Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 141

Reading 1

Hab 1:2-3; 2:2-4

How long, O LORD?  I cry for help
 but you do not listen!
 I cry out to you, "Violence!"
 but you do not intervene.
 Why do you let me see ruin;
 why must I look at misery?
 Destruction and violence are before me;
 there is strife, and clamorous discord.
 Then the LORD answered me and said:
 Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets,
 so that one can read it readily.
 For the vision still has its time,
 presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint;
 if it delays, wait for it,
 it will surely come, it will not be late.
 The rash one has no integrity;
 but the just one, because of his faith, shall live.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9

R. (8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
 let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
 let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
 let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
 and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
 "Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
 as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
 they tested me though they had seen my works."
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Reading 2

2 Tm 1:6-8, 13-14

Beloved:
I remind you, to stir into flame
the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice
but rather of power and love and self-control.
So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,
nor of me, a prisoner for his sake;
but bear your share of hardship for the gospel
with the strength that comes from God.

Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me,
in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Guard this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit
that dwells within us.

Alleluia

1 Pt 1:25

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of the Lord remains forever.
This is the word that has been proclaimed to you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Lk 17:5-10

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."
The Lord replied,
"If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,
you would say to this mulberry tree,
'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.

"Who among you would say to your servant
who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field,
'Come here immediately and take your place at table'?
Would he not rather say to him,
'Prepare something for me to eat.
Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink.
You may eat and drink when I am finished'?
Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?
So should it be with you.
When you have done all you have been commanded,
say, 'We are unprofitable servants;
we have done what we were obliged to do.'"

 

DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 

There is a comforting essence given off by a campfire. Its glow illuminates everything around it, forcing back the darkness. The heat envelopes those around it with a deep coziness that encourages everyone to slide softly into a semi-conscious state of half-sleep. The leaping flames become hypnotic, adding to the feeling of slowly melting into a contemplative state. As the fire slowly dwindles into smoldering ashes, someone usually gets up with a stick and stirs these barely glowing embers and then, suddenly, the flames leap to life again, aided then by a few more pieces of wood. The circle of darkness, preparing to consume everyone  is once again forced backward as it is once again defeated by the light. This is what comes to my mind when reading the first few lines of Paul’s Letter to Timothy:

 

“I remind you, to stir into flame
the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.”

 

We have all received spiritual gifts from God. We constantly receive His Love through the gift of grace. We have been redeemed through The Blood of the Cross. So, here we are. At times we will feel the Holy Spirit moving through us and then know that God is with us. At other times, the presence is a faint glow like those fading embers in the campfire. It is then that we must call ourselves to account and stir that fire. We must remind ourselves who it is exactly that we are serving and who is responsible for our very existence. The more we act on our faith then the brighter that light will shine. The negative is forced back and the light shines through.

It is the negative thoughts and our own inaction that threatens the flame in our hearts. It is usually us who withdraws from God, not God from us.

Each new day becomes an opportunity where we can ask ourselves what we can do both for God and for our faith-experience. When we wake up, we can either commit ourselves to serve God or to serve ourselves. That question, along with a quick examination of conscious from the night before, sets our course correctly for the rest of the day. This is sort of a deflation of our will; an act of surrendering to God. Many times even the greatest of prophets lamented their situation or,  like in the case of Habakkuk, questioned what God was doing. In response, God was either abrupt in nature or comforting: “The rash one has no integrity; but the just one, because of his faith, shall live.” This goes directly back to our faith. Faith is not strong if it is not tested. It is useless unless it brings about a reaction from us, such as in the form of good works. It is meaningless if it does not bring comfort and trust. Stirring the coals is a continuous task. We stir them and God will then throw more logs on the fire.

 

In the Gospel reading today, the Apostles appeared to be demanding something of Jesus. “Increase our faith,” they said. Faith is strengthened through an exercise thereof. It is naturally progressive. The more things we do because of our faith, the more it is increased. We cannot expect the embers to leap forth into a raging fire without it being worked on first. This takes time and effort. Small increments of time invested over a long period of time will produce results. It is inevitable. That small amount of faith that we might have can explode forth if we nurture and care for it. There is a process, and that process is called GROWTH. When building a fire, you always start small with paper, twigs, and leaves. You then add kindling and branches. Finally, logs are added when the flames are large enough. We add all the little stuff, then God adds the match. He will then throw the logs on. When the fire gets low is when God is asking, “Do you love me? Our response is the stirring of the embers. “Yes, I love you!” Here come the logs.

 

God gives us everything. What we do in reaction is entirely up to us. We can build on it and do what is necessary to keep it, or we can let the fire go out. When the flames grow higher, we will experience less darkness and more light. The darkness can never conquer the light, but we can certainly welcome the darkness by not paying attention to the fire. There is no need to fear the darkness when we can easily stir those embers to life and then we can expect a reaction to that stirring. And yes, then another log will come from our God.

