Role Models

4^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Cycle B

DT 18:15-20

1 Cor 7:32-35

MK 1:21-28

 

We all have many roles to play, don’t we?

We all wear a lot of hats. We are man or woman, husband or wife, parent, child, employee and boss, friend. And then there are they myriad of other roles we take on with our activities, sports, volunteering, organizations we belong to, and oh yes, our faith. It is really hard to juggle them all, isn’t it? It is really hard to separate them and give them each the attention they deserve at any particular moment. Life can seem so out of control at times, and we are pulled in all directions at once. And it doesn’t seem to be getting any better as the world gets smaller and larger at the same time.

Deacons are a strange breed, a mix of the profound and the profane. We are sort of the missing link. We are clergy and we are secular. We are in the world and outside it. We serve as a bridge between the world and the Church. We bring the needs of the world to the Church and we bring the gospel to our everyday lives. And while some would think that is sort of cool – we get the best of all worlds – it can actually be sort of confusing and difficult to pull off.

I often think that priests have it easier, even though they are always on call and might find it difficult to have personal lives. But a priest knows what he is and what his focus is on at all times. He is always a priest, always has a single role to focus him. People always see him as a priest and their expectations of him are based upon that role. I find it difficult oftentimes to know which hat to wear at which time.

I find it easy to focus on my life as deacon when I serve in the liturgy, especially on weekends like this one when I preach and serve at every Mass. At these times I can be single minded and I find I can really concentrate on and enter into the mystery. At these times I feel very close to God and his people. But other times, such as when I am traveling for work or am involved in some important project, it is hard to remember that I am a deacon and keep my eyes on who I really am and should be doing.

Being a deacon shouldn’t be what I do, it should be who I am. Intellectually I understand and believe that this isn’t my part-time job but the overriding purpose of my life, but in practice it’s easy to forget. When I was ordained I was permanently changed, and I committed myself to a life of service. That life and belief should change how I look at all my other roles, especially when it comes to my relationships. I should be a better husband and father, employee and boss, friend and counsellor, because I am a deacon. Most of the time it doesn’t happen. Most of the time I lose sight of who I really am.

You know, you’re no different than me. When you were baptized you were permanently changed, and you were consecrated to a life in Christ. Your faith should change how you look at your other roles, especially when it comes to your relationships. And you should be a better father or mother, husband or wife, child, employee and boss, and friend. And I think most of the time that doesn’t happen for you as well. Most of the time you lose sight of who you really are.

I think that is what St. Paul is talking about today. He is talking about being single minded in the Lord. For some people Paul’s model can work, especially for young people who are beginning to discern their life’s vocation. And it can work well for those who have already chosen to dedicate their lives solely to God, such as priests and religious. Most of us don’t have that luxury. We have been living our lives this way for a long time, and we can’t just jettison our families or our careers without disrupting everything. For us to do so would be worse than maintaining the status quo. But I don’t think Paul is calling everyone to that type of life.

I don’t think Paul is judging which life choices are better or worse than others. He is simply stating the fact that some folks find it easier when their focus is singular. Later on in this same letter Paul gives the Corinthians the analogy of the Body of Christ, where he states that every role in the Church has a necessary function and value. And the end result for all disciples is that, no matter our vocation, everything should be focused on Christ.

Last week we heard St. Mark’s story of the calling of the first apostles along the Sea of Galilee. When Peter and Andrew, James and John were called personally by Jesus they left everything behind and followed him. It seems that they jettisoned their families and careers and all their responsibilities and roles to follow him.

I imagine the reality was a bit different. I think for them it was a bit more like us and our experience. They all lived at the time in Capernaum by the sea. Chances are that was not the first time they had heard of Jesus. It was a small place. And probably they would hang out with Jesus frequently, but still handled their other responsibilities as before while they were close to home. And we don’t know if the apostles had wives and children, and if they were left at home or traveled in the company of the disciples. I can’t imagine that their families were not as captivated by Jesus as they were. The spark of faith that sprang up from the apostles ignited the entire world. Why would it not have started within their own families and among their own friends and associates?

Isn’t it the same with us? We are all called to follow Jesus. That call usually comes through other people. Peter was introduced to Jesus by his brother Andrew. Our faith was introduced to us by our parents as children or through the example and witness of someone we know. Whatever our state in life, we have all been called to live in the Kingdom with our King as the center of our lives.

