Use Your Gifts for Mercy (26th Sunday, Year C)

 To listen to this homily, click here.

The Gospel of Luke is often called the Gospel of God’s compassion, the Gospel of the lowly being raised up. St. Luke was a physician, trained to comfort and heal those who were afflicted, and he couldn’t help but highlight the mercy of Jesus in his account of the Lord’s’ life. Each us should be challenged today by the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man. The parable is not meant to condemn those who have worked long and hard for their financial gains. It is not meant to dump on the rich. The parable is meant to help us recognize the responsibilities that go along with our blessings. This story calls us to examine whether or not we are good stewards of God’s gifts and how we use what we have.

One of the dangers of riches is that they can make us feel self-sufficient and become self-absorbed. Once we can provide for ourselves and have what we want, it becomes easier to focus only on ourselves. Another danger of acquiring wealth is that there is no limit to it. No matter what we have, we always want more and there is already someone else who has more than we do! This is the criticism of the prophet Amos in the first reading. The rich of his time are sleeping on beds of ivory. Think of all the poor elephants such beds would condemn! More importantly, it is taking something that was considered a treasure in small quantities and making it absurd. The same is true of their wine-drinking; there is nothing wrong with having a glass of wine. These fools had so much of it, they were drinking it out of bowls; which was a sign of their excess and their shamelessness in living life completely over the top. Their lifestyle made them oblivious to the suffering and need of those around them. Because of this blindness, they are condemned.

The same is true of the rich man in the gospel parable. His blindness is what lands him in hell, not his wealth. However, by using his wealth only for himself, he became completely unaware of poor Lazarus, who would have been happy with the leftovers the rich man didn’t even want. Lazarus is completely invisible to the rich man. He didn’t see him as a fellow human being, deserving of help and compassion, regardless of the reasons that landed him in such desperate circumstances. 

As people who live in the richest nation on earth, we are at risk of this same blindness. Who is invisible to us? The poor, the unborn, the immigrant, the prisoner, the lonely, the disabled, the mentally ill, the elderly? How many people do we pass by who are reaching out, who are longing for something from our table, and we don’t even realize they are there, much less that they are starving and suffering? As a people of faith, the greatest thing we have is our relationship with God. We are surrounded by so many spiritually starving people, people who have many material possessions but still feel utterly empty, depressed, unloved. How often do we share our spiritual riches with others? How often do we pray with and for someone? How willing are we to enter into deeper discussions than simply the weather or sports? Can we sit and listen or are we always on to the next thing? I wonder if many of us catholics are like the rich man in the sense that we dine sumptuously here at the table of the altar. We receive the body of Christ, the bread of life, which is worth more than any earthly treasure, and yet we are so often hesitant to share any of that richness with others. This spiritual generosity is far more important that how much money we give to the poor, as noble and necessary as that is. 

This spiritual blindness is just as real today as it was when Jesus preached this parable. We have to work to maintain our spiritual vision and remain aware of those around us who are suffering and starving, physically, spiritually, mentally, or emotionally. Without an active habit of stewardship, generosity, and self-denial, we will quickly become like the rich man: oblivious, self-absorbed, and deserving of condemnation.

To wrap up this up, let me offer you a real-life instance of this parable that happened during World War II. You might already know the story but the similarities are uncanny, at least until the end; the end is very different because of grace and conversion.

In 1939, a German businessman joined the Nazi Party and he immediately began to get rich from the Nazi invasion of Poland. He took possession of a factory, seized from Jewish owners, and began the manufacture of various products. To increase the margin of his profit, he arranged to have his factory manned by hundreds of Polish Jews, essentially as slave labor. During this time, he enjoyed great financial success and spent much of his time, money, and energy endearing himself to various high-ranking German officers and members of the local government. Then, in 1942, this businessman witnessed a raid on a Jewish ghetto in Krakow and was struck by the cruelty of the soldiers to the people living there. Furthermore, he was appalled that many of them were his own factory workers and were rounded up and taken away, only to be murdered in concentration camps. 

Because of what he saw, this wealthy businessman, a member of the Nazi party, experienced a change of heart and began to use his wealth to help his workers in need. Over the next few years, he would use his influence, his money and his energy to bribe officials and save the innocent lives of over 1000 Polish Jews, whom he called “his children”. By the end of the war he was practically broke, having invented numerous jobs and bribed many officials to protect as many persecuted Jews as possible. That man was Oscar Schindler and his noble efforts were made famous in a movie called Schindler’s List.

