To Save What Was Lost, the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time–Year C

My Sisters and Brothers:

Today’s first reading proclaims “the Lord . . . has mercy on all . . . and he loves all things that are, and loathes nothing he has made . . . he spares all things, because they are his; the Lord is the lover of souls” (cf. Wisdom 11:22-12:2).  The merciful actions and words of Jesus always promoted this kind of Old Testament wisdom.  And this is clearly demonstrated in today’s Gospel, when “to save what was lost” Jesus lovingly encountered and showed great mercy to Zacchaeus the tax collector and “sinner” (see Luke 19:1-10).

 

A reflection on these Scriptures may compel us to think about those who’ve been estranged from us.  And so with this in mind, I’d suggest we consider two different categories of such people. 

The first types would be those who’ve caused us any kind of great harm and/or emotional pain; this might include those who’ve abused their power over us, who probably were very “toxic” in our lives, and whom we’ve wisely decided to keep at a prudent distance (the case of a recovering battered spouse comes to my mind).  I don’t believe the Scriptures would anywhere suggest we “forgive and forget” such “toxic” people and their behaviors (perhaps we could “forgive, and remember” but that’s the subject of another essay!). 

The second types of estranged people we might consider are those who’ve posed no real danger and/or harm to us at all, but whom we’ve disdained only because they’ve been “different”; this might include those we’ve harshly judged because of their dissimilar lifestyles, their differing political, social or religious views, their unique ethnic and cultural identities, their stated sexual preferences, and/or because of anything else perceived as obstacles between “us” and “them.”  Let’s be honest: If we’ve decided to shut out such people from our personal and communal lives, isn’t it also true we’ve treated them as insignificant, unimportant, and not worthy of our attention?  Isn’t it true we’ve probably assumed God would do the same with them as well? 

In contrast to such attitudes we might have about these “second types of estranged people,” I think today’s Scriptures specifically challenge us never to distance ourselves from them.  And even more, they admonish us always to respect and to hope for good fellowship with them, and when this happens, great experiences of reconciliation and unity may replace otherwise estranged relationships.  By his example, I believe Jesus clearly desires us to be “Godly” in the way we lovingly encounter and show mercy to others, especially those who are “different.”  

Everyone believed the tax collector Zacchaeus was a terrible “sinner,” and not worthy of Jesus’ attention.  Everyone expected Jesus to ignore and to reject him.  After all, because of who he was, people thought Zacchaeus couldn’t possibly be loved or accepted by God.  But they were wrong.  Jesus not only wanted to talk to him, he also wanted to visit his house and to stay with him; he wanted Zacchaeus to be reconciled to the community.  As he proclaimed his mission to search out, and to save those who were “lost,”

Jesus affirmed Zacchaeus as a child of God.  By this, he clearly demonstrated his desire to associate with those otherwise thought to be insignificant, unimportant, and not worthy of the attention of so-called “good-and-holy religious people.”  He invites us to do exactly the same.

 

“The Lord . . . has mercy on all . . . and he loves all things that are, and loathes nothing he has made . . . he spares all things, because they are his; the Lord is the lover of souls.”  And so, how do we personally and communally react to those who are “different?”  Do we exclude “non-toxic” people from our lives?  Do we disdain and marginalize those who, because of who they are, have become easy targets of our harsh judgments?  Or like Jesus, are we willing to reach out with kindness, love, and even mercy toward such people? 

My friends, let’s choose to be instruments of God’s presence in this world, and do just that! 

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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O God, Be Merciful to Me, a Sinner, the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time–Year C

My Sisters and Brothers:

In today’s reading from the Book of Sirach, we find the words “the prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds” (see chapter 35, verse 21a).  What a wonderful lead-in to the Gospel’s Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican in which the tax collector prays the words “O God, be merciful to me a sinner” (see Luke 18:9-14). 

I love the message of these Scriptures!  They invite us to be humble, and they remind us of the great mercy of God.  And I believe they also speak of a Father in heaven who loves each of us more than we can ever possibly imagine!

