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Gospel Reflection 20070812

The choices are simple and stark: death or life; injustice or justice; idolatry or the Living God. We must choose life. We must choose Justice. We must choose the Living God.
The choice between the Living God and inert idols is not only a choice between justice and injustice; it is also a choice between life and death.

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Are You Preparing for Certain or Uncertain Things?
August 12, 2007


Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel
Lk 12:32-48

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not be afraid any longer, little flock,
for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.
Sell your belongings and give alms.
Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out,
an inexhaustible treasure in heaven
that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

“Gird your loins and light your lamps
and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding,
ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those servants
whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,
have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
And should he come in the second or third watch
and find them prepared in this way,
blessed are those servants.
Be sure of this:
if the master of the house had known the hour
when the thief was coming,
he would not have let his house be broken into.
You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect,
the Son of Man will come.”

Then Peter said,
“Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?”
And the Lord replied,
“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward
whom the master will put in charge of his servants
to distribute the food allowance at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.
Truly, I say to you, the master will put the servant
in charge of all his property.
But if that servant says to himself,
‘My master is delayed in coming,’
and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants,
to eat and drink and get drunk,
then that servant’s master will come
on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour
and will punish the servant severely
and assign him a place with the unfaithful.
That servant who knew his master’s will
but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will
shall be beaten severely;
and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will
but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating
shall be beaten only lightly.
Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,
and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”




An unskilled worker goes for a job interview and demands a pay higher than that demanded by skilled workers. When asked why he demands so much for his unskilled work he explains that because he is new to the job he would put in more effort and time than the skilled workers to do the same job. Therefore, he should be paid more. This is certainly an unusual way of reasoning. Booker T. Washington echoed a similar sentiment when he said, "I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which one has overcome while trying to succeed." This rare way of thinking is reflected in today's gospel.
Today's gospel is on the theme of remaining faithful as we wait for the return of the Lord. Jesus uses two parables to make the point. First there is the Parable of the Watchful Servants where Jesus encourages his disciples to be vigilant and ready for action as they wait for the coming of the Master. That he will come is certain, but when he will come no one knows. The Lord comes unexpectedly into our lives everyday through events and people we meet. But the ultimate, unexpected coming of the Lord in our lives is at the moment of death. We should be watchful to recognize the Lord and prepared to meet him in the little unexpected opportunities of everyday life. This is the best way to prepare for the ultimate encounter with the Lord at the hour of our death.
In the second parable, the Parable of the Faithful or Unfaithful Servant, Jesus reiterates the lesson of the first parable under the heading of faithfulness. He portrays two different attitudes of disciples in the absence of the Master. The wise disciple remains steadfast at his duty post even in the master's absence. The foolish disciple takes to a complacent lifestyle and takes the law into his own hands. The day of reckoning comes with the master's return. The faithful servant receives a promotion, the unfaithful one is "cut to pieces" and given a place with the unbelievers.
Jesus then goes on to expand and throw more light on the issue of reward and punishment. "That slave who knew what his master wanted, but did not prepare himself or do what was wanted, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating” (Luke 12:47-48a). We are all to familiar with the two groups in which disciples will be separated on judgment day: the sheep on the right and the goats on the left, the blessed and the accursed, the faithful and the unfaithful. But what is this extra teaching that Jesus gives here on those who will receive "a light beating?" Surely it is not the blessed in heaven for they receive no beating at all. And it is not the accursed in hell for they receive a severe beating.
Passages like this lead one to the conclusion that beside heaven and hell, there is an in-between state of remedial punishment. Catholic teaching calls it purgatory, a state of temporary, remedial punishment for believers who die in venial sin. They cannot be admitted to heaven directly because they have guilt and yet they cannot be consigned to everlasting punishment in hell because their sin is not mortal (1 John 5:16-17). Many Protestant Christians have a problem with the doctrine of purgatory. One reason for this is that the Reformation Bible does not include some of the books in the Catholic Bible, such as 2 Maccabees, which clearly support this doctrine,. But the doctrine of purgatory makes sense, especially in light of Biblical passages, such as today's gospel, that provide a third alternative to outright blessedness and outright condemnation.
The doctrine of purgatory satisfies God's mercy as well as God's justice. It is good news to the struggling brother or sister who never quite seems to make it to the Christians ideals we all aim at. It is a great source of hope for us to know that even if we die in this imperfect, struggling state we may receive “a light beating” but we will still be admitted to the eternal happiness of heaven.