As with everything in our busy lives, it takes an effort to keep our priorities straight. The difference with our role as disciples is that everything else flows from it. If we focus on Jesus then everything else will fall into line. “Seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” How many times have we heard that, and still we try to organize and control things ourselves, the way we want them? And how many times have we fallen short and have to re-correct our path?

If we treat our discipleship as just another task to check off in our day planner, we will always find ourselves having to rebalance the books. A disciple shouldn’t be what you do, it should be who you are. It is the underlying framework for your entire worldview, that affects all your activities and all your relationships.

Sound difficult? It really isn’t. It’s just a single decision. You decide on who you want to be and how you want to live. No need to micromanage your life. Make the decision and cede control. You decide who is the center of you life – you or God. If you choose yourself all the responsibility and effort is on your shoulders. And all the consequences. If you choose God everything else will fall into place. But you have to trust Him. You have to pray, truly pray, and study, truly study, so you can know, truly know Him, so you can serve, truly serve Him.

 

 

Investment Advice

Investment Advice

33^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Cycle C

A majority of Americans invest money in the financial markets in some way, either through owning stocks directly, through mutual funds, 401k and IRA accounts, company retirement plans, etc. This is usually part of an overall investment strategy, and many people use professional financial planners to help them manage their investments. The most important question investors ask themselves is what are their investment goals. What kind of return do they want to receive on their investments over what period of time, and what level of risk are they willing to assume. Those things determine how much a person should invest and where.

Today we hear the famous parable of the talents. Each servant is given by their master an amount of property to steward while their master is away. The master gives to each according to his abilities. But he never tells them what to do with it. The property is not theirs, it is not even a gift. It remains the master’s. But the servants know that their master is a man who expects a lot of his servants. They know that they are expected to do something with his property, and so, like any good investor, they begin by setting their investment goals. What do they think the master expects as a return?

One servant, the one who had been given the largest amount, invested aggressively. He immediately went out and doubled what had been entrusted to him. The second servant did likewise. They kept their eye on the end goal based upon what they thought the master expected of them. But the third servant, the one who the master had judged to have the least ability, let his fear overcome him and did nothing with what had been entrusted to him. He may have had as much investment savvy as the other two, but he was afraid of failure, and so he played it safe.

What kind of an investor are you? This parable today talks about talents, and we tend to think about talents as abilities today. What are our personal talents that we can contribute to the community. But in Jesus’ time a talent had a monetary value. The talent typically weighed about 75 lb. At today’s price of gold, a talent would be worth over $1.5 million! With that in mind, how would you react if someone suddenly gave you almost $8 million dollars and told you to invest it?

Would you be an aggressive investor, seeking the highest return in the shortest period of time? Would you be a growth investor, looking for a steady, safer return over time? Would you be afraid that you will lose your principal if you invest at all, and so do nothing, conserving what you have? Which type of investor does the Lord seek? Which does he consider to be a good and faithful servant?

As servants of the Lord we are all His stewards. Everything about our existence – who our parents are, which country we were born into, our material goods, the food we eat and the clothes we wear, the very air we breathe and our next heartbeat – are not ours. We did not create them and we did not create ourselves. Everything we have and everything we are is not truly ours. They have been given to us by our creator, and we are expected to do something with them. The master does not tell us how to invest them, but the expectation is that we do something with them, to increase them for the benefit of ourselves and the people of God.

God expects a return on his investment in us. What do you invest in?

You are wonderfully made, and God has created you to be totally unlike any other person the world has ever seen or ever will see. He has made you, you. The human person is the summit of all creation. All the amazing elements of creation, from the smallest atomic particle to the stars themselves, are not made in the image and likeness of their creator. But you are. How do you invest first of all in yourself?

What do you do to increase the talents the master has given you? How do you invest your time? You only have so much of it, do you use it wisely? How much do you waste? How much do you use on busy work or meaningless tasks? How much do you spend in prayer or contemplation? On study? On scripture? On other people?

How do you view your body and how do you take care of it? It seems that society today does not view the human body as being a temple or a gift, but something to exploit. It’s my body and I can do with it what I will. That is true to a certain extent, but what does the master want you to do with it? Is the body simply for pleasure? Is it to be neglected or protected? Is it really yours or is it to be used for the benefit of others? We have been given both body and soul, and both are of equal importance. We should not neglect the body and emphasize our souls, and vice versa.