Whenever I read today’s parable, I’m compelled to examine my conscience as I ask myself which of the two characters I can more identify. Perhaps it moves you to a similar reflection. We might then contemplate the following questions: Are we like the Pharisee who prided himself on his faith and good works, and who even claimed to be more worthy of God’s love than those who were simple and very humble? Or are we like the tax collector who recognized all of his failures, had fear in the temple, and while not daring to raise his eyes to heaven, begged for God’s mercy?

 

Perhaps each one of us can recall moments when we could have identified with either of these scriptural characters.  At times, like the Pharisee, we may have been filled with “spiritual pride” and may have been arrogantly and overly confident about our “religious selves.”  As such, we may have been tempted to exaggerate the importance of our pious practices, and this actually may have been detrimental to our otherwise faithful hearts.  Or worse, we may have thought ourselves better than others, especially those who are marginalized, and holding such people in contempt, we may have unkindly judged and/or condemned them as “sinners” and unworthy of our respect.  In contrast, and like the tax collector, we may have had moments when we doubted God’s mercy, and have been too unsure about our worthiness to speak to God in prayer.  We may have thought our weaknesses, and the “sins” of our lives, have overwhelmed any hope of our being loved by God.  With such thinking, and like the tax collector, we may have felt isolated from the community, and consequently we may have “kept a distance from God, and then not dared to raise our eyes to heaven.”

Today, the clear message is God has far more respect and mercy toward those who humble themselves than for those who do not.  With this in mind, it’s always good to remember those words “the prayers of the lowly pierce the clouds!”  And so we must not in any way be like the Pharisee, but in fact more like the meek and repentant tax collector! 

Let’s then humble ourselves and approach our compassionate God with repentant hearts; we are assured by the Scriptures we will then know that our Father in heaven loves each one of us more than we can ever possibly imagine!  As children so regarded and so loved, may we never consider ourselves better than our fellow human beings, especially those thought to be the greatest of sinners, and/or those whose life struggles are more than we can ever understand. 

Let’s always remember that mercy is shown to those who show mercy.  Amen! 

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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Our Work in Pursuit of Justice, the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time–Year C

My Sisters and Brothers:

In today’s Scriptures, we are told of upright individuals who unrelentingly and successfully pursued noble and just causes against the evil of oppression and injustice.  The Book of Exodus gave us an account of a battle between the Israelites and the forces of Amalek.  We’re told Moses stood upon a nearby hill, and with the help of his companions, held high his arms and his staff, and was able to empower his people who pushed back the enemy forces (see Exodus 17:8-13).  In the Gospel, Jesus offered a parable in which we were told of an “unjust judge” and a “persistent widow.”  Until she was satisfied, the widow tirelessly sought justice from the unscrupulous judge, who then because of her persistence eventually rendered a decision in her favor (see Luke 18:1-8). 

These Scriptural accounts have much to say about the unending confidence of prayerful, spiritual, and God-fearing people.  I believe they also indicate such faith-based people must never give up in their pursuit of true justice, especially for those who otherwise suffer from any kind of oppression.

It’s obvious Amalek and the “unjust judge” were Godless individuals who desired to abuse their power to the detriment of others.  Amalek unjustly wanted to defeat the goodness of God and his people on the battlefield.  If he had been victorious, surely he would have destroyed Moses (and his companions), and would have brutally ended the Israelites’ journey toward the Promised Land.  The judge described by Jesus, as one “who didn’t fear God, and who didn’t respect any human being,” similarly had no desire to achieve true justice for his fellow human beings. In fact, the judge’s first preference was to ignore the needs of the poor widow and the justice she demanded.

Can’t it be said we have been delighted by these Scriptural reports telling us the evil intentions of Amalek and the “unjust judge” were ultimately defeated?  Today’s Scriptures therefore teach us to have confidence we too will ultimately find true justice where once there might have been evil threats of power-abuse, injustice and oppression.

