September 11, 2016

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time C
Exodus 32: 7-11, 13-14; 1 Timothy 1: 12-17; Luke 15: 1-32
Am I progressing in my spiritual life? Most often the response in NO…but am I better than I was five years
ago? What do I mean? Am I better in being patient? Am I better in listening? Am I better in feeling
people’s hurt? Am I better in forgiving? Am I better in caring? Am I better with holding back my
‘tongue’? Am I better? The common response would be ‘kinda yes’. The only way ‘being better’ happens
is by God’s total Grace…His daily Help. This is a very fruitful meditation for each of us. The readings
today show samples from God’s side and from other’s stories that we can identify with.
In the first reading from Exodus, Moses is going up Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments. While up
there the Israelites grow impatient and turn to another deity, the ‘golden calf’ for help. The people want
what they want and are no way grateful for all God has done for them in freeing them from the slavery in
Egypt. Moses ‘persuades’ God to remain gracious and merciful. I look at myself and realize the countless
times that God has shown His mercy in helping me, forgiving me and leading me closer to Himself. He is
never ‘getting even’ with my unfaithfulness but picking me up so I can be loved and hugged by Him.
“Gratitude, gratitude, gratitude ….And more gratitude” was Msgr. Chet Michael’s constant reminder to me.
And I am grateful to him, my spiritual director for this.
In the second reading, Paul looks back at his own life and expresses his own ‘thanks’ for God’s total mercy.
Paul tells how he was so set in his ways and so convinced that ‘his way’ was the only way. He goes into his
dark past and shows how he fought with God and persecuted this new group of Christians to eliminate them
‘from the face of the earth.’ God not only forgave Paul but chose him to be His instrument of preaching His
mercy and love. So often I wonder how God can continue to forgive me for the same old sins that I keep on
doing. I have an extremely hard time in forgiving myself…God never does. Paul constantly shows this in
his letters but perhaps never as beautifully as in today’s letter to Timothy. He says, “I am grateful…because
God considered me trustworthy in appointing me to the ministry…I have been mercifully treated because I acted out of
ignorance…the grace of our Lord has been abundant. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Of these I am
the foremost…I was mercifully treated and Christ Jesus might display all His patience as example for those who come
to believe in Him for everlasting life.” I see and hear in Paul’s story examples of my own…Praise God.
Luke shares three parables Jesus’ uses to counteract the Pharisees and Scribes complaint about His paying
attention to tax collectors and sinners. These are the ‘lost’ parables because they emphasize God’s
magnanimity (which Aristotle calls the “crowning virtue”). How many times have I been ‘lost in my
sin’…’lost to God’s constant presence’ in my life…I have been ‘lost’ but never to God…praise God!
Then Luke continues with the very popular and well known Prodigal Son parable. For anyone who has
come to my office or been to my home has seen my favorite painting, Rembrandt’s Return of the Prodigal
Son. It is not in a hidden place but one that my chair faces so I can meditate and be filled with the richness
of God’s love and mercy. I have a number of favorite books and love to read. At the top of the list is Henri
Nouwen’s The Return of the Prodigal Son, A Story of Homecoming. I am so much richer for having this
close by and leafing through the pages. Recently I have been attracted by the ‘sub-title A Story of
Homecoming. The ‘father’ is God and in the parable is never concerned about Himself. He does not want to
be ‘in control’ of things. His children are His only concern and you can tell in this beautiful portrait that the
father is constantly giving and giving of Himself. The parable calls me to BE the Father. Fr. Nouwen calls
this ‘spiritual fatherhood? In Luke 6:36 Jesus says “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” In Mathew
5:48, the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “So be perfect, just as Your heavenly Father is perfect.” The question
is, if I am called to be the Father, how am I to do this?
I take exerts from Fr. Nouwen’s conclusion chapter, Becoming the Father.
“Looking at Rembrandt’s painting of the father, I can see three ways to a truly compassionate fatherhood: grief,
forgiveness, and generosity. It might sound strange to consider grief a way to compassion. But it is. Grief asks me to
allow the sins of the world—my own included—to pierce my heart and make me shed tears, many tears for them.
There is no compassion without many tears. If they can’t be tears that stream from my eyes, they have to be at least
tears that well up from my heart. When I consider the immense waywardness of God’s children, our lust, our greed, our
violence, our anger, our resentment, and when I look at them through the eyes of God’s heart. I cannot but weep and
cry out in grief…This grieving is praying..I am beginning to see that much of praying is grieving. This grief is so deep
not just because the human sin is so great, but also—and more so because the divine love is so boundless.To become
like the Father whose only authority is compassion, I have to shed countless tears and so prepare my heart to receive
anyone, whatever their journey has been, and forgive them from that heart.