What of your soul? How often do you even think about your soul? Our souls image God, are connected to God, are one with God. Is your investment strategy for eternal life one of hope, or is it based upon fear of the consequences if you fail? Do you feed your soul or bury it in the ground? Do you look forward with joy to the promise of salvation, or do you just fear going to hell? Do you take advantage of all the gifts God has given you to grow your soul, such as the sacraments, prayer, and your church community? It’s not the mind that’s a terrible thing to waste, it’s the soul.

And what of your mind? How aggressively do you invest in your intellect? What do you read and how do you expand your horizons? Is your entire understanding of the world just what you see on television? Do you think for yourself or just parrot the ideas of others? Do you inform your conscience or do you allow society to do it for you? Did you stop growing and thinking in high school or college? What truly original thought have you had lately?

How do you invest in your family, especially your children? This goes hand-in-hand with investing in your soul. It’s not about you, after all. You grow your soul when you grow the souls of others. How are you stewarding your spouse and your children? We heard in the first reading from Proverbs today that the worthy wife brings her husband good, and not evil, all the days of her life. Obviously, that applies to the husband as well, and to both of them as parents of their children. We have been given each other to steward, to cherish and nourish, with the ultimate reward being eternal life in heaven. How is your family set up to get all of you to heaven, together?

The family is the domestic church, and cannot be separated from the church as a whole. How do you invest in your church? We are not saved alone, but in community. How important is your church in your life? I recall one mother, when signing her children up for religious education classes, declared that her children would miss about half of the classes and class Masses that year due to all the other activities on the calendar. When the teacher commented on her priorities, the mother said that church was about fifth on their priority list. What number is it on your list?

The best way we invest in our church is to come to Mass. The best way to invest our time, in our minds, bodies and souls, is to come to Mass. The best way to invest in our families is to come to Mass. The Mass is the source and summit of who we are as Catholics. We are called as servants to worship our master, and Jesus told us how to do that. Do this in memory of me. If we simply concentrate on the Mass, learn and understand what it truly is, participate fully and actively each and every Sunday, and truly give of ourselves as part of the sacrifice, all our other investments will flow and increase from that. It’s a simple strategy for success.

Jesus said that those who have much will grow rich and those who have little will lose what little they have. This may or may not have referred to wealth, but it does apply to faith. It’s all about the return on investment. If we invest the talents we have been given well they will increase, but if we bury them they will not stay the same, they will wither and eventually die. If you are trustworthy in little things God will entrust you with greater things. You will be that good and faithful servant.

And you will share your Master’s joy.

Aliens

30^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Cycle C

Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away. How many of you have a tradition at your house to invite people to Thanksgiving dinner who don’t have family or friends here? We always seem to have a place for someone who was planning on spending the holiday alone. We like having new and different people at our table. We don’t do it out of pity or some sense of obligation. We want to share the joy of the day with others, no matter who they are. Usually the invitation is given at the spur of the moment. You don’t have plans for Thanksgiving? Then why not come over to our house? At first the opportunities just came up every year, but now it’s sort of a tradition, and we actively think of people we can invite.

I guess part of it is that we don’t want people to be unhappy, and to us, spending a holiday like Thanksgiving alone would make us unhappy. Maybe some folks like to be alone on Thanksgiving. Maybe being without family or friends at that time brings up painful memories of a loss or of a broken relationship. Maybe they are estranged from their families or have had bad experiences around the dinner table. I never think of those things. Doesn’t matter. I usually just jump in and invite anyone who will come.

To me and my family that’s hospitality. It’s hard to nail down the definition of hospitality. Part of it is cultural, I guess. I grew up with lots of different people around the dinner table. I was raised to believe that it is better to give than to receive. And, I basically just like people. But is it more than that? Is hospitality a matter of faith or just a social construct?

To the people of the ancient Near East, at the time the book of Exodus was written, hospitality was more than a cultural thing, it was often a matter of life and death. Recall the story of Abraham, who was sitting in the entrance to his tent one day when three strangers approached. Abraham jumped up, greeted them heartily, and insisted they stay for a meal. He treated them as important people. He killed some goats and prepared a big meal for them, after ushering them into his tent where it was cool. Turns out they were angels, and they told Abraham in return for his hospitality his wife would bear a son in her old age. Who knew?

In the desert, food and water was in short supply. They were wandering Bedouins, and oftentimes the only way you would eat that day is if you came upon another wanderer who gave you some food. Hospitality was necessary for survival, and people gave it without question, because they knew that someday they themselves would have to rely on the hospitality of someone else.

