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2008 A / 33rd Ordinary

Father Kevin J Forsyth

“Concerning Times and Seasons” ©

 

          “Concerning times and seasons,” says Paul, “you know very well that the day of the Lord will come.”  Having already addressed the question of what happens to those already dead when Christ returns in His glory, Paul now turns his attention to those who are still living – those who will be alive to witness the great and glorious second coming of the Savior of the world.  The Thessalonians had apparently raised the question of the date of the Lord’s return and such a concern has been common ever since - everybody wants to know or thinks they know!  Jehovah Witnesses have set the date for the Lord’s return as December 21, 2012.  Paul simply responds as Jesus Himself responded: we can’t know.  The Day of the Lord will come when we least expect it.  It seems to me if you’re expecting it on a certain date, it won’t happen.  It will happen when it happens.  The coming of the Lord will be as sudden as the onset of labor pains and as unexpected as the thief in the night.

 

          Believers however, need not worry for they are already living in the light of Christ.  They are not wandering about in darkness but are aware that the Kingdom is already “at hand” - present in the world: present in the Church – in the living Body of Christ.  Those freely choosing to live in sin are in the darkness and under the influence of evil powers.  Christians - those baptized and truly living in Christ - have been freed from that dark realm, and thus are already anticipating “the day of the Lord.”  We merely need to stay alert, alive in faith, and attentive to the Lord, and sober! 

 

          While we await the coming of the Lord we are entrusted with responsibilities according to our God given gifts or “talents.”  We, the Church, are the Bride of Christ and our Bridegroom desires that we be as worthy as the wife described in the Book of Proverbs, a woman of such great value and dependability that her husband is completely trusting of her, having entrusted to her his heart – the greatest of all gifts.

 

          I realize that heightened sensitivity about gender issues in this 21st century make it difficult for some people to truly appreciate this beautiful passage from Proverbs.  The opening lines speak of a “worthy” wife and her “value” to her husband, which may lead some people to dismiss the praise of this good woman.  This is one of those cases where understanding the correct context of the reading is vitally important.

 

          Proverbs begins with a depiction of wisdom personified - as a woman.  Wisdom is an attribute of God, to be sought by every person, male or female, who wants to attain true happiness, honor and wealth – in this life!  That’s right, wealth!  Seek wisdom first and attain wealth!  Most people try doing it in reverse.  Try it the Biblical way and you just might be surprised.  Seek God and His wisdom first!

 

          This portrait of a woman at the end of Proverbs stands as a summary of the whole book, depicting a woman who has embraced wisdom in daily life.  The woman portrayed in this poem is no shrinking violet “standing by her man” but a strong and resourceful woman who manages her household efficiently and profitably and who extends her care beyond the hearth - to the poor and the needy in her community.  She may not be a woman who “has it all” but she is a woman who “does it all.”

 

          We are presented with only a small part of this magnificent poem from the Book of Proverbs.  The entire poem is 22 verses long and it might be well worth our effort to read it in its entirety.  For this woman displays remarkable energy and initiative as a businesswoman as well as a household manager.  Written at least 2,500 years ago, this Book holds this woman up in high regard as an example of how worthy women are!  Think about the culture of that time and the low standing women had in that culture.  The Wisdom of God is saying this woman is how it should be!  Incredible for its time!

 

          In Hebrew, she is described as a “woman of power” and a “woman of wealth.”  We’re told she buys land and works it herself, profiting from her own labors.  Just like that commercial from the ‘70’s, she “works hard for the bacon and fries it up in the pan.”  Yet, like every Scripture reading, this text reflects its own time and customs.  The tasks this woman undertakes and her relationship to her husband may not match the experience of most women today, but there is an enduring value to this portrait of wisdom personified.  Like two of the servants in today’s Gospel, she used well the “talents” that God gave her.

 

          In the Gospel, the Lord’s use of the word “talent” is ingenious.  A “talent” was a coin – money – worth about one thousand dollars.  But the word “talent” also means “ability.”  So, on the surface it might seem as if Jesus is speaking about money but rest assured He’s not.  It might also seem as if Jesus is speaking about our “gifts,” our “talents,” our personal abilities.  Ah but, maybe He’s not.  Just like we’ve done with other parables, we might have to dig deeper for the real meaning.