 

Deacon Tom

 

 

 

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 138

Reading 1

Am 6:1a, 4-7

Thus says the LORD the God of hosts:
 Woe to the complacent in Zion!
 Lying upon beds of ivory,
 stretched comfortably on their couches,
 they eat lambs taken from the flock,
 and calves from the stall!
 Improvising to the music of the harp,
 like David, they devise their own accompaniment.
 They drink wine from bowls
 and anoint themselves with the best oils;
 yet they are not made ill by the collapse of Joseph!
 Therefore, now they shall be the first to go into exile,
 and their wanton revelry shall be done away with.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 146:7, 8-9, 9-10

R. (1b) Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed is he who keeps faith forever,
 secures justice for the oppressed,
 gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD gives sight to the blind;
 the LORD raises up those who were bowed down.
The LORD loves the just;
 the LORD protects strangers.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
 but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
 your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2

1 Tm 6:11-16

But you, man of God, pursue righteousness,
devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.
Compete well for the faith.
Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called
when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses.
I charge you before God, who gives life to all things,
and before Christ Jesus,
who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate for the noble confession,
to keep the commandment without stain or reproach
until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ
that the blessed and only ruler
will make manifest at the proper time,
the King of kings and Lord of lords,
who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light,
and whom no human being has seen or can see.
To him be honor and eternal power.  Amen.

Alleluia

Cf. 2 Cor 8:9

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Though our Lord Jesus Christ was rich, he became poor,
so that by his poverty you might become rich.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Lk 16:19-31

Jesus said to the Pharisees:
"There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen
and dined sumptuously each day.
And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps
that fell from the rich man's table.
Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.
When the poor man died,
he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.
The rich man also died and was buried,
and from the netherworld, where he was in torment,
he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off
and Lazarus at his side.
And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me.
Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,
for I am suffering torment in these flames.'
Abraham replied,
'My child, remember that you received
what was good during your lifetime
while Lazarus likewise received what was bad;
but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.
Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established
to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go
from our side to yours or from your side to ours.'
He said, 'Then I beg you, father,
send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers,
so that he may warn them,
lest they too come to this place of torment.'
But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets.
Let them listen to them.'
He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham,
but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
Then Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'"

 

 

 

 

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

We already know the dangers of focusing on the wrong things in our lives. As Christians, we understand that things that are grounded in the spirit are always better than things that are grounded in the material. Jesus spoke of this continuously throughout His ministry. The words, “You cannot serve both God and mammon,” are some are the most recognizable ones in The Gospels. The Apostle Paul wrote about the constant battle between the spirit and the flesh, explaining how the two were incompatible. Over the past several weeks, the Scripture Readings have enforced these concepts by first reminding us that Jesus is always here for us to offer forgiveness and healing then by reminding us that, to live a joyous life, we cannot embrace the things of this world that are grounded in the temptations of the flesh while pursuing a life with Him. This instruction continues today with the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.

Prosperity can either be a gift or a curse. As Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle then for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” Those who either have accumulated wealth or are in the pursuit of it, are intently focused on that which enforce their behaviors which led them to or are leading them to that status. This is not a criticism, but more of a description of what things are defining them. When one acquires wealth or is in the process thereof, then that is what could define him and his actions. The wealth and the accumulation thereof then can become the central focus of one’s life. Furthermore, what that wealth can get in exchange for it becomes a danger. All of it, wealth and its benefits, are rooted in physical pleasures which will indeed come to an end. The only way that this trap can be avoided is to understand the limitations of wealth and physical pleasure. Wealth can be an instrument of the spirit if those who have it are not consumed by it and instead are good stewards of it, using it to the benefit of others. This means putting the things of the spirit above that which is grounded in the material.

The rich man was blinded by his wealth. We all are risk at being blinded by that which is in front of us. We must be constantly on the watch for this. When it comes to spirituality and matters of faith, the poor are at an advantage. This goes against what has been ingrained into us since early childhood and what we see in the world today. We have been told and taught it is better to be successful and have money than not to have money. God says differently. When money is removed along with material wealth then a clear path to Him is made visible. The beauty of God’s creation is also revealed. Nothing made on this earth by the hands of man can compare to that which is created by God. Wealth and material things are distractions and should not be the central thing in our lives. Instead, we should choose God above all things.

A good friend of mine who is also a rabbi once told me that, every time he walked into a cemetery, he was humbled. He said that it put everything into perspective. It was a leveling of pride. “You see,” he said, “The cemetery reminds me that no one is irreplaceable. It doesn’t matter how important we think we are. We are all coming to the same place with the same number of things: nothing. Death is the ultimate equalizer.” What is created by the work of human hands will disappear along with the hands that fashioned them. Meanwhile, what God offers is beyond any expiration date. The acts of charity in response to our faith will live on because these things reveal a higher truth than what can be revealed through serving mammon. The Kingdom of God is eternal and, when we embrace it, the treasures of heaven are revealed in their eternal glory. That is why serving the poor and focusing on spiritual things feel so good. They are feelings that are perpetual in nature and reveal a higher truth which is God. The removal of the material things and the leveling of one’s pride, which leads to materialistic pursuits in the first place, leaves a hole which is then filled by The Love of God.

 The Apostle Paul, through his letter to Timothy, gives us good counsel:

“Pursue righteousness,
devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.
Compete well for the faith.”

When we focus on these things instead of things of this earth, we will find Jesus. We will not be only competing for the faith but for the salvation of our soul.

 

Deacon Tom