September 1, 2019

Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

• Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29
• Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24
• Luke 14:1, 7-14

Reflection written by: Gayle Sommerfeld

All the readings this week touch on humility. Sirach 3 reminds us to “conduct your affairs with humility,” and to “humble yourself the more the greater you are, and you will find favor with God.” Humility is about truth.  It is about understanding our right relationship with God and with each other. Dishonesty in any form detracts our ability to perceive that right relationship, turning humility into a secret form of pride, although it does eventually become a lot less secret than we think. We find favor with the Lord, as Sirach notes, as we become increasingly humble, in that we understand that our gifts come from the Lord. Humility is in understanding that they do not come from us and are meant in some way to serve our brothers and sisters — as theirs are meant to serve us.

Paul writes to the Hebrews reminding them that the new covenant brings them to “the heavenly Jerusalem,” depicting the kingdom of God in glorious terms. The contrast in Paul’s letter to the Hebrews also hints at this right relationship between the Lord and us.

In Luke, Jesus was invited to a banquet at the home of a leading Pharisee, and probably not because the Pharisee was a big fan. The reason behind the invitation likely was that the Pharisee wanted to get a closer look at Jesus. The Pharisees were watching his every move. They wanted to see where he would seat himself. They wanted to see what he thought of himself; how important he thought he may be. However, they made a mistake, in that they did not realize Jesus was also watching them. Imagine Jesus’ reaction to the scene unfolding before him. When Jesus arrived, he noticed all the important people were jockeying to get the seats closest to him at table while those of lower classes sat in the back. This was likely considered an important occasion, as a popular teacher was invited to dinner and conversation with the religious leadership of the community on Sabbath. Rank and authority meant nothing to Jesus, though.

Jesus doesn’t rebuke the Pharisees directly but offers a parable to explain why humility matters in the eyes of God. In God’s kingdom, there will be a role reversal. Those who consider themselves to be first on earth will be last in heaven, and those who are last on earth will be first in heaven. In other words, the mighty will be humbled, and the humble will be exalted.

Jesus also urged the host to invite the less fortunate to his table, just like he urges us to invite the poor to our tables and meals. In Leviticus 19:34, which was read recently at daily Mass, the connection is very clear, “You shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God”. Jesus’ life and ministry asks us if we also are doing this.

The nerve of Jesus to tell the host who he or she can and cannot invite! The Pharisees thought they were the most religious, holiest people they knew.  If anyone deserved places at God’s table, it was them. Jesus says, “There are other guests who are just as important as you. They might not look religious, and they might not have all the right table manners, and they might not wear the best clothes or live in the best parts of the city, but I’ve also invited them.” Tables and meals can bring everyone together in one unifying meal, or they can divide and put people in their place.  Jesus invites us to remove our assumptions about tables and who sits where and why.  In Jesus’ kingdom, the power of the table is completely turned upside down.

Questions for Reflection:

• Verse 7 begins with Jesus noticing the behavior of the guests at the meal he is attending. Can any assumptions be made about why the guests are behaving this way (“choosing the places of honor”)? Why do we think this?
• What influences us when we choose a place to sit at a gathering of some kind (e.g., a meal, a lecture, church)? What similarities do we see between ourselves and the guests in the story? What differences do we see? What insights does this comparison give us?

August 25, 2019

Twenty First Sunday in Ordinary Time

• Isaiah 66:18-21
• Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13
• Luke 13:22-30

Reflection written by: Monica Stein

This Sunday’s Gospel narrates an episode that took place along the road that Jesus was traveling from Galilee to Jerusalem.

“Sir, will there be only a few saved?” How easy it is to distract ourselves from the real challenges of life by asking very interesting but ultimately irrelevant questions. Jesus’ reply points to what really matters: “Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed”.  This response encourages me to ask myself if I am ready to do what is right, even when it costs? Do I spend my time working to build the Kingdom of God, or do I spend my time building up myself?

The narrow door is an interesting image. Only the essentials would get in and out. Jesus is reminding us of how little we really need. Being with him, we can live in some simplicity. We can rid ourselves of some baggage.

Baggage… that can burden us — go to an airport and if you have little you get through quickly. The little ways we build ourselves up to be important! St. Ignatius lists three things that block us from God and from living a really alive life – obsessions with wealth, honor and pride. Wealth – would it be the baggage of debts for money we really didn’t need? Wanting to have the best. Honor – wanting others to look up to us. Always feeling we have to be first and best, even how we dress and look. Pride – that we are in charge of our lives. We know what is best not only for ourselves, but also for the world.  When we carry this baggage with us daily, we have less room for God.