Although this rich man was imperfect and had some serious faults, he allowed his heart to be changed and used his wealth for mercy. And after the war, when he no longer had anything, he received mercy and assistance from the very people he had helped.

May you and I share our spiritual and material riches freely instead of keeping them to ourselves. May our eyes be opened to the needy and hurting who are all around us. With God’s grace, we can avoid the horror of spiritual blindness and become good stewards who enjoy not only the blessings of this life, but more importantly the everlasting blessings of the life to come.

  

The Spiritual Shark Tank (25th Sunday, Year C)

 To listen to this homily, click here.

How many of you have seen the show Shark Tank? It is a panel of 5 successful millionaire/billionaires who are looking for the next big idea or startup to invest in, looking for someone who has created a  better mousetrap. I really enjoy the program for the ways you get to see driven persons pitching new ideas for products and companies. Some of the biggest success stories have come from very simple ideas; looking at an unfilled need or an untapped market and seeing how to fill it. 

After watching a few episodes, you see a pattern in both the sharks and the people who get a deal. It is not enough simply to have a good idea or invention; the entrepreneur needs to have the right qualities as well. Those qualities are:

They need to be all in; this cannot just be a hobby or part time gig.

  They need to have ownership in their idea/company rather have sold it off

They have to be willing to work hard and sacrifice sleep, money, time, etc…

They need to be relentless and never take no for an answer.

As you hear the stories of those who are successful, you can’t help but admire their tenacity, ingenuity, and drive. Many sacrifice the security and comfort of a good job for their idea. Some of them cash in their retirement or take out a 2nd mortgage to fund their cause. Many go door to door to get sales, work 16hrs a day, and receive dozens of no’s before hearing a single yes. 

And yet they keep on going because they believe they have something special, something worth fighting and sacrificing for! And the sharks are the same way! Even though they have more money than we could ever dream of, they give nothing away and fight to make every possible penny on a deal. Even if you don’t agree with their priorities, you cannot help but admire their skill in making their wealth grow.

But it’s not just millionaires and billionaires who know how to find and seal a good deal. Whether it's buying a used car, selling a house, or shopping online, all of us learn how to get the most for our money. This is not something new. It's part of human nature and Jesus was aware of this. The parable he told recognized human ingenuity when it comes to worldly matters and personal comfort. Jesus is not praising the dishonesty and sinful of the bad steward; What is being commended is how the dishonest steward did whatever it took to make sure he would have a future after he was fired. He went all the people that owed his master money and slashed what they owed, making sure they would take care of him when he was let go. Jesus’ point is that we often demonstrate our intelligence in worldly matters and endeavors, but too often we don't apply that same ingenuity and skill to the one thing that really matters: our eternal salvation. 

Imagine if we were plopped into the spiritual shark tank to pitch our faith. Would we be deemed investable?! Would we have the same qualities that make an entrepreneur successful? Are we all in or is our faith just a part-time thing that we practice once a week, or several times a year, only in parts of our life? Do we own our faith or is it something we do out of habit because it was passed down to us? Are we willing to sacrifice for our relationship with God, to do the hard work of growing and going deeper, never letting anything get between us and eternal life? And last of all, are we relentless in our faith, working hard to not give in to discouragement, not throwing in the towel when challenges arise or we meet resistance?

Today, the Lord is telling us, "You have intelligence and ingenuity, use it not only to get ahead in this life but to make sure you have eternal life. We must be as resourceful and dedicated in the ways of God as we are in the ways of commerce and politics. Jesus' parable challenges us to be as eager and ingenious for the sake of God's reign, to be as ready to use our time, talent, and money to accomplish great things for the Gospels as we are to secure our own happiness and earthly success.

Some people, like those in the first reading, have perfected how they can out-smart others. They cheat with their scales. They inflate money. Even though they have 6 days a week to make money, it’s not enough. The one day of rest for the sabbath is torture; all they can think about is making more money and getting every last cent out of others. What about us? Are we any better? Do we even rest for one day a week from our planning and spending? That is not why God gave us intelligence. He gave us intelligence and perseverance not just to make money and acquire things but to make His presence real in the world. Imagine if we put that same energy and ingenuity into our faith?!