 

          It is certainly legitimate to apply this parable to our own lives as a call from Christ to make good use of whatever God has given us.  That’s just good stewardship.  The important thing is not how many gifts or talents we have been entrusted with; the important thing is what we do with the gifts we have been given.  We are competent, capable creations of a loving God.  The responsibility though for how well we grow is our own.  It is important to remember that this is not just a general story about personal growth and development: that we are given something and we make more of it.  Like the old saying, “What we are is God’s gift to us, what we make of ourselves is our gift to God.”  That holds true in any time and place.

 

          However, this parable speaks of gifts and talents that are to be used for the building up the Kingdom of God, not our own kingdoms; not a personal development, but a corporate development.  The “talents” which God gives us may not refer to our natural abilities but rather refer to the gifts of grace, redemption, and the love of God.  It is these gifts we are to use and develop.  For example, seeing love as a gift entrusted to us makes sense of the comment at the end of the Gospel that those who have will gain even more.  Love grows only by being shared, not by hoarding it – by burying it in the ground.  When love is shared, love is returned- ten, twenty, and even a hundred-fold.

 

          In the Gospel today, we found a Master who entrusted his servants with various responsibilities and that not all of those servants proved to be worthy of their Master’s trust.  Remember the third servant?  “I knew you were a demanding person.  So out of fear…”  You did notice he blamed the Master for burying his talent in the ground and not doing what he could have done.  The first two servants took personal responsibility and did what was expected of them.  Not the third one.  He took no personal responsibility and ended up playing the “Blame Game.”  “I knew you were a demanding person.  It’s your fault.” 

 

          I wonder if that’s a reliable statistic – one out of three people will pass the buck and blame someone else for their own thoughts and actions – for what they have done and what they have failed to do.  What do you say that in this 21st century we end the “Blame Game” started in the Garden of Eden by Adam when he blamed Eve for giving him the fruit he wasn’t supposed to eat and then Eve blaming the serpent for tricking her into eating it.  Let’s end the “Blame Game” and start taking personal responsibility for what we say and what we do.  The Buck Stops Here!

 

          Let us pray that we become “good stewards” of God’s many gifts to us, both personal and corporate, especially His enduring gifts of faith, hope, and love.  And on that great Day of the Lord – whenever it happens – (and I guarantee you it won’t be December 21, 2012), and on that day may we be judged worthy in small matters and entrusted with even greater as well. 

 

          There’s an interview program on the Bravo network hosted by James Lipton.  At the end of every interview, he asks his quests the same 4 questions including “If there is a heaven, what do you want to hear God say to you when you enter?”  In the decade I’ve been watching, no one has yet to give the Biblical answer.   According to Jesus, in today’s Gospel, it’s what we all should want to hear: “Well done good and faithful servant.  Come; share your Master’s joy.”

 

          And when you get there, if you hear Christ begin to say anything else - duck!

 

 

2008 A / Feast of the Lateran Basilica of Saint John the Baptist

Father Kevin J Forsyth

“Zeal for God’s House” ©

 

          “Zeal for your house will consume me.”  John writes that the Lord’s disciples recall those words from Psalm 69 as they stand by and watch Jesus overturn tables, spill coins, and drive out of the Temple - the moneychangers, the merchants and their sheep and oxen - with a whip made of cords reminiscent of a cowboy from the old wild west.  (Sound effect)  This is not normal behavior for Jesus.  Is the Lord having a really bad day?  And do the members of our Ladies Guild selling raffle tickets in the vestibule this weekend need fear receiving the same treatment?  (Sound effect again)  Stay tuned!

 

          Today the Church celebrates the anniversary of the dedication of the Lateran Basilica of Saint John the Baptist, built on land donated by the Laterani family.  The original basilica in Rome was dedicated on November 9th in the year 324.  I say original because the basilica now standing on the site is not the original; in fact, the basilica has been rebuilt several times over the last 1700 years.  That’s not unusual: the present Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome was rebuilt in the 15 and 1600’s because the magnificent structure erected by the Roman Emperor Constantine was in danger of collapsing. 

