Sheep Go to Heaven, Goats Go to Hell (34th SUnday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A)

One of the responsibilities I treasure most at St. Joseph’s is my work with the RCIA program. RCIA is the class where people, who are not catholic, or perhaps have not received all of their sacraments, come into the Church. Now, this is a lot of work! It is 8-9 months of teaching classes, arranging presenters, filing paperwork, answering questions, straightening out personal situations, and gaining people’s trust. The final lesson we teach people is simply titled: “The Last Things.” In this class, we talk about what happens when we die, what our options are, and, most importantly, how do we prepare for the best possible outcome. We teach these last things to our soon-to-be Catholics, not to scare them, but to remind them of the purpose and goal of what they will be living for in their new faith.

The Church, with her 2000 years of wisdom, does a similar thing each year with us seasoned Catholics. As we come to the end of the Church’s liturgical year this Sunday, the Church wants us to reflect on the last things for ourselves. We’ve been preparing for this over the past few weeks as we have listened to readings of judgment and parables of masters leaving and returning and holding their servants accountable. 

Today, St. Matthew gives us a glimpse of what is called the general judgment. The general judgment is the final judgment, where everyone who has ever lived, even for the shortest moment, will be brought together before Christ the King. Every thought, every word, every action ever committed by each person will be brought forward for all to see. After this is finished, each person will be reunited with their body and live forever the result of their life’s choices; those who loved God and kept his commandments and the teachings of his Church will enjoy eternal happiness and peace in heaven. Those who spent a lifetime living for themselves, thinking mainly of what they wanted and what made them comfortable and happy will spend eternity living that way with people of the same selfish mindset; that is the place we call hell.

But while the general judgement is the final judgment, it is isn’t the first. At the moment of our death, we will enter into something called the particular judgment, which is just between God and ourselves. Here, we will see our life and our choices in the light of Christ. We will be judged by the same standards as the final judgment but there are three possible outcomes: 

Possibility one: Jesus will look at our life and see that we tried our best to live as he did. In other words, we made God the number one priority and we died in the state of grace. Also, he would see that we thought of others before ourself, we made sacrifices to feed the hungry, care for the sick and dying, clothe the naked, and so on. In this case he will see that we were faithful in prayer, kept the commandments, and stayed obedient to the Church’s teaching on faith and morals. After seeing all of this, Christ will recognize the life of his son within us and we will hear those saving words: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

Possibility #2: Jesus will look at our life and see that we spent most of our time and energy on ourselves and our own interests. In other words, we gave God time only when it was convenient or we felt like it, and we did not die in the state of grace. As a result, he would see that we thought of ourselves first, that we were stingy in making sacrifices to feed the hungry, care for the sick and dying, clothe the naked, and so on. In this scenario, Jesus will see and know this soul but this person will ultimately have failed to recognize and care for Christ, especially in others, throughout his or her life. Christ will see someone who was disobedient or defiant of him, of his Church, and ultimately most concerned with themselves. To these, Jesus will say:Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Possibility #3: Jesus will look at our life and see that we did pretty well in living as he taught us to. He will see that we died in the state of grace and that we kept all of the major commandments and laws of the Church, or at least if we broke them, we confessed them in the sacrament of reconciliation. He will notice that we have some vices and attachment to sin and things of this world but he will also notice that we consistently opened our hearts to his grace and mercy. As a result we often recognized him in others and tried to ease the sufferings of those around us. To be honest, most of will probably fit in this group. And since we aren’t completely free from sin and unholy attachments to people and things, we can’t enter into heaven. Only those who are perfect in their love of God can be in the presence of God and live. But on the other hand, we died in the state of grace and therefore won’t be sent to hell. This is where purgatory comes in. We still believe in Purgatory and we should be happy about it because it is another expression of God’s mercy. Here, we are purified from our sins, the temporal punishment due to them, and any unholy attachments we might have died with. When the person is completely purified, they go to heaven for an eternity of rest and happiness. 