Jesus often taught by telling parables. He would take a common subject or event that the people would know about and weave in the lesson he wanted them to hear. Many times he would give the story a quirky ending or include something that would kind of turn the story upside down in order to get the crowds attention. He did this in the story of the servants waiting on their master to return from a wedding. In Jesus’ day, servants were slaves, even though in the Roman Empire the higher class of slaves shared the household of the master and often had excellent educations. But they were still owned by their master and were expected to serve them.

In the parable of the vigilant servants, the twist Jesus threw in was that when the master returned from the wedding, those servants who were prepared for his return were in for a big surprise. Instead of ordering them to feed him, prepare his bath or whatever else he might want, the story says that he will seat them at table and begin to wait on them instead. This is a new and unexpected twist that his listeners would not expect to hear. Ordinarily no master of an eastern household would ever wait on his servants. He would expect them to wait on him, no matter how tired they were or how hard they had worked. Then when the master was satisfied, they could sit down and eat for themselves.

This was a whole new concept for his listeners to grasp, but it introduced the new Christian concepts of values. Christ is showing that he will come and be of service and wait on his followers. Remember, he told his disciples, “I have not come to be served, but to serve,” and at the Last Supper he washed the feet of the Apostles. He would make his life a life of service to them, preaching to them, curing them of sickness and helping them in every way, even to the point of giving his life for them. This new and startling concept turned their cultural value system upside down. By telling this story, Jesus was giving a vision of the wonders that await those who are prepared at his second coming.

Normally when we think of being ready, we usually think of being prepared for the worst that could happen: locks on the door in case of thieves, life jackets in the event of a boat accident. But, in the parable, it is a case of getting ready for the best. It was a wedding festival with friends, music, dancing and good food. The Kingdom of God is like a wedding feast – only better. It is a joyous occasion filled with all good things where Jesus wants us to join him in the celebration.

When I was a kid, we played a game called “Hide and Seek.” I suspect that young people today still play it. One child would be designated “it” and would have to close their eyes and count to one hundred while the rest of us ran and hid. When the count of 100 had been reached, the “it” child would shout, “Ready or not, here I come.” If we were lollygagging around and didn’t hide quickly enough or just half-heartedly hid, we would be found and have to be “it” for the next go round. The secret to not having to be “it” was being prepared when the kid shouted, ready or not, here I come.

This parable focuses on the unpredictable return of Jesus and our need to be prepared for his return. He’s saying to us, “Ready or not, here I come.” Isn’t it interesting that most of us believe in preparation for many uncertainties, but not with the most important event of our lives? We carry a spare tie in our car as preparation for a flat. We have insurance in preparation for a theft, fire trucks in preparation for a fire. Airline stewards provide pre-flight instruction in preparation for turbulent weather and we seek education in preparation for a good job. Preparation in our society is a sign of wisdom. But think about this. Of all the preparations that we make for the things I just mentioned, not a single one is a certainty – yet we feel compelled to prepare ourselves for them.

The return of Jesus IS a certainty. We can never know precisely when he will return or when we will die, but his return is certain. We must constantly watch, being always faithful and ready so that we may be found worthy to share in the heavenly banquet he has prepared for us. So the question of the parable is not whether or not Christ is coming again, or when he is coming, or even how he is coming. The point is about being prepared for his coming and ready to receive him whenever he comes, now or later.

In the road of life, which we follow, there are many uncertainties and distractions. We don’t know where the road will take us; we don’t know when it will end. But one thing is certain. At the end of the journey; our Lord will be there to meet us, to welcome us into the heavenly kingdom…IF we have prepared ourselves. Preparation cannot be a “sometime” thing, but living each moment of our life for Jesus. If we can do that, we will be prepared to greet our Master whenever he comes.