 

          The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem have also both been rebuilt.  Even the White House was completely gutted and rebuilt during the Truman Administration.  Buildings don’t last forever.  People don’t either, yet Saint Paul calls us “God’s building” and the temple of God.”  Just as God’s presence dwells in His Temple in Jerusalem, God’s Spirit dwells in us, and we should treat each other and ourselves with the dignity and respect due those ‘temples.’

 

          But why do we celebrate this feast of the Lateran Basilica of Saint John the Baptist?  The significance of this Basilica for Christians and for Christianity is profound.  It was the Roman Emperor Constantine, who reigned from 306 to 337, who himself converted to Christianity and brought the whole Roman Empire with him - bringing an end to an era of organized and intensive persecution of Christians.  To celebrate today’s feast is to celebrate the freedom of the early Christian church and indeed, the freedom to worship wherever the Church exists today.  We also celebrate our oneness with Christians everywhere as we recall the dedication of that Church building nearly seventeen centuries ago; a building where a spirit of freedom took root, so that all Christians could worship openly and without fear of, well, an early form of terrorism.

 

          So it is not so much a particular building we venerate today, nor a particular people, but a spirit of freedom that was born – a freedom to worship without fear.  As Paul reminds us that we are “God’s building,” it is the presence of believers in every time and place who impart the faith and continue the legacy that was built upon the solid foundation of Jesus Christ and His first disciples. 

 

          Even while Paul reminds us of who we are and what we accomplish, he does recognize that divisions can and do exist in the corporate church and these divisions must be reconciled and healed or they will weaken the structure of God’s temple.  Paul tells us to remember our oneness in Christ and avoid splitting hairs in elaborate and contentious arguments about Christian life and practice.  Get along with each other and treat one another with the dignity of being “temples of the Holy Spirit.”  For Paul, that is the “given,” or the starting point, not the end or the goal. 

 

          But what about Jesus and the anger He exhibits in today’s Gospel?  What’s that all about?  Is it the fact that there are money-changers in the Temple area?  No, they were serving a necessary function, exchanging Roman or Greek coins for the coins accepted in the Temple.  Was it the presence of merchants and the sale of animals?  No, these were used for sacrificial offerings.  (Thank God animal sacrifice has ended!)  John tells us this ‘disturbance’ happened near the Passover Feast.  There would have been thousands of pilgrims in the city for the feast, all wanting to visit the temple and offer sacrifice.  For this, the money-changers and animal merchants were needed.  So then, what’s the big deal?

 

          From sources other than the Gospel accounts, we learn that the money-changers were notorious thieves, exchanging coins at exorbitant rates, taking advantage of the poor who could do little in protest.  We’ve all heard, “money talks,” and the poor had so little of it; they had no voice.  What outraged Jesus was this exploitation of the poor took place in a sacred place - God’s Temple - where one would expect to find the highest regard for the poor, for honesty and integrity.  The Lord’s anger seems more than justified; it is appropriate. A modern-day example similar to this idea is the standard held today, regarding the recent pedophilia crisis we all experienced.  People do have higher expectations of the Church and her clergy when it comes to the safety and the protection of her children.  It is a disgrace from which our Church is still recovering.

 

          For our ‘edification’ today on this feast of the ‘dedication’ of the Lateran Basilica, the story of the cleansing of the temple reminds us of the nature of our churches as sacred places where members of the household of God can safely assemble in mutual respect to celebrate the presence and the life of the Risen Christ.  It is our home away from home.

 

          In eleven days - on November 20th - we will mark the 25th anniversary of the dedication of this sacred place.  Built on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ – and with a natural brook running beneath it, (similar to the one under the Temple Ezekiel spoke about in today’s 1st reading) – we remember the sacrifices of so many Catholics who built this sacred place and have now passed on to their eternal reward – many of whose names I’m sure are inscribed on the All Souls envelopes on the Altar.  And we also recall the continuing sacrifices of many of the original parishioners who are still with us, and of members of a new generation - like me - who have joined this parish long after the original tent collapsed.  For who among us is not reminded of these things when hearing Paul’s words today, “Like a wise master builder I laid a foundation and another is building upon it.  Each member must be careful how he builds upon it.”