The unfortunate reality is that we continue to know of individuals, communities, ecclesiastical structures, corporations, systems, and even countries, which oppress and abuse those under their control.  We know of systemic problems manifesting themselves in our own communities, in our country, and certainly throughout the world; we know these to be the cause of gross injustices, harm, and oppression for many people.  We hear about rich countries subjugating poor countries, about multinational corporations quashing the successes of much smaller companies and individual entrepreneurs, about the wealthy failing to help the poor, about ethnic and racial groups discriminating against others, about “the powerful” of any type (even some within ecclesiastical hierarchies and “faith communities”) unjustly subduing “the powerless” under their control, and etcetera, etcetera.  But let’s not be discouraged in the face of all of this! 

Acknowledging all that’s noted above, I believe we must understand our work in pursuit of justice will always be part of our common Christian identity; we must be unrelenting as we embrace this responsibility toward others.  And so, as with Moses (along with his companions) and the persistent widow, we are called to remain steadfast when we challenge and overturn unjust systems, traditions, attitudes, behaviors and actions! 

As faith-filled people, who always strive in pursuit of true justice for all, may we always have confidence in the victory God promises to us!  My friends, let’s encourage each other with the message of today’s Scriptures!

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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Naaman and the Samaritan: More Faith Outside the Community than Within, the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time–Year C

"Jesus with the one leper Who Returned to Give Thanks" by William Brassey Hole.

My Sisters and Brothers:

Today’s Scriptures remarkably highlight two individuals: Naaman the Syrian is featured in the reading from the Old Testament, and a Samaritan is singled-out and praised by Jesus in the Gospel.  In one way or another, both men demonstrated great faith in God, and were consequently cured of the terrible disease of leprosy; because they also expressed tremendous gratitude to God for what had been done for them, both were then held in great esteem.

After his cure, Naaman “returned with his whole retinue to Elisha and said ‘now I know there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel’ and ‘I will no longer offer holocausts or sacrifice to any other god except to the Lord’” (see 2 Kings 5:14-17,19).  The Samaritan, one among ten lepers who had cried out to Jesus for pity, was also “the only one to return to him, as he glorified God in a loud voice, and fell at the Lord’s feet expressing thanks” (see Luke 17:11-19).  The two cured and very grateful men were respectfully sent back into their lives with offerings of peace and grace; Elisha said to Naaman “go in peace,” and Jesus exclaimed to the Samaritan “stand up and go, your faith has saved you!”

While these accounts encourage us to imitate the faith and gratitude of Naaman and the Samaritan, what’s especially noteworthy is both men were “foreigners,” and so neither were born into the community of God’s Chosen People.  In contrast, “the other nine” also cured by Jesus in the Gospel weren’t “foreigners,” and thus were poignantly criticized for not showing similar faith and/or gratitude. 

Syrians and Samaritans were thought not to have true faith, and for any one of them to be cured by God, and then to have shown gratitude for it, would have been surprising news in both Old and New Testament times.  What’s made clear to us by these two stories is that people “outside of the faith community” might actually have more faith than those within it.  They also admonish all people of faith to offer their heartfelt thanks to God for all that’s been done for them.

As I reflected on these stories, I was compelled to ponder those “foreigners” of our own time who are thought to be “outside of the faith community,” and against whom today’s metaphorical “chosen people” might harbor resentments and/or feelings of condemnation.

We might ask, “who are the excluded, the lowly, the marginalized, the ostracized, the outcasts, the outsiders, and/or the rejected in our own time, place, and church?”  And “assuming we are ‘on the inside,’ against whom do we willingly discriminate, and/or shut-out of our personal and communal lives because we self-righteously believe ourselves to be superior?”  Furthermore, “if there are people we’ve treated or judged as such, how might we immediately change our attitudes and behaviors toward them?”