At the end of the first reading the Lord says about the cheating merchants, "Never will I forget a thing they have done." This is bad news for them. This is good news, though, for all who fight the temptation to use others for their own gain. This is good news for those who put Christ before immoral profit. If, as the first reading says, God is aware of the bad things that men do, it follows that He is also aware of the good things we do. God will never forget how we helped someone, even though it was not our responsibility. God sees the times we help others and protect them from those who would take advantage of their situation. God will never forget how we chose not to do something we wanted because a friend or family member needed us to help them. God remembers every time you forced yourself out of bed to take care of your children, even when no one else noticed. God sees, God knows, and God loves. 

The best news of all is that we are not on our own! God has already invested in us, in the spiritual shark tank! God did not create us and then abandon us. Jesus did not just call us to follow Him and then leave us to figure it all out. God gives us His Holy Spirit to empower us. He strengthens us with His Word and His Body and Blood. He gives us the courage to stand up for the poor, the vulnerable, those about to be born, those being treated poorly by others. But in addition to grace and prayer, we must also use our intelligence, ingenuity, tenacity, and drive that helps us be successful in everyday life.

The cleverness, skill and boldness the bad steward used to save his skin and secure his future, we must use to make God's ways real in our world and secure our salvation. You are a gifted group of people here at Incarnate Word; make sure your gifts are at the service of God and his kingdom.

Pack and Pray (23rd Sunday, Year C)

To listen to this homily, click here.

Story of getting to parish and being bombarded with lots of  “you must do this.” There were also a number of things “not to do”. Always wise not to listen to the first or the loudest ones...unless it is the bishop!

In life, in a family, and of course, in a parish, there are many priorities, but only one of them can be most important; all others have to fall in line behind it. For as much as we wish to be great multitaskers and to be able to handle lots of things at once, we can only have one purpose in life and one master to serve.

Jesus teaching to us follows these same lines: of all the things demand our attention, energy, and resources, he must be the greatest priority in our lives.

He is not telling us to call our parents, siblings, and spouses and tell them that we hate them…in the name of Jesus! He is speaking in hyperbole, which is using a degree of exaggeration to make a point. Just like if I tell you I am so hungry, I could eat a horse, you understand that a little snack might be great. You do not, however, start trying to find the nearest stable or horse farm. But while the talk of hating family and one’s own life grabs our attention, the truth behind the hyperbole is no joke; Jesus has to come first, no exceptions.

We all have priorities, whether we take the time to list them or not. Each of us someone or something that takes first place in our life and drives the values we hold and the choices we make. 

The challenge of our gospel today is to take the time to look at our priorities and see where Jesus ranks. Is he at the top? Or even near the top? Anything less than number one means we have work to do.

One last thing about the Lord at the center of our lives and all we do. We don’t always know how, but he will actually help us order all our other relationships and priorities. It is amazing but true. When Jesus is first, we end up having the time we need for everything that is essential. Our other relationships grow healthier and life-giving, there is a sort of order and harmony that is hard to describe but impossible to miss. 

It reminds me of when I went backpacking in the Grand Canyon. This was my first backcountry experience. I came to the packing meeting with all of my gear; way too much of it! The first stage was to let the guide see everything and make decisions with me. It was a little embarrassing to lay everything in plain sight, I was insecure that that most of my gear is new and untested while others clearly had done this before. But I had to let go of my ego and accept the fact that it would be impossible to move forward without first figuring out what was needed and what had to be left behind. By the way, this took multiple steps, starting when I packed in my room at the rectory, and then when I left the hotel in Flagstaff, and then finally when I departed the packing meeting, each time leaving more behind as I realized it wasn’t all necessary. And some of this I had to do trusting the one who was leading us. 

The 2nd step was to pack things in the right way and in the right order. When I tried it myself, I could only get about 80% of everything in the bag. The guide came back around and showed me the secret: tightly roll the sleeping pad in the center of the pack, with the tent shoved all around it, pegs in the corner, clothing in every possible space down low. camping supplies next, then food and remaining clothes on top. It was the same amount of gear but now it all fit because the guide knew exactly the place and order for every piece of it. And she found every bit of space that I didn’t even know existed!

