your notes as a reminder of where we have been.
If you’ve studied during the semester, as you should have, you’ll have
no trouble. If you haven’t studied, there is not really anything
you can do at this late stage of the game. What I suggest you do
as the best preparation is to have a good meal, go see a movie, and then
get a good night’s rest.” He then went on to tell them of a couple
good movies they might like to see.
This was a very strange prescription for taking a test, or
was it? The professor was telling his students that the best way
to be successful was not trying to take the easy route by doing as you
please the whole semester and then trying to cram the last two days to
understand everything. That way of doing it will result in a lower
grade and less retention of the material. Discipline throughout the
semester is the surest way of doing well on the final exam.
Essentially that is the answer that is given by Jesus to the
one who asks if many are to be saved. Jesus tells that person that
the way to salvation is known. It is no secret. If one wants
to attain everlasting life they only need to follow the prescriptions that
have been given from the time of Moses until the time of Jesus. But
Jesus adds that there will be few in number who will be saved for that
reason. It is so reasonable and straightforward that people always
seek another way.
You and I know of many people who figure that God is merciful
so they don’t have to do much to get to heaven. They live their lives
on the hope that all will be forgiven in the end. Of course God is
merciful. We know that Jesus’ death and resurrection show us that
God desires all people to be saved. But it doesn’t mean that we have
nothing to do. We are each called to do our part. We need to
be faithful to Him, doing justice, and caring for the needs and concerns
of those around us. Too many people act like those students who didn’t
take the time throughout the semester and hope to pass by cramming their
studies in at the last minute.
Jesus addresses another issue in this Gospel passage too.
There are people who are very faithful to the laws of the Church.
They attend Mass regularly and abide by the Church’s regulations on marriage
and church discipline. These good people see so many others who don’t
do the same. The righteous ones naturally assume that they will get
to heaven long before those lazy and selfish people they see. Jesus
has a warning for those of us who take that attitude too. Many who
are first will be last. In other words we cannot see within the heart.
We do not know what work the Lord is doing in their lives. It is
not possible to know what opportunities the Lord will give them to repent
or turn towards Him. We cannot know what baggage they will need to
get rid of to come into the narrow gate. Maybe the pride or self-righteousness
that we live with are the obstacles that will make entry impossible for
ourselves.
The question about salvation is answered. It is both
very easy and very difficult. It is easy for those who turn to the
Lord seeking grace and mercy to do His will. For those who trust
in God and love His people the gate is open. But it is difficult
because it requires the shedding of pride, selfishness, and resentment.
It is hard because it requires daily discipline.
God desires that all people be saved. He wants His Church
to be a sign of openness to people of every race and language. In
that way it is very easy. But once we have heard the Good News we
must do something with it. We have been privileged to know of God’s
bountiful grace. Now using the freedom that it gives we can and must
be bold in bringing forth the Kingdom even if that means persecution and
rejection. That is what makes it difficult. None of us likes
to be shunned or rejected. The Lord reminds us that the way of salvation
leads through Calvary. Are we willing to walk with Christ even when
it is hard?