Its not easy for us to think about this topic of the last things. It can be frightening to consider our meeting with Christ and the fact that nothing will be hidden from him or from humanity at the end of time. But the Church understands that we must be aware of what happens at the end of life, so that we can know how to live right now. The choices we have made and will make, determine where we will end up for eternity. Getting to heaven is difficult, it’s nowhere near easy. The good news is that God gives us everything we need to avoid hell and make it to heaven. He promises to be with us every step of the way. He gives us saints and angels to strengthen and encourage us. Even purgatory will not last forever and all those who are there will eventually reach heaven. The bad news is that there is a hell and people are in it. They are there because they decided to reject God and put themselves first. And because God respects our free will, he allows us to live for eternity what we chose to live during our time on earth. 

So what can we do now to make sure that we are on the side of the sheep rather than the goats? Which steps do we take to ensure that our judgment will be more of a vindication rather than a condemnation? Consider the following short list:

Make sure that you have a daily habit of prayer. This means more than asking God for what you need but also, and more importantly, listening to what he has to say to you and how he wants to transform your life. Reading the bible, going to Mass regularly, praying the rosary, and going to adoration (which we are encouraging you to consider this weekend) are tried and true practices that make saints out of sinner.

Immerse yourself in charitable works. Ask yourself what you can do for other people rather than simply wondering what you can get out of them. Remembering that each and every person is loved and created by God, helps us to recognize Jesus’ presence within them. Fostering an attitude of charity will help you to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, comfort the sick, and welcome the stranger.

Stay close to the Church and seek to be obedient to her. Realize that the Church is part of Christ promising to be with us always until the end of time. See her and her teachings as the very things that will help you get to heaven, not something oppressive, to be avoided. Stay close to the Church and the sacraments and you will stay close to Christ.

If we do these things, we will have nothing to fear from death and judgment. The last things will be the beginning of our new life in Christ and we will hear those wonderful words: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” 

The Most Important Talent Show! (33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A)

Today’s parable is a familiar one. A man prepares to go away on a journey and entrusts his possessions to his servants. To one, he gives five talents, to another, two, and to the last, one, each according to their abilities. Then he leaves for a while and we know what happens. The servant with five talents makes five more, the man with two doubles those, but the fellow with one, well, he gets cold feet and buries the talent he was given in the ground. Sounds like a good strategy for times like these, nothing lost, nothing gained. Or so it seems. When the master returns, he is thrilled with the performance of the first two and invites them to share in his joy. But with the one who buried the talent, he is furious. He calls him wicked, lazy and even useless! He takes the one talent away from him, gives it to the one with ten, and rejects this servant forever! Seems kinda harsh! Or at least I always thought so, as someone who is fiscally conservative when it comes to money and investing.

However, there is so much more to this parable than what we first hear! For one thing, this parable, and also this homily, is not primarily about money or material things. Jesus uses the example of wealth here because it is something we readily understand. But he is inviting us to look even deeper than simply what we do with our material treasures. They are important, but there is a spiritual dimension here that is even more crucial. The number of the servants in today's story isn't important, but the fact that the master entrusts them with his enormous wealth is.  All that the master owns is in their hands - each in a different amount. And that pretty much matches our experience of life. The good things of this earth - the wealth - the  power - the ease and comfort - are distributed widely - and unevenly. The same could be said of the personal gifts, strengths, and abilities that we see in every person. 

 

But that is not what this parable is about when it speaks of talents. This parable is about the unique wealth that God distributes to those who follow him - to his servants - to you and me: the wealth of the scriptures, the gift of his Son, the abundance of his grace and love. God has given to each of us a measure of all that he has!  Some have more, some less -- but each has more than enough and more than is deserved, in fact, an incredible abundance!