What does it mean to love your neighbor as yourself? Is it as simple as extending hospitality to one another? In scripture, God talks a lot about reciprocity. Love your neighbor as yourself. You will be forgiven to the extent that you forgive. Welcome the alien because you were once aliens. Abuse the widows and orphans and I will make your wife a widow and your children orphans. That whole Golden Rule thing is about getting what you give, in similar proportions. Treat people as you want to be treated. And there seems to be a built-in quid pro quo. We do it because we want to receive something in return. But is that really love?

Do we extend hospitality because someday we want to receive it? Is that how it should be?

Remember the story of the Good Samaritan? St. Luke has this same story in his gospel, but it is not the Pharisees who were questioning Jesus but a righteous man. Remember that the man wanted to justify himself, so he asked snarkily “But who is my neighbor?” Jesus answered him with the parable of the Good Samaritan. The Samaritan extended compassion and mercy to the man beaten by robbers without asking who he was, or what tribe he belonged to, or what his politics were or how much money he had. He didn’t help him expecting to ever be repaid. He offered hospitality even though he knew he probably would never need the same help himself. Jesus said that is what a true neighbor is. 

We heard in our first reading today from the Book of Exodus, “You shall not molest or oppress an alien, for you were once aliens in the land of Egypt.” We talk a lot about aliens in this country these days, don’t we? And there are strong feelings on each side, each with valid points of view. If hospitality is just a social construct, then it is easy to look at the quid pro quo of immigration, legal or illegal. We must protect our borders. We can’t keep on spending so many resources on people who are here without permission. We need to concentrate on our own people first. We can’t just open the door to everyone. Valid arguments.

But if hospitality is a matter of faith, what are we called to do? How did Jesus offer hospitality? Did he ever discriminate against anyone who came to him? Jesus never rejected anyone who wanted to follow him, even though he was often rejected himself. He offered lifegiving water to the Samaritan women at the well. He invited himself to dinner at the home of Zacchaeus the tax collector. He forgave Peter his betrayal. He spoke in parables of the absurd generosity of the Father.

Jesus offered hospitality to everyone because of the way he viewed them. He saw each and every person as being special, as having an inherent dignity just because God had created them. Every person created is a reflection of the Creator. Every person images God, and so has God within him or her.

If God showed up at your door on Thanksgiving, would you let him in? Would you notice his race, look at the way he is dressed, how well groomed he is, determine his social status? Would you ask yourself what God could give you in return if you let him in? Or would you welcome him in just because he is who he is?

The hospitality of faith transcends all the complicated social, political, economic and racial arguments, and narrows the criteria for acceptance down to one simple reality – your neighbor really is yourself. If God has offered you his hospitality just because you are his son or daughter, you must do the same, because we are all His sons and daughters. All that matters is that God made you. And he made us all for himself.

God shows us the ultimate hospitality. He shows us the ultimate dignity. He dignified humanity to the point of becoming human himself. He showed the value of every human life by dying on the cross for each and every human being ever created. He showed the value of the lowest of the low – he was condemned to a traitor’s death – in his very self. It was when he was brought low that he was raised up high.

The hospitality of faith and the hospitality of society are not exclusive of one another, but build on each other. Social mores and laws are necessary for the survival of our culture. But as we determine what they are to be, we, as Christians, must begin with the reality that each and every human being has inherent dignity because we are Children of God. It is not quid pro quo. It is just because.

We don’t create just laws because of what we will get in return. We don’t decide how to treat other people based upon what they can or cannot contribute to us or to society. Who are we to decide the worthiness of another person’s life? Jesus Christ has already settled that on the cross. We create just laws because they are just. Because God is just.

And it goes beyond laws and social norms. It goes to all our relationships. The alien is anyone who is different from us. Aliens are treated with suspicion. Aliens are not part of us. They can be scary. They can force us out of our comfort zones to perhaps take a different look at ourselves.

Aliens disagree with you. Aliens belong to a different political party. Aliens belong to a different religious group, or hold no religious beliefs at all. Aliens have physical or mental disabilities. Aliens have tattoos and piercings. Aliens are the old and frail who can no longer contribute to society. Aliens are the inconvenient unborn in the womb. Aliens are conservative, aliens are progressive. Aliens are older than you. Aliens are younger than you. Aliens have less money than you. Aliens have more money than you.

You are an alien, and I am an alien. And together, we are wonderfully made.