28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

One day, a fisherman was lying on a beautiful beach, with his fishing pole propped up in the sand and his line cast out into the sparkling blue  surf. He was enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun and the prospect of catching a fish. About  that  time,  a businessman came walking down the beach, trying to relieve   the  stress  of  his workday. He noticed the fisherman sitting on the  beach and  decided to find out why this man was relaxing instead of working harder to make a living for himself and his family. "You aren't  going to catch many fish that way," said the businessman to the fisherman, "you should be working rather than lying on the beach!"

            The fisherman looked up at the businessman, smiled and replied, "And what will my reward be?"

            "Well, you can get bigger nets and catch more fish!" was the businessman's answer.

            "And then what will my reward be?" asked the fisherman, still smiling.

            The businessman replied, "You will make money and you'll be able to buy a boat, which will then result in larger catches of fish!"

            "And then what will my reward be?" asked the fisherman again.

            The  businessman  was  beginning to get a  little irritated with the fisherman's  questions. "You can buy a bigger boat, and hire some people to work for you!" he said.

            "And then what will my reward be?" repeated the fisherman.

            The businessman was getting angry. "Don't you understand? You can build up a fleet  of fishing boats, sail all over the world, and let all your employees catch fish for you!"

             Once again the fisherman asked, "And then what will my reward be?"

            The  businessman  was  red with rage and shouted at the fisherman, "Don't you understand that you can become so rich that you will never have to work for your living  again! You can spend all the rest of your  days sitting on this beach, looking at the sunset. You won't have a care in the world!"

            The  fisherman, still smiling, looked up and said, "And what do you think I'm doing right now?"

            Our society is so materialistic, that it is easy for us to forget what really matters in life.  To so many people, happiness depends on possessions.  A beautiful house, a luxurious car, the latest in video and sound equipment, an exotic vacation, all these things become people’s goals in life.  Then, if one of these items cannot be attained, if a young couple cannot get a mortgage for their dream house, if an older couple cannot retire when they expected to, if the promotion a person was counting on falls through, then, for some people, life has taken a terrible turn for the worse.  They become despondent.  They can no longer have what they set their heart on.

            Actually, this is not just a quirk of modern American Society.  The Egyptians buried their stuff with them so they could take it to the next life. In every culture, man has tried to cling to wealth and struggles with letting go. In the Gospel for this Sunday a young man is called upon to leave his riches to follow the Lord.  This is a good man. This is someone who has tried hard to serve God. This is a man whom Jesus looks upon and loves. But he couldn’t do it.  He couldn’t leave his possessions to follow the Lord.  He had many possessions.  Too many. He was incapable of seeing the all surmounting value of following Christ. Just as some people entrust the happiness of their families to their things rather to the presence of the Lord in their love for each other.

The remedy for this is found in the first reading from the book of wisdom. King Solomon is reigning over one of the most prosperous and peaceful eras that God’s Chosen People have ever experienced. It is here that the Lord appears to the young king and promises him any one thing that he asks for. Imagine the thoughts that must have gone through Solomon’s mind. Should he ask for unlimited power? Endless riches? Ceaseless pleasure? Perfect health? Certainly any of us would rank these requests high on our list. But instead of these attractive things, he begs the Lord for something much more subtle and profound. He asks for Wisdom, one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and because of that, all of the gifts that he could ever have wanted followed.

So what is this wisdom that Solomon speaks so highly of? It is really the combination of three desirable traits working together in perfect unity. True wisdom is the blending of knowledge, experience, and good judgment together to inform every decision a person makes. This harmony of knowledge, experience, and good judgment makes a person wise and able to see things for what they are, both good and bad. A wise person has perspective when it comes to setbacks and disappointments, he knows what to fight for and when to concede. The people who possess wisdom know the right order for living, how to make good choices, avoid evil, and most importantly, how to have the right priorities.

A truly wise person can live with incredible wealth or complete poverty and still be happy. And whether they find themselves surrounded by friends or under siege by enemies, they will still find peace. And in any other circumstance you can think of, good or bad, the wise person has all that they really need because their strength and joy and comfort come first from the Lord, who never breaks his promises and who never stops protecting those who call upon him in faith. 

Our readings today require us to look inward and ask if we are truly wise. Have we asked God for his gift of knowledge, experience, and good judgement to live within us? Are we humble enough to accept the lessons that wisdom teaches us, lessons that often require a complete faith and trust in God? Can we believe that if we seek his wisdom then everything else that we need will be given to us in abundance? And that the things we used to think so important, might no longer matter so much? Or will we falter like the rich young man, whom Jesus saw and loved and invited to draw one step closer to perfection and eternal life? Will we go away sad because we cannot escape the power that worldly things and riches and prestige have over us? 

To possess wisdom and live wisely is not easy, in fact on our own we won’t get there. But with the help of God’s grace and learning from him in daily prayer, he will share this wisdom with us freely. May we be wise enough to put the things of this world in their proper place and when Christ invites us to trust and follow him, may we joyfully answer yes, without sadness or hesitation.