It’s possible our answers to these questions might make us uncomfortable, and perhaps even cause us some confusion, but I think it’s wise for us to be honest with ourselves.  A good reflection on the moral of today’s readings might help us do that well!

Just as in today’s Scriptures, may the “Naamans” and “Samaritans” (i.e., the “foreigners” of our own day), teach us a thing or two about being charitable, compassionate, forgiving, merciful, nonjudgmental, objective, open-minded, and patient! Then, we might even find ourselves surprised when the genuine goodness and faith of “an outcast” actually inspires us, and also causes us to give thanks to our ever-loving God!

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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“True Faith” and “Religious Worship,” the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time–Year C

My Sisters and Brothers:

Today, I believe the Scriptures challenge us to evaluate the “true depths” and the “daily consequences” of our “faith.”  I believe they also indirectly invite us to reflect on how our forms of “religious worship” relate to that faith. 

In the first reading, from the Book of the Prophet Habakkuk, we heard the words “the just one, because of his faith, shall live” (see Hab 2:4a).  In the second reading, Paul admonished his disciple Timothy “to stir into flame the gift of God he received . . . with the help of the Holy Spirit . . . and to have faith and love in Christ Jesus” (cf. 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14).  According to the Gospel, Jesus’ disciples pleaded with him to “increase their faith” (see Luke 17:5-10).  And so as we contemplate these passages we may desire to ask the questions “what is true faith, how do we worship God, and how does our faith impact our daily lives?”

With these questions in mind, I think we should first contemplate the relationship between “true faith” and “religious worship.”  Some mistakenly believe these two things are one and the same.  Jesus however taught his disciples “true faith” existed in those who hoped for eternal life, and who “loved the Lord their God with all their hearts, beings, strengths and minds, and their neighbors as themselves” (cf. Luke 10:27).  I believe acts of “religious worship” then are those “earthly” rituals we use to show reverence and homage to a “heavenly” God we cannot yet fully comprehend.

Unfortunately, it’s also true such rituals can be “performed” by people who really have no faith at all.  There are numerous examples attesting to this kind of behavior found in both the Old and the New Testaments.  Jesus himself addressed such when, criticizing the Pharisees, he quoted Isaiah saying “this people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts” (cf., Mark 7:5-8).  Those Pharisees knew very well how to put on a show of “religious worship,” while they really possessed nothing other than pretentious or false displays of “faith.”

Even in our own time, I believe there are people within the “Christian” community who unfortunately engage in “religious worship” that’s actually devoid of “true faith.”  And if “religious worship” doesn’t really express “true faith,” then it’s spiritually meaningless, and may effectively encourage various forms of subtle idolatry. 

In such cases, its adherents may then instead actually “worship” the “idols” of money, of materialism, of religious traditions, and of church institutions and/or of buildings (not that these things, used properly, don’t genuinely benefit us!).  Worse still, would be idolatry towards modern day Pharisees who abuse their power and who instill false senses of security and purpose in the lives of the powerless (these are the same pharisaical people who harm the vulnerable and who are quick to condemn others who don’t ‘fall in line’ with their ideologies). 

I believe these kinds of things happen when otherwise “religious” people replace their passion for God, and Godly things, with the likes of things just mentioned.  Of course I hope and pray I’m not describing any of us!

So then assuming we are people who have “true faith,” how must it impact our daily lives?  I believe if we truly commit ourselves to love of God and neighbor, then as the disciples of Jesus we will always want to pray for an “increase of faith.”  Our lifelong passion will therefore involve not simply and only our forms of “religious worship,” but more importantly our continuous desire to grow as genuine people of faith; we will then never cease to put into concrete action our love for God and our neighbor.  Our faith will not be something we merely profess with our lips, and certainly at no time will we “worship idols” that take us away from “true faith.” 

My friends, may we always and honestly seek to evaluate the “true depths” and the “daily consequences” of our “faith.”  And as we put it into practice, may we never waver in the way we love and serve God and others!

Praise God!  Friar Timothy

 

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