          Just as the people of the Lateran Basilica in Rome are doing today, we continue to build upon the foundation of faith dedicated here 25 years ago.  Each one of us must be careful as we continue the building process; careful to treasure who and what has come before us, and careful to teach, preach, and live as Christ has taught us, treasuring each other as “living stones,” precious in God’s eyes, and holy.

 

          In 11 days, we will celebrate our 25th anniversary milestone with a Buffet Dinner at the Continental Room, honoring Father Vito DeCarolis, the pastor under whose watchful care this edifice was built. It’s the strangest way I’ve ever ended a homily but … tickets for $10 each are on sale this weekend and next weekend only.  I hope as many of you as possible can join us, especially those who were here with Father DeCarolis during the building of this holy place. 

 

          Here’s to our first 25 years and may God grant us many more years to come!

 

Announcements:

          Members of the Ladies Guild are in the vestibule today selling tickets for their Holiday Baskets raffle.  And in answer to the question I asked in the homily about whether or not they might be in for a whipping (sound effect): No!  As long as they give you the correct amount of ticket you purchase and the right change.

 

 

2008 A / All Souls Day & Mass of Remembrance

Father Kevin J Forsyth

“The Purification of All Souls” ©

 

          “Why do you search for the living among the dead?  He is not here.”  Those were the words of the angel to the women who came to anoint the Body of Jesus early in the morning that first Easter Sunday.  “He is not here.”

 

          Many people visit the graves of their loved ones – on Easter Sunday, on birthdays and anniversaries of their deaths, and on … All Souls Day.  I have to tell you though, like the angel told the women – they are not there.  Oh, their bodies are; their remains as we call them, but what we knew best about them – their soul, their spirit, their personality, their uniqueness – what is was that made them who they were - and still arethat is not there.  It has gone - gone on to a better place.  Actually, the best place there is: heaven, paradise, the kingdom; whatever word or metaphor we might use to describe it - a place of eternal light, happiness and peace.

 

          We who enjoy faith in Christ Jesus know we will one day join Him in His Kingdom.  What we are not sure about is when.  And I don’t just mean the when of our death; I mean the when of our entrance into His Kingdom after our death.  Some people believe that entrance into His Kingdom is immediate and automatic.  Is it?  Do we go from here to there in an instant?  Or is there some kind of … delay?

 

          The Church has taught what both the Old and New Testaments teach – what Jesus teaches in the Gospels: for those people without sin, the entrance is pretty swift.  I’ll bet you dollars to donuts (mmmm donuts) that Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II wasted no time entering paradise.  For those, however, who die with the stain of sin on their souls, the entrance takes a bit longer, as these souls first need to be purified before entering the presence of Almighty God.

 

          Purgatory: probably thee most misunderstood teaching of the Catholic Church.  I’ll never forget the first episode of the television series called “Desperate Housewives.”  In it, a mother of 2 twin boys, who apparently spend much of their day testing their mother’s patience, spins around, squats down to their level, pulls out a piece of paper from her, well, you know, and threatens her boys by saying, “You see this paper.  On it is the telephone number of Santa Claus.  If you two don’t behave, I’m going to call him and tell him not to stop here this year.”  Well it worked.  Will it work when the boys are 21?  No way.  They would have grown up.  My friends, when it comes to purgatory, it’s time for all of us to grow up.  Whatever we learned in grammar school or CCD classes as a child, or think we learned, (and our adult memories may not be as good as our childhood imaginations were), we, as adults may have to revisit this mysterious ‘place.’  And there’s no better time to do so than on … All Soul’s Day.

 

          First of all, purgatory is not really a ‘place.’  It’s an experience of cleansing.  The root word of purgatory is “to purge” meaning ‘to purify.’  Webster calls it, “an intermediate state or condition after death for expiatory purification.”  Listen to what Pope John Paul II wrote about purgatory in the Catholic Catechism:

 

          He wrote: it’s the “final purification.  All who die in God’s grace and friendship are indeed assured of their eternal salvation, but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.  The Church gives the name ‘purgatory’ to this final purification.”  Ah, the Church gave it this name.  That’s why this English word – purgatory- isn’t in the Bible – a book of documents written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.  Other English words not in the Bible are Lent, Easter, Christmas & Trinity.  The Pope continued, “Purgatory is entirely different from the punishment of the damned, “hell.”  The Church formulated her doctrine on Purgatory by reference to certain texts of Scripture which speak of a cleansing fire.”