The same is true of our lives. Jesus made us, he knows us better than we know ourselves. When we let him guide us and our priorities and relationships, he shows us what we need to take along and what we can leave behind. In his mercy, he does this in stages, little by little so we aren’t completely overwhelmed and discouraged. When we put him first, he makes everything fit, he makes sure we have all we need to get to heaven but also to have a meaningful life here on earth. But we have to let him see everything we are carrying, we cannot be so proud or ashamed that hold things back. We have to trust him enough to listen when he says, “you don’t need that”, “leave that behind”. There is always some sacrifice and self-denial involved but it all serves a purpose. Just like that efficient and perfectly packed bag allowed me to see the interior of the canyon, so too, a well-ordered life and relationships will allow us to see and experience life in a way that most people never do.

So how do we make this happen?

The simple answer is prayer, both the public prayer that we are doing here at Mass, along with receiving the sacraments, and participating in devotions like the rosary, the divine mercy chaplet, adoration and so many other treasures that our faith offers. Our prayer should also consist of time each day where we simply sit with God and listen, letting him lead us and speak to the areas of our heart that might be confused, trouble, or simply weary. Oftentimes, starting with a little Scripture can help quiet our minds and hearts and prepare us to hear his voice.

The second part of the answer is practice. Just like any other habit or skill, we get better at making God first by doing it over and over until it’s second nature. For most people, it won’t be something dramatic like running off and joining a monastery. It will be by doing the little things well and making sure to pray each day, come to Mass every Sunday, working honestly, being charitable in our thoughts, words, and actions, and placing Jesus first in the many choices we make each day. Over time, we will be amazed at everything God is able to fit into our life and how much joy and love we are able to share and experience. 

May that be our prayer today, that our priorities are aligned with God’s and that he always have pride of place in our life, our families, and our parish! 

Humility, Manners, and Vanity (22nd Week, Year C)

To listen to this homily, click here.

Readings are about humility

Lots of misconceptions about what humility is: last in line, denying praise, making compliments awkward or minimizing our gifts.

Sometimes we get a better sense of what something is by looking at what it is not. The opposite of humility is vanity. Vanity is the inordinate worry about how we appear to others.

It is ok and even good to be aware of how we come across to others and the impression we make. This awareness moves us to good habits like chewing with our mouth closed, having good hygiene, being able to converse politely with others and are not vanity. 

Story of Ms. Manners in seminary,

Manners were not to make us pretentious or fancy; manners are for others. A healthy self-awareness fosters respect and consideration for the people around us. It is a bridge to others and to God.

Vanity takes that introspection, which is supposed to make us more available and thoughtful to others and God, and makes it all about me….

So what does that look like?

I would offer four sure symptoms that each of us should look for in our life.

1. Everything is always about us: dominating conversations, oblivious to the feelings of others, failing to ask about them and actually listen, placing ourselves first whenever there is a conflict or a chance to compromise

2)   We are never wrong and always have an excuse for everything: 1st reading tells us that the wise love proverbs, in other words, the humble person is always learning. The fool is the one who can never be taught because he already knows everything out there. Even when he is wrong, he is right. In the spiritual life, it looks like this: the holy person wants to see their sins because then they can be forgiven and grow closer to God and others. The vain person refuses to acknowledge sin because they think it weakens them. But the way of Jesus is full of irony. The greatest in his kingdom become so by placing themselves at the service of others, the first are the ones who put themselves last and those who will live forever in glory are they who are willing to lay down their lives for truth and goodness.

3)    We care so much about what others think of us that it dictates how we act, the choices we make and the relationships we have. We change who we are to win the approval of others. We are often moral chameleons who appear one way in prayer or at church but then become someone else when we are around those whose approval we want. We live as a sort of double-agent; putting on a certain act or air, depending on who we are around. When we worry more about our reputation with others than our relationship with God and say no to the person we called to be, this is vanity!

4) The final symptom that often plagues us is that we try to hide our true selves from Jesus and gloss over how much we need him and his mercy. A common mistake in our time is thinking that God looks at us and says, “you are perfect just the way you are.” That he looks at us and sees nothing to be fixed, healed or saved. That no change is needed for redemption. Ah, but if that is true, why did he send Jesus to die on the cross? Why is confession one of the seven sacraments Jesus gave to the Church? Why do we begin each Mass by acknowledging our sins and the ways we have failed? Vanity makes us think too highly of ourselves and too little of our sinfulness. Once again, that irony rings true: if you want to receive God’s love and mercy, if you want to be healed and transformed, come before God as you really are, warts and all. Do not hide from him like Adam and Eve did in the garden! Anything less is vanity! God already knows how wounded we are and how badly we need him.