The second way that leads to spiritual fatherhood is forgiveness. It is through constant forgiveness that we become
like the Father. Forgiveness from the heart is very, very difficult. It is next to impossible. Jesus said to His disciples:
‘When your brother wrongs you seven times a day and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I am sorry,’ you must
forgive him.’ I have often said, ‘I forgive you,’ but even as I said these words my heart remained angry or resentful. I still
wanted to hear the story that tells me that I was right after all; I still wanted to hear apologies and excuses; I still wanted
the satisfaction of receiving some praise in return—if only the praise for being so forgiving! But God’s forgiveness; it
comes from a heart that does not demand anything for itself, a heart that is completely empty of self-seeking…
The third way to become like the Father is generosity. In the parable, the father not only gives his departing son
everything he asks, but also showers him with gifts on his return. And to his elder son he says: ‘All I have is yours.’
There is nothing the father keeps for himself. He pours himself out for his sons. This is not the picture of a remarkable
father. This is the portrayal of God whose goodness, love, forgiveness, care, joy, and compassion have no limits at all.
Jesus presents God’s generosity by using all the imagery that His culture provides, while constantly transforming it. In
order to become like the Father, I must be as generous as the Father is generous.”
So I reflect on:
• Living The Word, shares these questions: How often do we—like the Pharisees, scribes, and older son—think
that someone does not deserve such generous mercy? How often do we think that our sin is too great to forgive?
Such narrow vision can blind us to God’s mercy. As Pope Francis likes to remind us, God never tires of forgiving us.”
• What keeps me from feeling that I don’t need to repent?
• Yelling and screaming (in sermons it’s called ‘fire and brimstone’) is always easy to do…preaching God’
love and forgiveness and living it is always difficult but never forgotten.
• I think of the times that that I felt like the prodigal son in my relationship with Jesus.
• When I have sinned, did I feel that God was there welcoming me back? He does that…and He’s trying to
draw me back from sin too.
Sacred Space 2016 says,
“Jealousy rears its ugly head as the Pharisees listen to the words of Jesus. They do not like the fact that Jesus
welcomes everyone unconditionally. No judging, no condemnation. In Him is found pure love and acceptance. Jesus,
You welcome all into Your warm embrace. When we are lost, You come to find us. When we are in despair, You come
to lift us up. When we feel forsaken, You remind us of Your great love for each one of us. Thank You for loving us just
as we are.”

September 4, 2016

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time C
Wisdom 9: 13-18; Philemon 9-10, 10-17; Luke 14: 25-33
A Prayer from This Sunday’s Gospel, Exploring its Meaning and Message: “Lord, I know what is important in
life. But so often I work toward material success without considering how my faith might be affected by my actions.
Why don’t I put more effort into improving my faith life? Teach me, Lord, to lose my materialism and take up my faith life
so that I may better prepare for eternity. Amen.”
This prayer says it like it is. Each of us know how we live our daily life. Each of us is trying to search
out the ways of God as best we know how. Each of us know that God did not leave us alone but so often we
feel alone because we don’t know how to live each day the way that God wants us to? Today’s readings
help us to focus on living…by carrying our cross. Let’s look for more particulars in the readings.
Many scholars say that the Book of Wisdom was written in Alexandria, Egypt, maybe 100 years before
Jesus. At times, the author speaks in the person of Solomon. He tells us that that our wisdom cannot in any
way compare to the wisdom of God. All of our great plans are subject to mistakes and failure;
circumstances change constantly thus affecting the outcome of our plans. As a result we are weighed down
and burdened by our earthly concerns. The author shares simple wisdom that we must ingrain in our
memory bank: if we can’t understand earthly things, we will never understand heavenly things. That is
why God sends the Holy Spirit to lead us and teach us and love us in the ways of God. Do we listen? Do I
spend time each day just sitting with the Lord to review the day and where I saw the Lord and what I heard
from Him through the events and people who passed through that day? He is helping me develop a right
relationship with Him, knowing that it’s only through His gifts and the Spirit that this is possible.
Paul’s letter to Philemon is very unique since it is the only personal letter in the New Testament. It is short
only 24 verses in length. It concerns Onesimus who was a slave who had run away from his master.