 

          Through the miracle of modern science, people who have clinically died and have been brought back to this life again, have all spoken of, or written about, their life after death experiences.  Regardless of religion, they all shared many experiences in common including: an enormous tunnel in which people they knew and people they did not know, were all moving towards a bright light at one end of this tunnel.  In the Gospel of John, Jesus clearly states, “I am the light.”  It is the Church’s belief, echoed in Eucharistic Prayer 2, that Christ is that Light at the end of this “tunnel.” 

 

          Again, in John’s Gospel, Jesus said, “no one goes to the Father except through me.”  Everyone, all God’s children, must go through Christ, whether they know it or not, whether they believe it or not.  If they want to go to heaven, they must go through Christ to get there.  What then is the advantage for us?  We know the truth!  The truth that sets us free!  Free from fear – “blessed assurance!”  The lighted Paschal Candle, the symbol of the Risen Christ, stands up front today as a reminder to us that Christ is that Light to which and through which we will all journey.

 

          People who have shared this tunnel experience have all said that it was a very cleansing experience, as if they were being ‘washed cleaned’ with each and every step they took towards the Light.  Well, that sure sounds like ‘purgatory’ to me.  I often teach children it’s like a shower for the soul.  The only difference is, and I think this is where the confusion lies, water is not the cleansing agent, fire is: the fire of the Holy Spirit.  And that fire is not at all like the fire we experience here on earth.

 

          God’s fire, the fire of the Holy Spirit purifies.  It does not burn, hurt or destroy.  The fire of the Holy Spirit is the fire of the burning bush on Mount Sinai not consumed.  It is the fire into which seven Old Testament brothers were thrown, but not incinerated.  Instead, their torturer cried out, “Look!  They’re dancing!  And there appears to be with them one who looks like a Son of God.”  (I wonder who that could be!)  Again, this is Old Testament.  One example from the New Testament: It is the fire of the Holy Spirit which descends like tongues of flame upon the Apostles – and Mary – at that First Pentecost, empowering them for a new life in Christ!

 

          People who have experienced this tunnel have all said that it was thee most beautiful experience of their lives.  No one ever really wanted to come back here.  And there is no chance at all that anyone could ever head to that other place: a soul in purgatory has already made a fundamental choice for God and can never be lost.  Purgatory is not for those are going to hell.  Purgatory is for those who are being cleansed for God.  The devil wants us as dirty as we can get!

 

          I think the confusion came from the Middle Ages - from a people who clearly didn’t understand the difference between earthly fire and fire of the Holy Spirit.  I hope we enlightened minds of the 21st century do understand.  And if you still don’t, ask any charismatic or Pentecostal.  They’ll tell you all about the fire of the Holy Spirit!

 

          Having said all this, we might logically ask, “Where are the souls of our loved ones now?”  Are they still in the tunnel of purgatory?  How long does this experience last?  Well, I don’t know but I’d guess that would depend on how dirty a person was – how much cleansing he or she needs.  All I can tell you is this: Jesus has but one full time job: as Savior of the World – and He’s really good at it.  If it takes just a few moments in a Confessional for our sins to be forgiven, why should anyone assume that it would take any longer for Christ to cleanse our souls of sin in this experience of purification the Church calls Purgatory?  Again, Jesus is really good at His job as Savior.  Cooperate with Christ and let Him do His job!  How?  Repent, that is, admit sin, and be cleansed.  That’s an important key – we must repent by taking personal responsibility for our sins and by making restitution in this life.  If we don’t make amends here, the time we spend in purgatory will last far longer than it has to. 

 

          It should surprise no one that the Bible is now on computer.  Someone a while back typed into the computer phrases like “be not afraid,” “you have nothing to fear,” “take courage;” all those kinds of related phrases – they all basically mean the same thing.  He discovered that, in both the Old and New Testaments combined, those phrases appeared a total of 365 times – once for every day of the year.  Do you think that’s a coincidence?  That’s what non-believers say.  Believers call it a God-incidence!  Something God planned all along.  And do you suppose God is trying to tell us something, and has been trying to tell us for a very long time?  “Be not afraid.”  “You have nothing to fear.”  “God is love, and they who abide in love, abide in God and God in them,” now and forever.