When you think about it, every healthy relationship depends on humility and is damaged by vanity. A person who is arrogant and vain can never be a good spouse, a good parent or a good friend. They are so full of themselves that they have no room for anyone else. A humble person makes a place for the other person. Sirach put it this way, "conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts.”

Humility makes possible a relationship with other people. It also makes possible a relationship with God. There is a saying, "maintain your sanity by keeping two things in mind: First, God exists. Second, I am not him." To have a relationship with God, we have to stop trying to be God and accept our limitations. Faith cannot happen if we are not willing to become humble and trust in the Lord’s plan for us and for the world. How can God speak to us if we only listen to His messages that fit with our plans and desires? Many times we let our craving for control get the best of us and try to do things our way, according to our wisdom. How foolish that really is! It’s like saying to God, “step aside and let me show you how things are done.” This way of thinking and living always ends in disaster.

All of us need to let go of vanity in some way. We can easily see the arrogance and vainglory of others, but we have a harder time recognizing our own. We can either submit ourselves freely to these lessons and let God teach us through prayer, service to others, and learning more about him through Church teaching and Scripture. Or we can go the hard way getting humbled by our own pride and vanity as we inevitably discover the limitations of our own abilities and knowledge. For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."  

Desire for Fire (20th Sunday, Year C)

 To listen to this homily, click here.

A number of years ago, I had the opportunity to hike in Yosemite and Kings Canyon National Parks in California. One of the things I learned about the forests there was the important role fire plays in the health of the ecosystem. For a while, the national parks tried to prevent and suppress all fires, seeing them only as a destructive threat. In time, they came to understand that while fire had to be carefully managed and respected, it played a crucial role in making sure these forests remained healthy and primed for new life. 

I saw this as I walked through a number of areas that had recently burned. Although there was the unmistakable scar of charred trees and ash, there were also thousands of new saplings sprouting up because of the rich soil and the abundant sunlight. New life, rising right out of the ashes! I also learned that the majestic sequoia need fire to release their seeds. 

In both cases, fire is necessary, even as it destroys much of the forest. Without it, the long term good of the area would suffer and the longer it is suppressed, the worse it will be when it finally breaks out. Fire prepares the way for new, healthy trees to replace the ones that have reached the end of their life cycle and might be diseased. The flames also clear the needles, branches and other refuse off the forest floor and turns it from a stifling mess to a fertile bed for new saplings to spring up.

Today’s readings point us toward a spiritual fire that does something similar. In a shout-out to pyro’s everywhere, Jesus exclaims that he has come to set the world on fire and he wishes, (I love the word he uses) that it was already blazing! Not flickering, not a controlled burn, or a soft flame, but blazing!! Jesus goes on to explain the power of this fire. It is a force that will strengthen, cleanse, and prepare the way for new life. The teaching of Jesus also has the potential to divide even the most fundamental family relationships, depending on where they fall in terms of the gospel message.

I think it is helpful to point out some common mistakes we make when we hear this passage. The goal of the fire Jesus desires is not to cause fights between husband and wife, mother and daughter, Father and son, and anyone else near and dear to us; he does not delight in division. Jesus loves unity in the family and among people. But that unity can never come at the expense of truth. Whenever any of us try to achieve community and unity by compromising truth and distorting the teachings of Jesus, we only end up with an uneasy truce that will either dissolve over the next argument or require us to compromise our beliefs sometime soon in the near future when the next controversy arises.

Jesus’ prediction of discord and division on account of his preaching is not permission to be a jerk. Our lord is not telling us to go and pick fights with the people around us. Rather, he is warning us that to live his words, to follow him, will purify us and our relationships. And even those relationships most sacred to humanity may not be spared if the people closest to us choose to have other priorities ahead of the gospel. 

Last of all, Jesus is not telling us to write off people who fundamentally differ with our creed. Even though the pain and separation of belief may be massive, we should always continue reaching out to bring them back, without ever watering down the truth or compromising key elements of our faith. Jesus’ desire for fire is not permission to become an island and reject anyone who differs with us!

Being on fire for love of God will cause conflicts in our lives, even with the people we love the most. And when we encounter these conflicts, the resistance of those who don’t agree with the gospel, we have to make a decision: Do we change our tune, be silent, or stick with what we believe?