     It is helpful for us to know what the talent was in the biblical world. In Jesus’ time, a talent was a measure of silver equal to about 15 years of income for your average worker. To put this in perspective for us, one talent today would be worth between $600,000 and $700,000, depending on what you considered the average wage to be! The first servant receives five talents, which was equivalent to 75 years worth of wages or 3 million dollars. The second received two talents, equal to about 30 years pay or about 1.2 million dollars. And the third servant, the person we often think of has having very little, is given one talent which is still worth 15 years of work or $600,000 freely given to him! 

     

     If we apply this part of the parable to our own lives, we see the same thing at work in us. God has entrusted some of us with more, some of us with less. But each of us has more than enough given to us by God! More than enough faith, more than enough love, more than enough forgiveness. We have been given everything - we have been given the gospel of God's love and mercy, of his divine life in grace, and even the gift of his Son’s Body and Blood; each according to what God knows we can do with it.  God knows our abilities and God knows that even the one with the least has been given an incredible amount. 

Now, as soon as the master was gone - the first and second servants take action. The first two seem to know exactly what the master wants them to do. They immediately invest the money in the hope of receiving even more than they first had. In other words, they take a chance and engage in some sort of venture, a risk in which there is always a chance of losing everything. Notice how they don't delay about this. They immediately leap into action. 

Then there is the third servant, the one who has been entrusted with 15 years’ wages. He takes his precious treasure and does what the rules of the day suggest that he should do; he carefully buries it, keeping it safe until the day of his master's return. We might ask: What's so wrong with being cautious? Discretion and prudence are virtues, right?

When the master returns, he calls in his servants and asks them to give an account of their stewardship. The first two demonstrate their goodness, their willingness to stick their neck out by showing that they have in fact doubled what they were given. And the master is clearly pleased by this as he calls them good and faithful and promises to entrust even more of his wealth to them in the future. But with the third, we have a whole other situation. The first thing this servant does is to make excuses, he describes how afraid he is of the master, that he feels he is a harsh man who reaps where he does not sow, and so on and so forth. Because of this, the servant explains, “I buried your talent, I did nothing with it.” For this attitude, of fear and inaction, the third servant is condemned, cast out, and the one talent he had is taken away.     

    If we apply this part of the parable to our own life, we might find that we resemble the third servant more than the first two. We have been entrusted with all that we need to accomplish God's will and become saints. We have been given great riches, more than what we need, infinitely more than we deserve, so that we can produce spiritual fruit pleasing to God. God will not judge us for trying and failing to produce that fruit - he will only judge us if we do not try. The faithful servants were active, allowing faith to assist them in making choices of being reverent and receptive to all of God’s other gifts. They responded. The third servant was afraid of the master and doubted. He allowed fear to decide how he would act rather than letting his faith show him how to overcome that fear of failure. He buried his faith and did not allow the gift to grow or permeate all areas of his life.

So, take a moment and think about it! Is God’s gift of faith bearing fruit in your soul? Is it growing and spreading to every aspect of your life? Is it stronger, deeper, and better informed than when you first received it? Or has it been buried because times are tough, schedules are busy, or others make fun of it? Has our fear of failure or growing closer to God or the possible rejection of others caused us to hide what God has given us? What sort of return are you making on the spiritual gifts God has entrusted to you? And the material ones as well? 

May we take this parable to heart and allow it to challenge us so that when Jesus returns, we may hear those happy words: “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Come, share your master's joy.'

Watching and Waiting (32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C)

One of the worst things a priest can say to his people is: “Do as I say, not as I do!” To say this shows that he is ok with living at odds with the gospel, and that he expects something from his people that he is not willing to do himself. As I start the homily today, I am not going to utter those shameful words. But I am going to let you know that I struggle with what I am about to talk on. I think it is only fair that you know that it is not easy for me to live out the lessons of our readings. And I suspect that if I struggle with these things, more than likely, some of you do as well.