 

          In memory of our loved ones who have died, many of us do visit cemeteries and place flowers on their graves.  Some light candles by their portraits at home.  [At today’s 4:15 Mass,] or [In a few moments,] we will light the candles in front of the altar in memory of the 34 parishioners who died since last All Souls Day.  While doing all these things, we remember how they made us laugh and cry, assisted us in times of trial, celebrated with us in time of triumph, sometimes tested our patience while helping us to appreciate the mystery that is each human life as a unique reflection of our Creator.  And so we hope and pray for our final reunion with them.

 

          Saint Bernard once wrote this to a dying friend, “I can never lose someone whom I have loved, someone to whom my soul cleaves so firmly that it can never be separated, does not go away, but only goes before.  Be mindful of me when you come to where I shall follow you.”  In remembering our “dearly departed” we also remember that they have not gone ‘away,’ they have only gone ‘before’ – “gone before us marked with the sign of faith” to a place where we hope to follow.  And if you’ll like your final journey to God to be as short as humanly possible, step into any confessional once in a while, get rid of the sins now, make amends, and later travel as lightly and as swiftly as if … “on eagle’s wings.”

 

 

2008 A / 30th Ordinary

Father Kevin J Forsyth

Seeing God In Our Neighbors ©

 

          “When the Pharisees heard that Jesus has silenced the Sadducees, they …” well, I guess they figured it was their turn to be silenced!  A scholar of the law tests Jesus by asking which commandment in the law is the greatest.  This question was frequently debated among the Pharisees.  It might seem a silly question to us - wouldn’t the greatest be the first?  What is the first commandment?  “I am the Lord your God you shall have no other Gods.”  Is that what Jesus said was the first?  No, Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”  That’s not the number one Moses gave us!  How about number two?  What is it?  “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.”  Now, the name of God the Father is “Yahweh.”  Orthodox Jews regard the name “Yahweh” as so sacred they will not even use it in prayer or worship.  Most Jews though do use God’s Name for prayer and worship.  We used to use it in sacred song until a few weeks ago when Pope Benedict directed that we may not use it anymore in prayer, worship or song.  But, I digress, is that the second commandment Jesus gave us?  Nope, He said number two is, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  What’s going on here?  Is Jesus unaware of the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses?

 

          Jewish law – the Torah – had 613 distinct and separate commands called “precepts of the law.”  248 of the 613 were positive, as in “You shall … do this.” 365 of the 613 were negative, as in “You shall not … do that.”  What Moses brought down from Mount Sinai were the “top ten.” * The Jews had a command or precept to guide almost every waking moment of their lives.  Keeping up with these 613 precepts would have been hard for a rabbi, let alone a regular “Joe the Plumber” in the pew.  With so many to remember and obey, people were bound to wonder, “Are they all equally as important or can we let a few of them slide by the wayside? 

 

          So the question posed to Jesus is even tougher than we first imagined.  What commandment, out of 613 of them, is the greatest?  This is an almost unanswerable question.  If Jesus were to single out any one commandment, He would violate the belief that, since all of them came from God, they all had equal importance.  Jesus responds, not with a commandment, but with a summation.  Brilliant!  The question came from a lawyer – they were used to “summations,” so Jesus gives them one!

 

          Jesus knows His Scripture and wastes no time is responding.  He reaches back into the Book of Deuteronomy, (chapter 6, verse 5) and responds “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”  This quote was very familiar to the Jews.  It was part of their daily prayers called the “Schema.”  Then Jesus reaches back into Leviticus, (chapter 19, verse 18) and adds, “The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  ‘Like it’ in this regard means ‘equal to it.’  Jesus presents a kind of scale: a weight suspended by two ropes.  If one breaks, the other will as well.  “The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” 

          “Depends on them:” Our passage ends at that point, but a question remains in my mind: Did the Lord’s answer silence the Pharisees as He had earlier silenced the Sadducees?  I looked in my Bible but no clue was given.  We are left to speculate.  Since no one uttered another word, we might speculate that ‘yes,’ Jesus once again leaves his opposition silenced in the dust!  How about us?  Are we “silenced” as we wonder if we “fit the bill?”  Do we love our neighbor as ourselves? Do we love God with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength?  These four words are used to express ‘our whole being.’