Take Jeremiah in the first reading. He was a prophet given one of the most difficult jobs in all of the Old Testament. He was to warn the people of God that they would soon be invaded by a foreign power, the temple destroyed, many would die and the rest would be enslaved and shipped off to another land. Not surprisingly, the people didn’t like his message and instead of hearing what he was saying and repenting and asking for God’s mercy, they tried to get rid of the messenger by throwing him in a cistern. They resisted the fire of God’s purification, painful though it would be, and as a result they were destroyed. Jeremiah, on the other hand, stayed true to his message from God, endured many sufferings and insults but is now venerated as a saint in heaven. In the second reading, the Author of the letter to the Hebrews reminds the early church that they are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses, the martyrs, who have already given their lives for the gospel. He also gently tells them to stop complaining about the sufferings they are encountering, since they have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood. This is a timely reminder to you and me, who are often afraid to witness to Jesus. Most often, the only cost will be something minor like embarrassment or being shunned; nothing close to the shedding of our blood! 

As Catholics, we are asked to keep the fire of Christ blazing in the world until he returns. We are called to promote and defend the truth as revealed by God and our human nature, unpopular truths that mostly seem to center around marriage, human sexuality, and the dignity of the human person. The truths of God that often divide families in our time are things like marriage cannot be defined as anything other than between a man and a woman, that our human sexuality is a gift rather than a commodity to be bought and sold nor is it a subjective identity that can be reconstructed any which way. We are called to defend the truth that every child has a right to be born without exception, that scientific research is not a god but must respect moral principles, never using or destroying human beings under the lie that it is for a greater good, and finally that contraception is something which corrupts married love rather than enhancing it. We are asked to be a voice for the voiceless, agents of justice and mercy in a world that often only cares about the bottom line and who it deems useful or worthy. 

If you haven’t noticed already, Catholics are charged with defending and promoting some pretty unpopular truths. People accuse us of being intolerant, hateful, evil, out-of-touch, and many other words I can’t say here in church. But Jesus knew this would happen and this is why he warned his apostles to be ready for pushback even from the folks they loved the most. To authentically live out our faith, we will at times be like Jeremiah: misunderstood, hated, cast out, and maligned.

So the question posed to us is this, “are we ready for this purification? Are we willing to endure the flame of God’s love which will burn away fear, selfishness, cowardice, and laziness? To be truly and fully alive in our catholic faith, we must undergo the fire of God’s purification. If we run from it, if we try to make our faith something that offends no one by watering it down, we will be like the alpine forest without a fire. Our souls will not experience the cleansing power of God or the new life that comes with it.

May we open our hearts to the fire of God’s love, that it might be blazing within us. Let us pray for the courage of Jeremiah to stand strong in the midst of rejection. Finally, let us not fear God’s purification because it will always lead to growth, new life, and eternal happiness, not simply for ourselves but also for many others!

The Fullness of Faith (19th Sunday, year C)

 To listen to this homily, click here.

I would imagine most of us have had the experience of going to a parish picnic here in St. Louis at some point in our lives. You know the type, with game booths, chicken dinners, and of course, carnival rides. As a child, I couldn’t wait to get on these flashy, metal marvels; as an adult my thoughts have become things like, “how recently did I update my will?”and “who is my emergency contact?” On several occasions, wanting to be the fun priest, I’ve allowed myself to get on some of the rides. Waiting for them to start, I have been moved to deep, philosophical thoughts, mostly involving faith. I can’t help but acknowledge the tremendous amount of trust I am putting in some latches, a lap bar, and two carnival workers named Bubba and Squawker, who man the controls and will be in a different city the next day. Now, don’t get me wrong, these thoughts didn’t stop me from being flung around and re-aligning my spine, but I think it can give us good reason to stop and ponder the role of faith in our lives.  

We practice some level of faith each and every day, even if we are not necessarily a religious person. It is impossible to function in any meaningful way without a basic trust in certain rules and norms. Think of the constant faith we put in all sorts of people and things. We trust the roads we travel on and the many different bridges we cross to be safe and stable. We have faith in in other drivers; that they will stay in their lane, stop at red lights and go in the proper direction of traffic. We trust that the money we receive at the store, from the bank, or from others is genuine and not counterfeit, That the lights will go on when we flip the switch and countless other examples. In other words, we make use of faith often, in little and large ways every day so we can be people who are happy, productive, and sane. Often we practice these sort of faith subconsciously, hoping for the best but not really sure of the ultimate result.