Fear the Lord! (4th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle B)

Every year, when we talk about the sacrament of confirmation, either in RCIA or to the eighth graders, we inevitably bring up the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps you adults in church still remember some of them, The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit are those special divine attributes that are offered to us as we become children of God, first in baptism and then, more completely, with our confirmation. Each of the seven gifts is unique and important, but one generates a great deal of interest and occasional confusion and concern. The gift that I am referring to is called “fear of the Lord” and it is characterized by a sense of reverence in relation to God and all things connected to him. Now this gift of the Holy Spirit, one of the hallmarks of God’s life within us, seems directly opposed to what we have been taught about God. Jesus loves us, right? God wants us to be happy with him in heaven, yes? He sent his Son to die for us, the same Son of God that we receive in the Eucharist as our spiritual food! How can we fear God? Isn’t he our friend?

Well, let’s take another look at today’s readings. In the first reading from Deuteronomy, Moses is talking to the people and he references an earlier incident, when the Chosen People first met God. This takes place in the 19^th chapter of Exodus and before the people can meet him, God tells them to fast for three days, to cleanse themselves and their clothes and to keep their distance from Mount Horeb, which was where he would appear. As a matter of fact, God told Moses that if any person or animal touched his holy mountain, they must be put to death immediately! After three days, when God descended upon the mountain, there was thunder and lightning, a loud blast of the horn, a dark cloud which surrounded the mountain, and the ground trembled. Not even Moses, the great prophet, could look at God’s face and live, so holy and awesome and perfect was the Lord. Understandably, the people were shaken by God’s power and majesty, so much so that they asked Moses to see if God would communicate with them in a slightly less intimidating way, through prophets who would relay his commands and message. In other words, the Chosen People were overcome by fear of the Lord after they had seen God’s majesty. 

Today’s first reading addresses the people’s request to have God speak to them in a different way. Moses announces to the people that God has chosen him as the prophet who will convey all  God wants them to hear.  The reading ends with two important warnings. The first warns of literal “hell to pay” if the people fail to listen to the words of the prophet. The second warns the prophet against speaking his own words or those of other gods, lest he face punishment. While the people may not directly encounter God’s presence like they did on Mount Horeb, they still need to fear the Lord and listen to what he tells them through the Law and the Prophet.

The fear of the Lord shows itself once again in the gospel, although in a different way that we might expect. Jesus goes to the synagogue to teach, and while he is instructing the people, he comes across a man with an unclean spirit. The demonic spirit within the man questions Jesus: “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?” The demon even acknowledges him as the Holy One of God, something many of the religious leaders wouldn’t do! Jesus tells the evil spirit to be quiet and to leave the man and this fearful spirit, which had tortured this man leaves immediately! Why? Jesus had the authority of God, the authority of his prophets. And as this miracle shows us, demons immediately recognized that authority and they responded to his command to depart from those that they afflicted - -  calling Jesus as they did so:"The Holy One of God".

Evil listened to Jesus,

Evil fled at the command of Jesus.

Even Evil feared God!

Who do we respond too? Who do we listen to? Who do we fear? Over and over again the scriptures say: The fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom. But the Fear of God is not very fashionable today. Many of us have come to believe that Hell is simply a metaphor, a scare tactic, a description of the pain & suffering we experience here & now, while others have convinced themselves that God's judgements are always good ones - good in the sense that God will not punish us for our sins or make us pay for our transgressions if we believe in him and in his son Jesus Christ.

Indeed, almost all of us have become so familiar with God's mercy, that we have forgotten the significance of that mercy, we have forgotten that God is to be feared and respected, we have forgotten that with God there is judgement, we have forgotten the demanding Holiness of our God, and as a result we have become foolish while thinking ourselves to be wise.

God's goodness is so tremendous, his Holiness so complete, that no evil can exist near it, Many of us listen to false prophets, we listen to those who tell us over and over again that God is not to be feared,              and that we can do this thing or that thing, and not worry about the consequences.

We listen to those who tell us with half truths and outright lies, that we do not need to obey every word of his Son, and that we do not need to believe in Him to be saved. We listen to those who tell us God does not judge his children, even though the Scriptures clearly reveal that God judges those he loves and punishes those whom he favors.

The truth about God is that he has authority and he has power. And further  - the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. The purpose of the fear of God is to keep us from sinning and it is a good thing!

We can and should be friends of Jesus, Jesus can and does dwell in all those who sincerely call upon his name, and his love, the love of God, is meant to set us free. But also remember that the love Jesus proclaimed is godly love; a love that casts out demons, a love that is willing to punish so that it might heal, a love that teaches so that it might bestow life and warn of death.

So let us embrace the fear of the Lord, knowing that it is the beginning of true wisdom. Let us take comfort in knowing that God has offered us this holy fear as one of his gifts, not to paralyze us but lead us to eternal life. Finally, let us thank God for his love, which is made all the more incredible and special due to his greatness and majesty, which is so far beyond us but is so generously offered to us, again and again. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his mercy endures forever.

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.