The narrow door may be difficult to fit through, but it is the happy door. We need little to be happy. If something does not bring us true joy, do we really need it? We can even have too much religious baggage. We can have too many rituals and prayers and not enough love and compassion. As Fr. John spoke about in his article last week, we can stuff ourselves with rituals and rightness and forget about our relationship with God.  As the Gospel states, it is not enough to have eaten with Jesus, we need to know Jesus.

But is the door really narrow? Even though the door to God’s kingdom may be narrow, due to the degree of commitment required, it is open and available to everyone. People will come to it from east and west, from north and south – from everywhere, in short. Those who ‘stand outside’ are those who refuse to accept the reign of peace and justice, joy and love, which God so graciously and freely offers to everyone.

Jesus invites us to meet him at this narrow door and be less cluttered. Then we walk with him, and will need no more. We will have real joy and peace.

Questions for reflection:

•  To have a clear objective and to travel toward Jerusalem: are the objectives of my life clear or do I allow myself to be blown around by the wind of public opinion?
• The narrow door. How does this challenge the ideas you have of God, of life,  and of salvation?
• What baggage do I need to let go in order to concentrate on my relationship with God?

 

 

August 11, 2019

Ninteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

• Wisdom 18:6-9
• Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19
• Luke 12:32-48

Keep Your Lamps Burning

Reflection written by Vince Herberholt, member Faith Justice Commission

Okay, I get that we need to be ready for the Master’s return.  We have been waiting for that to happen for over 2,000 years.  So we light the candles, gird our loins (tighten up our britches) and wait in expectation for the coming of Son of Man.  Interesting that in the first part of this reading when the master comes, the roles reverse and the master becomes the servant – different from other Bible stories filled with judgement, sheep and goats.  And this vision of the Master is much more in line with how I see God as loving Parent, Sibling, and Spirit.  In the words of John Shea, “God feeds us, serves our well being and fill[s] us abundantly,”  if we are faithful and ready to receive God into our life.

Sometimes I think we lose sight of God’s abundance and continuing involvement in our lives.  After all as mentioned before, we have been waiting a long time for God’s return.  We overlook the gift of abundant life and extinguish our lamps, loosen our britches and fall sleep in the overfilled comfort of a self-absorbed existence.  An existence that threatens our faith and uses up the riches of our common home.  Then comes the knock at the door, the return of the Master and the rest of the story.

In the second part of the Gospel story, we see an alternative view of the Master who has surprised the servant left in charge.  For many reasons, among them the delay in the Masters return, the servant has:

• relaxed his alert,
• distracted himself with food and alcohol,
• become lazy in his assigned preparations and
• abused and neglected his responsibility for others in his care.

The story concludes with the servants ignominious punishment for failing to honor the will of the Master.

It is clear that the Master had and has expectations that those left in charge would not just wait for the Master’s return but would take responsibility for the property – the kingdom –  according to the Master’s will and example.  Put in Jesus’ terms those expectations are blended together in the words in Matthew 6:10, “Pray in this way:  …Your kingdom come.  Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”  We are looking at a heaven that embodies:  peace, love, hope, justice and inclusion.

Well that’s pretty clear as far as I am concerned.  As servants and followers of Jesus we are called to expectantly wait for Jesus’ return by helping create God’s kingdom on earth where we share God’s abundant generosity to our neighbors.  We are called/invited to do this by joining in Jesus’s vision and ministry best expressed in Jesus’ words in Luke 4:16-21.  [The Lord] has anointed me to:

• bring good news to the poor.
• proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind,
• let the oppressed go free, [and]
• proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

It’s time to build that kingdom.

Questions for reflection: 

• In the Gospel story when the Master reverses roles and waits on his servants, Are you able to take that in and how does it affect you?  Do you feel responsibility to do the same?
• How do you experience your relationship with the Master?  A Member of the Flock?Servant?  Prudent Steward?  All of the above?  How do you feel about the relationship that most resonates with you?
• Where are you in waiting for the masters return?  Are you prepared or preparing?
• How do you view the statement God’s Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven?  Do you feel any responsibility for making that happen.