But this sort of faith and trust is an incomplete version of what we are called to and capable of in our relationship with God. The faith described in our second reading, displayed in the life of Abraham, shows us what is possible. For many of us, faith is simply what we believe, a sort of blind trust, something internal that lives mostly in our mind. How many times have we heard a politician or public figure mention their faith but then quickly qualify that it is separate from their decision-making and policy choices. Don’t we all have those moments where we believe one thing but project something different around others to avoid a heated discussion or an uncomfortable moment. 

Faith for the Christian is indeed what we believe; in a few moments we will profess the essentials in our creed. But it must also be external and apparent. It cannot remain hidden. A living faith shows itself in our actions and priorities. It is not a stagnant body of dogmas but a dynamic relationship with God and his Church. That means that it grows, changes, and deepens over time. Or at least it should!

This is why Abraham is our father in faith. He professed belief in God but then he also backed it up in his actions. When God said it was time to move to a foreign land, he did it. When God told him he would become a father as an old man, he believed. When God asked him to sacrifice his beloved son, he was even willing to let go of his most precious gift. What he believed and what he did were in perfect alignment!

Let us then look at our own faith and the choices we make. Does it match up with the actual decisions and priorities of our lives? Can someone look at our actions, our choices, and conclude that we believe in eternal life? Or would they see us completely focused on the here and now, consumed by materialism and greed, as if this life was the only thing that mattered? We may believe we love our family and treat others with dignity and respect. But if we seldom spend quality time with them because our work or our phone or our hobbies or personal comfort come first, what do we actually believe in? We might say we believe in the power of prayer and that God loves us and listens to us. But if we seldom pray and come to Mass, what then do we actually believe? It is not enough to simply believe in something; that belief must manifest itself in how we act and what we choose. We can go back to that beautiful summary of faith from our second reading, “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” That translation is pretty good but the word “realization” is not quite right. Instead, use pursuit. Faith is the pursuit of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” Ultimately, what we pursue is what we believe in. Can we honestly say that it is God and his kingdom? Or is it something else?

Last of all, faith is a relationship. Our faith in God is not simply a set of beliefs or a list of teachings, but ultimately trust in another person, a Divine person who is utterly dependable and loving. Like any other meaningful relationship, faith takes constant work and investment of ourselves. If we wish to have faith in God and in the things that matter to him, we must never stop learning more about him and what brings him joy. For many Catholics, their faith stopped developing after grade school, high school, or college and that relationship has grown stagnant. Fr. Mike Schmidt uses a great analogy; he says our faith is not a crockpot; we cannot just set it and forget it! Just as we work to grow in love for our friends and family every day, year after year, so too with God. We cannot say, “Lord, I already told you I loved you and trusted you before, why do I have to do it again and again?” Imagine if a husband said that to his wife! “I said I loved you on our wedding day and if anything changes, I will let you know.” This sort of thing doesn’t work with our human relationships and it won’t work with our spiritual ones either!

As we reflect on faith, let’s make sure we marvel at the fact that the God of heaven and earth wants a unique and personal relationship with each of us. No one is excluded from that friendship. What Abraham received from the Lord is offered to us as well. What makes that life-giving relationship possible is our faith, a faith that pursues what is hoped for and is yet unseen. May our faith be evident in our actions and choices and manifested in a friendship with God that is ever growing and deepening. Then we will look forward to Lord’s return, knowing that we will be counted as his good and faithful servants.

The Things That Matter to God (18th Sunday, Year C)

To listen to this homily, click here.

This weekend we see one of the strange features of our lectionary: In the heart of the summer, when many people are relaxing and enjoying the beauty of beaches and mountains, we have some of the Bible’s most depressing readings. Qoheleth gives the famous words: “Vanity of vanity! All things are vanity!” Then he goes on to describe the toil, anxiety, sorrow and grief which fills man’s days. And on top of this, even though he is plagued by fatigue, he no longer experiences the sweetness of falling gently into sleep.

Jesus is equally stark. A man comes to him all worked up because his brother has cheated him out of the inheritance. Rather than settle this seeming injustice, Jesus tells a story about a person who stored up wealth, hoping it would bring him peace of mind. Just at the moment when everything fell into place, God demands his life and all his planning and sacrificing amounts to nothing!