 

          We all know what these words mean in everyday life: a father shouts to his son on the basketball court to “put a little heart into it.”  A Broadway tune proclaims “you gotta have heart.”  Heart means enthusiasm, feeling, compassion, generosity.  We have “soul music,” or someone is the “soul of kindness.”  Soul means life, spirit, and breath.  Our mind is something we make up … or lose!  Mind is our intention, awareness, purpose, decision.  And finally, our strength is our power, or ability: “He has the strength of ten men,” or the weight of two men!

          Jesus uses these four attributes of the human condition to express our ‘whole being.’  In summing up 613 precepts into 2, Jesus does not cancel the “old law.”  Elsewhere He said, “I have not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it.”  His fulfillment of the law, indeed our fulfillment of the law requires that every aspect of our lives - heart, soul, mind and strength - be directed toward God and in turn toward our neighbor, in whom God also resides.  Everything we say and do should somehow be connected to fulfilling both these equal commands.  For Jesus, these two commands cannot be separated.

          Today’s passage from Exodus is timely as it deals with our treatment of neighbors, especially immigrants, widows and orphans.  These three were and are the most defenseless in society.  How we treat them is very revealing about our ‘character,’ both as individuals and as a nation.  We learn in Exodus that God has a special love for them and offers them exceptional protection.  “You shall not wrong any widow or orphan.  If you ever wrong them and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry.  My wrath will flare up and I will kill you with the sword.”  Yikes!  Having a bad day Lord?  Or maybe we ought to take Him at His Word!  God commands His people to never take wrong His ‘blessed poor.’

          Scripture instructs that we are all made in the image and likeness of God.  God has made a mold of Himself and each one of us is cast from that mold.  Yet, it is a most unique mold as no two individuals are exactly alike.  Our challenge in loving God and neighbor is to recognize the image of God in each other.  Clearly, we would like to think that we do love God, but as Jesus explains, if we fail to love our neighbor, then we fail to love God present within that neighbor.  The scales tip – and maybe even falls.

          Seeing God in one another is a tall order; much easier said than done.  Maybe we need to remember that the Lord’s brilliant summation came from the Schema – the Jewish daily prayer, and that we need to pray.  Who knows?  Praying for our neighbors just might be the first step toward seeing God in our neighbors.

 

 

Sunday October 19, 2008

A Prelude to the Homily:

 

          You’ve a lot of paperwork to take home with you today: we’ve got the bulletin, then a supplement to the bulletin, and then an insert to the supplement, and at the exits, a pamphlet.  I’ll be so happy when this election is over!

          First, the initial 4-page supplement includes a letter from the Archbishop asking us to look at all the issues carefully and let our informed conscience be our guide as regards who gets our vote.  On page 4 of the supplement are the responses (or lack thereof) from those candidates from our geographical area.  I’ve been told the listing from our district is incorrect (it figures) as the candidate is Tamath Rossi. 

          The insert to the supplement is the statement from all of the Catholic Bishops in Connecticut asking us to vote YES to a Constitutional Convention and the right of referendum on Election Day. 

          And as you leave, you can take this pamphlet entitled “In the Voting Booth: A Catholic’s Guide.”  In it you’ll read why we should vote; that the Church does not tell us who to vote for; that while we, as Church, are not single-issue voters, there are some issues that are more important than others; and the 4 steps we need to take before stepping into a voting booth in 2 weeks.  It’s a very well written, fair and balanced pamphlet.  That’s why I chose it from among a dozen available.

          Just one personal note: there’s a misleading commercial on television – surprise, surprise – who would have guessed!  The Commercial states Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is against a Constitution Convention because, if we have one, it will be dominated by special interests.  Well, that’s a ludicrous point since that’s exactly what a Constitutional Convention deals with – the special interests/issues that have not come up in the past!

          You certainly don’t have a Constitutional Convention to review the status quo!  So, don’t be misled by that ridiculous commercial.  Having a Constitutional Convention would be great to have, if only for the opportunity for our schools to teach the kids about it - as it happens. 