In the readings today, we might summarize their message with two concepts: watching and waiting. And these two things are not separate but are inextricably bound together. On one hand, the readings tell us to watch for the Lord and his wisdom. I love that line from the first reading that says, “Whoever watches for her(meaning wisdom) at dawn shall not be disappointed, for he shall find her sitting by his gate.” To watch is to be alert, on guard, ready for the first hints of the Lord as he prepares to pass our way. But along with the need to be watchful, you and I are also encouraged to be patient. It is only by our patience that we will be truly in the right place at the right time, when the King of heaven and earth shows up. And so it appears that this one-two combo, watching and waiting, is the key to our eternal happiness.

Which is where I struggle. I am not, by nature, a patient person. Watching and waiting is not one of my strengths. Which probably explains why I am so bad at fishing! It seems so much easier to get a stick of dynamite and a net. When I am anticipating a delivery from FedEx or UPS, I check their package tracking system neurotically. I notice how impatient I get when the internet here at the parish or on my phone bogs down. Or when someone in front of me is going 5 under the speed limit! My mouth drops in disbelief when I go to the store only to find that the product I wanted is out of stock or backordered. Didn’t they know that I wanted it now?

But Fr. Schroeder isn’t the only impatient person out there! We, as a society, are not big fans of watching and waiting either. We clamor for high-speed internet so that we can more quickly download our favorite songs and videos. Netflix makes it easy on us with online streaming of our favorite shows and movies, so that we don’t have to waste time driving to red box or blockbuster. We use the microwave so that we don’t have to wait forever for the oven to heat up. Instant messaging and email allow us to communicate quickly so that we can always be on top of things and not have to wait for the Postal service to do their thing. Where we would we be without Amazon Prime, which allows to find almost anything on their website and then receive it O-so-quickly with their next-day shipping? Thank goodness for instant oatmeal, fast food, and mobil quickpass so that we find a little more time in our day. Some of us even leave Mass a little early so that we don’t have to sit in the parking lot gridlock. No, we Americans are not very good at the whole watching and waiting thing.

And if we, as a society and as individuals, seem to have lost the ability to watch and wait, then we are at risk of missing out on that spiritual wisdom described to us in the first reading. A wisdom which is resplendent and unfading. A gift which eases our cares and turns our minds to the things of God. It was this wisdom that five of the virgins possessed in today’s gospel. 

Reflecting on this quality, might help us to ask the difficult question: Where am I today—among the wise or among the foolish?

If the Lord were to call me now what would he find? Would I be ready to face him? Would I survive the judgement process? Would the verdict be guilty or innocent?

But those foolish virgins were not bad, were they? They were just unprepared; foolish not wicked. So what is Christ saying? I think that the message is that this alertness, this watching and waiting, helps us to keep us on the right track. And the opposite is also true: impatience and lack of spiritual readiness will cause us to drift away from the true path.

It is not easy for us to keep ourselves on the road to the Kingdom; there are all sorts of traps and pitfalls. Daily concerns and worldly worries seem more important and demand our immediate attention. But Jesus is telling us to keep ourselves ready --- for the coming of His Kingdom is near. By fostering an attitude of watching and waiting, then we will keep ourselves in line. By having that vision before us of Christ’s second coming we will not so easily be seduced by the pleasures and distractions of this world—not so easily led in another direction.

That joyful image of the friends of the bridegroom standing in the street with their lamps waiting for their Lord gives us a real picture of the second coming. When the Lord comes, will we have to do a lot of running around to get ourselves ready? Or will he find us faithfully waiting and watching and longing for his arrival?

The temptation that we need to be on guard against is the thought that all of this is a long way away and that we can deal with it later. Christ is very near. He is closer to us that we are to ourselves. And he visits us in little ways, each and every day, to see if we are awake and ready to meet him. 

So where is your soul right now? Watching and waiting for the King of kings? Or comfortable and sleeping, impatiently distracted by worldly concerns? May God’s wisdom come upon us all and help us to anticipate the Lord’s return by the way we live our lives. May we say with the psalmist, “My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God,” as we watch and wait for him.