Onesimus was converted by Paul who sends him back to his master with this letter asking that he be
welcomed back, not as a slave but as a brother in Christ. Paul is suggesting that love is what each person is
called by Christ to be, but extravagant love is better because it involves being generous with one’s life. This
slave was touched by the love of Christ and relished this love and wanted to share it. This good news
remains worth sharing each and every day of our lives. Are we hindering others from loving? Are we
showing others by our example that love is sacrificing love…not as I will but as it builds up God’s kingdom
on earth? It is not who I am and what each person is; but it’s all about God. Am I a hindrance to this or am
I a merchant of God’s love?
Luke is sharing the journey of Jesus on His last trip to Jerusalem where ultimately He will be killed. This
journey is Jesus’ opportunity to teach His disciples and each of us the demands of being a disciple. Jesus
shares four characteristics of being His follower, it starts with the fundamental demand of being a disciple
which is loyalty. This is a great question to ask ourselves: Am I loyal to Jesus? Am I loyal to the Father
who created me? Am I loyal to the Spirit who gifts me and graces me to be love? We might hesitate with
these questions… a more fundamental example is am I loyal to my parents and family? We would say that
we certainly try to be loyal. Am I loyal to my boss and my work environment? We would say we try to be
because our livelihood depends on this. Am I loyal to my country? We would say yes because that’s what a
citizen is called to be. Well, how about my loyalty to God?
Jesus uses the word “hating” which was a Greek word and it doesn’t carry the connotations nor negative
psychological implications our society understands by this word. Sunday Homily Helps describes it in this
way: “To hate someone infers intense feelings of aversion, loathing, detestation, and abhorrence. In Jesus’ culture of
honor and shame, to hate someone meant to regard them with less esteem, to prefer them less than someone else.
This is the way Jesus chooses to express the demands of discipleship. It demands total and complete focus on the
kingdom of God. Absolute loyalty to Jesus and His mission is required of every disciple. It even surpasses the loyalty
demanded by one’s family.”
The second point has to do with His followers being prepared to endure suffering, Jesus uses the example of
‘carrying one’s cross’ to explain this. Now the practice of crucifixion can be traced to Persia three hundred
years before Jesus’ time. It was a horrible, brutal kind of death and the word ‘cross’ became a metaphor for
painful suffering in any way. To be Jesus’ disciple is to look at Jesus’ end stage, His suffering and death on
the cross. Being a follower of Jesus requires the willingness to suffer as He suffered. Am I a complainer?
Do I offer it up? Do I try to avoid all pain starting with embarrassment and beyond?
Next Jesus uses two examples stating that His followers must be always prepared and ready for whatever
challenging tasks come my way. The point is all of us in undertaking difficult challenges carefully prepare
ourselves for all the demands that are required to be successful. Do I approach being Jesus’ disciple
superficially or am I committed?
Finally Jesus shares that everything, including each and every one of our possessions, and family too, must
take second place to the Kingdom of God. Living the Word shares a wonderful insight: “St. Francis de Sales
taught that taking up one’s cross and following Jesus simply means accepting life as it comes to us. In this way we
imitate Jesus, who did not choose His cross but accepted the one prepared for Him. That’s easier said than done, I
know. But if we take time to unite ourselves to God in prayer each day, we will find God present even in life’s difficulties.
Divine wisdom will boost human wisdom so that God can prosper the work of our hands. Human planning will be
informed by the wisdom of God. Even a control freak can’t control everything and needs God’s guidance. So, pray as if
all depends upon God. It does. Live as if all depends upon you. It does. And take up your cross as Christ’s disciple.”
So I reflect on:
• I look and remember how prayer has helped me find God’s presence in my life difficulties and
challenges.
• When I look at carrying my cross, what has helped to lighten the weight? What has made the burden
greater? Do I experience God’s hand helping me?
• What am I willing or unwilling to sacrifice to be a disciple? What does this tell me?
Sacred Space 2016 shares:
• “‘Take up your cross daily?’ This sounds
manageable until we come to the details. For example, there is no perfect marriage. A good marriage demands huge
homework around compatibility and open communication. Marriage and children are nature’s schooling which selfgiving
is taught to us day after day.
• A celibate life can be considered to cost no less
than everything. The celibate renounces wealth, sex, and power. But in practice there is the danger of sliding into
comfort and selfishness. Lord, may we be guided by You and Your demanding standards. Give us the grace to be
faithful to the calling You have invited us to.”