August 2016

Jesus seems to be concentrating on the positive side of the honor code of society in His time. In Mediterranean societies of Jesus’ day public shame and public honor were of very great importance. His advice seems to be about how not to be shamed in public, and how to be wise enough so that you are more likely to be honored. Don’t sit in the top seat in case you’re moved down, but do sit in the lower place so that you have the chance of being moved up. There is a certain practical wisdom being deployed. However, Jesus is surely saying much more than that. Heaven is often compared in the scriptures to a wedding banquet, so we can assume Jesus is using this imagery here. The context is one of eternal salvation. So in the case of getting to the heavenly banquet, do not presume that you are worthy and better than everyone else. Presumption, St. Thomas Aquinas says, comes from pursuing something beyond our powers. Authentic humility is necessary because without it we can never benefit from God’s grace. If we think we are self-sufficient, God will respect that, but we will never be able to enjoy the banquet of eternal life. Presumption is better than despair, better than false humility, but all should be avoided in favor of genuine humility.

So how we are to be invited to the great wedding banquet of eternal life? First of all we are called to realize that there is absolutely nothing we can do to deserve, earn or buy an invitation. The invitation is an entirely free gift of God. That is the first reason why we should not presume to think we should even be there, let alone sit at the top place. Secondly, the invitation we have been given is always available through the passion, death and resurrection of the Lord. How do we respond to the invitation? We can do so by participating in the sacraments. Through the sacrament of penance we show the necessary and fitting humility to accept the invitation. Then the Eucharist is the great feast in this world which anticipates the heavenly banquet. In the Holy Mass, Jesus is the lamb of sacrifice, the high priest and the bread of life. In the whole sacramental system, we have a new way of conducting human affairs – it is the renewal from within of our human interaction, with the added benefit that is also helps us interact with and be more closely united to God.

All of us find times in our lives when we need the help of others. It is no different with the life of faith, except that in every moment of that life we need the help of Jesus Christ. The narrow door of our salvation is the help that God sends to each one of us in the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The life of a Christian is one that centers upon Jesus Christ and the help He sends to us.

Through sharing in the life of the Church we receive the help we need to find healing and begin our journey to the kingdom of God. On this journey we are transformed, so that we, as instruments of grace, become the means through which Christ’s healing and transforming presence is given to others. This journey will not be easy, as we will need to face our own frailty and the sickness of this world. Yet we don’t do this alone, but through the help of Jesus Christ and those He sends to aid us in our struggles.

In today’s Gospel we hear Jesus tell His followers that He has “come to bring fire to the earth”. He describes the divisions that will happen even within close-knit families. Jesus presents the inevitability of discussion that may or may not lead to actual conflict. What He is not doing is to offer disagreement as automatically causing the breakdown of family life. In speaking of religious belief, Jesus refers to something that touches the deepest part of a person’s soul: the person’s relationship with God. If our understanding of God were not so important, were only a trivial matter, it would never be divisive.

A proverb declares that, “Mighty oaks from little acorns grow.” Few of us will make much impact on the world on the world stage. However, in recent years, huge strides have been made in ecumenical and interreligious dialogue. We are unlikely to see full Christian unity within our own lifetime, but “unity” doesn’t necessarily mean believing the same things: it does mean working together in peace. Little by little, our efforts to speak to each other are making a world of difference.

The universal longing for a safe and permanent homeland is one that finds an echo in all of our readings today. The letter to the Hebrews speaks of the faith of Abraham and Sarah as they leave their old home and place their trust in God’s promises of a new homeland. The book of Wisdom recalls the night of the first Passover, when the oppressed people of Israel were liberated by God from slavery in a foreign land so that they could make their long journey to their homeland. The people need courage for their journey and they stand in solidarity with each other… In the Gospel Jesus tells His “little flock” not to be afraid – the Father has already given them the kingdom. They have a homeland awaiting them. But there is a note of caution struck: the people have to be ready, prepared, actively about their master’s business, living faithfully according to His commands, if they are to be ready to greet the master when He returns.

That longing for a homeland lies deep within each of us. Jesus promises that the Father has prepared the kingdom for us. But He tells us to be prepared. How do we do that? Jesus warns us that we have been entrusted by God with tasks and responsibilities – and that if in the meantime we start to act selfishly, greedily or violently, then we will be denied entry to the promised land. The first reading speaks of the people sharing the dangers together. It is the solidarity of knowing that we have one common Father – that we feed those who are hungry, clothe those who are naked, visit those who are sick and welcome those who are strangers, then we are storing treasure for ourselves in heaven and are on the right path to the kingdom. Are we journeying on the way to the kingdom, or will we be denied entry? To answer that, we can simply look at our lives to see if we are traveling alone or in genuine fellowship with others, living for ourselves or leading a life of service, building up fences or creating community. Such solidarity is all the preparation we need to make for our homecoming.

In today’s Gospel, two brothers are seen arguing over money and inheritance. Jesus hears the request but is very clear that He has no intention of getting involved in a family argument. It is not His place to go round dispensing justice in the lives of others. Jesus doesn’t miss the opportunity to tell brothers, and everyone else who cares to listen, that big issue here is not who gets what, but how important it is to persevere the security of life that comes from loving one another. Security of life is a spiritual reality that unfolds us when we are enfolded in love by family and friends, and when we learn to allow ourselves to be embraced by the love of God. Money does not do it. To bring some truth, Jesus tells a story in which the only people to feature are a rich farmer and God. It is a lonely story. The farmer has a big problem. “How do I keep all this wealth for myself? Build a larger barn and store it all, and sit back and pour yourself a glass! No problem.” This man only talks to himself and only listens to himself. Death comes and you must leave it all behind.

Greed of any kind will kill us. Greed does not want to know about anybody else. Greed fouls up friendship and causes family lives to fester. Wanting everything for yourself and wanting your own way in everything is the high road to misery. “Securing our country’s future” is a frequently heard political value, and everyone wants to feel secure. It is a natural desire. What of the vital importance of being able to meet another and to talk to another and to persevere in preserving all our relationships – whether internationally, or nationally, or in our family and community life? Jesus clearly states that our security is not achieved by what we have, or what we posses; this is true whether it means riches or a wealth of fire power. Our security is maintained by the kind of people we are and try to be. Strip off your old self and your old behavior, St. Paul says us today. Put on Christ. And if you want to be rich, be rich in God.