Picture yourself shopping for a used car. You go into a dealership and, finding the exact car you want, you ask the salesperson about the guarantee. He looks with a meaningful gaze into your eyes and tells you that he attends church each Sunday, is devoted to his wife and children, coaches youth sports and then says “if anything goes wrong with the car you can take my word that I will do right by you”. You then go down the street to another used car dealer, find the same car, ask about the guarantee and are told by the salesperson you will get a written, signed money back guarantee, no strings attached. Which car do you buy?
Our culture trains us to always go for the guarantee, preferably in writing. In business, a contest between a guarantee and a promise is no contest. However, our personal relationships – both with our God and with one another – are built on promises rather than guarantees.
Our God calls us to a live of faith.
We are called to believe in the presence, love and care of the Lord in our lives. Not a Lord who requires bargaining (“if I do this God, will I get that”). God and men and women are lovers, not business people in a negotiation.
Faith means we believe in the promise. We do not watch the events of our lives and try to interpret the good and bad moments as signs of God’s love or lack of love for us. That is a contract mentality. Instead, with faith, we trust that we are sons and daughters of God and that God is with us through the joys and sorrows of our lives. We have no promise of a life free from pain – we do have faith, however, in the promise of our God to wipe away our tears.
Faith means we believe in a loving God. Not a God who pores over our daily lives as if they were spelling quizzes, searching for our errors; instead, our God looks for our patterns of faithfulness – looks for us to try, sometimes fail, admit failures, seek forgiveness, try harder again and rely more on God and each other.
At the end of Luke’s Gospel today we hear: “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required”.
Gathered here in church we are ministers and witnesses to the gospel. Much has been given to us. We have the words of our Lord to believe and to proclaim. Much is expected of us. We are expected to live out our lives in the spirit of the gospel.

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St. Ignatius of Loyola


(1491-1556)




The founder of the Jesuits was on his way to military fame and fortune when a cannon ball shattered his leg. Because there were no books of romance on hand during his convalescence, he whiled away the time reading a life of Christ and lives of the saints. His conscience was deeply touched, and a long, painful turning to Christ began. Having seen the Mother of God in a vision, he made a pilgrimage to her shrine at Montserrat (near Barcelona). He remained for almost a year at nearby Manresa, sometimes with the Dominicans, sometimes in a pauper's hospice, often in a cave in the hills praying. After a period of great peace of mind, he went through a harrowing trial of scruples. There was no comfort in anything—prayer, fasting, sacraments, penance. At length, his peace of mind returned.
It was during this year of conversion that he began to write down material that later became his greatest work, the Spiritual Exercises.

He finally achieved his purpose of going to the Holy Land, but could not remain, as he planned, because of the hostility of the Turks. He spent the next 11 years in various European universities, studying with great difficulty, beginning almost as a child. Like many others, he fell victim twice to the suspicions of the time, and was twice jailed for brief periods.

In 1534, at the age of 43, he and six others (one of whom was St. Francis Xavier) vowed to live in poverty and chastity and to go to the Holy Land. If this became impossible, they vowed to offer themselves to the apostolic service of the pope. The latter became the only choice. Four years later Ignatius made the association permanent. The new Society of Jesus was approved by Paul III, and Ignatius was elected to serve as the first general.

When companions were sent on various missions by the pope, Ignatius remained in Rome, consolidating the new venture, but still finding time to found homes for orphans, catechumens and penitents. He founded the Roman College, intended to be the model of all other colleges of the Society.

Ignatius was a true mystic. He centered his spiritual life on the essential foundations of Christianity—the Trinity, Christ, the Eucharist. His spirituality is expressed in the Jesuit motto, ad majorem Dei gloriam—"for the greater glory of God." In his concept, obedience was to be the prominent virtue, to assure the effectiveness and mobility of his men. All activity was to be guided by a true love of the Church and unconditional obedience to the Holy Father, for which reason all professed members took a fourth vow to go wherever the pope should send them for the salvation of souls.

Comment:

Luther nailed his theses to the church door at Wittenberg in 1517. Seventeen years later, Ignatius founded the Society that was to play so prominent a part in the Counter-Reformation. He was an implacable foe of Protestantism. Yet the seeds of ecumenism may be found in his words: "Great care must be taken to show forth orthodox truth in such a way that if any heretics happen to be present they may have an example of charity and Christian moderation. No hard words should be used nor any sort of contempt for their errors be shown." One of the greatest twentieth-century ecumenists was Cardinal Bea, a Jesuit.

Quote:
Ignatius recommended this prayer to penitents: "Receive, Lord, all my liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. You have given me all that I have, all that I am, and I surrender all to your divine will, that you dispose of me. Give me only your love and your grace. With this I am rich enough, and I have no more to ask."

posted by Mike Young @ 8:42 PM