These are hardly the thoughts anyone wishes to meditate on as part of summer vacation. In fact, most of us avoid thinking about these heavy topics all year long, for years at a time until we are forced to do so by these readings or the loss of a loved one. But while these themes of death and judgement are uncomfortable, it is actually a blessing to ponder them now before death actually happens, which it inevitably will for each of us, sooner or later.

The central message of today’s Scriptures is to examine our priorities and passions, the things that receive the most and best of us. Are they things that matter to God, heavenly things as St. Paul describes them? Will our current goals and priorities be significant in our final moments or we will look at them with regret, wishing we had spent our time, talent, and treasure differently? Are the most important things in our lives right now used only for ourselves and our enjoyment and comfort? Or are they utilized to help others and lift them up? Is our life, and everything in it, all about us? Or is it directed generously towards others? There is a saying that the only things we take with us in the next life are the things we give away.

Then there is the story of the elderly lady who approached her priest after Mass. She told him that her husband had recently died and she was going to make a significant donation to the parish. She revealed her plan to give the bulk of her estate to the Church. The priest was grateful, but also curious. He mentioned that most people usually left everything to their children. "I know they do," said the woman. Then she smiled, "but I want my children to be sad when I die!"

Each person of course has to decide what to do with their estate, but one thing is clear. As Jesus points out today, none of us can take it with us. And He is not just talking about material riches; it also includes health, beauty, fame, power, influence, popularity, and so many other things that seem so important but fade quickly after we are gone.

The day of our passing may seem far away, especially to the young and healthy, but the years go by quickly. Today's Psalm describes our lives as a passing dream - a flower that unfolds in the morning, but by evening wilts and fades. The same Psalm says that seventy is the sum of a man's years - or eighty if he is strong. For being written thousands of years ago, that still seems dead on the money, if you pardon the pun. 

Even though our lives pass swiftly, the psalmist does not encourage resignation. He tells us to "number our days aright," to live each day to the full, to pursue things that matter to God and are important in the context of eternity. That is a challenge for us. We live in a world of short term thinking; buy today, pay tomorrow. Live for the moment, do whatever makes you happy regardless of the consequences. But that is not the way of Jesus. His way acknowledges the goodness of this earth and everything in it while never forgetting that we are made for much more. This world, this mortal life is not the final stop and we must be diligent in storing up treasure in heaven.

We should keep the end of our life before us always. Four military chaplains did this in an extraordinary way. They were serving on a ship called the "U.S.A.T. Dorchester." One of the chaplains was a Catholic priest, two were Protestant ministers and one a Jewish rabbi. None of these men of God wanted to die, but as chaplains they spoke to the soldiers about the need to prepare for eternal life.

On February 3, 1943, as they crossed the North Atlantic Ocean, a torpedo struck the Dorchester. The lights went out; in panic, the soldiers fled to the main deck. Only a few of the lifeboats worked and as the ship listed, many fell into the frigid water.

One of the survivors described landing in the water near the ship. Realizing it would soon sink and drag him under, he swam with all his might. His life preserver had a small red light, which a life boat saw and hauled him aboard. He told about looking back and seeing other small red lights "like a Christmas tree." At the bow of the ship stood four dimly outlined figures, none of them with the little red light. The four chaplains had given their life jackets to others.

Above the noise of the waves, the soldier heard music. It came from the direction of the four figures. The Jewish rabbi was chanting a prayer in Hebrew. The Protestant ministers sang a soft Gospel hymn. The Catholic priest had a beautiful Irish voice and chanted in Latin. The four chaplains had locked arms. They sang and prayed to encourage the others. Of the 904 men aboard the Dorchester, over six hundred died that night - including the four chaplains.

There is much to be said for the way those four chaplains died; fully aware, opening their hearts to meet God. Their final acts were service to others with generosity, peace, and acceptance; treasure that would be waiting for them in heaven! That attitude and calm doesn’t happen on it’s own. It is cultivated now, throughout the years and decades of our life by acts of love and kindness, by ensuring our priorities and values will be the ones we will still be proud of when we stand before God to give account of the time, talent, and treasure he shared with us. 

Because none of us knows how or when we will die, that preparation starts now. For that reason, these readings are a gift, a blessed reminder to live each day like it is our first, last, and only. While it is sobering to think about these heavy truths, we are always encouraged that Jesus has prepared incredible things for those who use this life to become rich in the things that matter to God!