          Besides, what are the politicians afraid of anyway?  The truth?  Or perhaps more work!  It will bring additional work for them.  What do you say we put them to work!

 

 

2008 A / 29th Ordinary Sunday

Father Kevin J Forsyth

“When Will We Learn?” ©

 

          “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”  This has been one of the Bible passages used by the Church over the last 2,000 years to gently encourage parishioners to place into the collection basket what God is due, but it’s really not about money.  Oh, I wish I could say it is about money, but it’s not; or at least only money.  “Repay to God what belongs to God.”  That statement begs the question, “Just what belongs to God?”

          In the Gospel, some Jewish leaders attempt to trap Jesus and thus discredit Him.  When will they learn?  The nature of a verbal trap was to ask an opponent a question in such a way that no matter what the response was, the answer will be wrong.  I think my mom used to do the same thing!  The Pharisees are in the lead here and they attempt to charm Jesus by faking deep respect and admiration for Him as a sincere, honest and truthful teacher.  Don’t worry; Jesus sees right through them!  When will they learn?

          The question posed to Jesus reflects a very controversial issue in first-century Palestine: Should Jews pay taxes to the Roman government?  The Pharisees opposed such payment as being against God’s law.  The Herodians, who were Jewish supporters of Herod and allies with Rome (“traitors”), supported paying taxes to the Roman government.  If Jesus says that paying taxes to Rome is permissible, He will be accused by the Pharisees of violating God’s law.  If Jesus says that paying taxes to Rome is forbidden, He will be accused of violating Roman law.  Either way, Jesus loses, but not for long.  When will they learn?

          The Lord response is quite clever to this “church verses state” issue.  He asks for a coin.  Interestingly, when he does, the Pharisees immediately produce a Roman coin!  Obviously the Pharisees do not shun any economic advantages made possible by using Roman coins regardless of the religious implications.  This makes them … hypocrites!  Notice Jesus is a gentleman and does not point out their hypocrisy.  Besides, there are bigger fish to fry at the moment.  An easy question is answered: it is Caesar’s head and inscription on the coin.  “Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”

          The traditional interpretation is that the state has legitimate rights and God has legitimate rights and both must be met.  That is hardly an amazing or even ‘clever’ response.  It’s simply supporting the status quo and Jesus regularly opposed the status quo.  But if you recall, I did only moments ago say the Lord’s  response was clever.  To uncover the cleverness of it, we have to dig a bit deeper.  Get out the shovels!

          Based on God’s law and the nature of creation, everything in heaven and on earth belongs to God.  In relation to God, humans have no right to make demands on one another.  Therefore, Jesus is saying that what belongs to Caesar is absolutely … nothing!  Everything belongs to God.  The ball is now in the Pharisees’ court.  It is also in our court too, or should I say our court system.  This “church verses state” is a hot button issue that will never go away until all sides admit that everything belongs to God and we are just the stewards of God’s creation – a basic lesson in Genesis.

          Accepting that everything does belong to God, since He has created everything, than what is our response to the Lord’s command to “repay to God what belongs to God?”  What exactly belongs to God?

          Being the self-centered people we can often be, let’s start with the obvious: we belong to God!  So we repay God with the gift of our lives.  Since my teen years, I have had a poster with the words, “What you are, is God’s gift to you; what you make of yourself is your gift to God.”  I’ve tried to live by those words making of myself the best I can be.  I’ve been among you long enough for you to know I’m far from perfect, and as I look around the room I take great comfort in knowing I’m not alone (smile), but I am encouraged by yet another poster I have with the words, “I’m a work in progress; God isn’t finished with me yet.”  God isn’t finished with any of us yet.  If we’re “finished” with someone, if we’ve “had it” with them, then we need to stop and think.  If God isn’t finished with them, why are we?  What makes us think we’re better than God?

          Doing the best we can do, being the best we can be, is certainly one way we can, and do repay God for the gift of our lives.  And when you think of it, it’s also a prime way we fulfill the fourth Commandment, “Honor your father and mother.”  What parent hasn’t said to their kid, “I just want you to be the best you can be.”  Our heavenly Father is no different from our earthly father - and mother, in that regard.

          The Book of Genesis instructs us that all creation belongs to God – everything God has created: the trees and the seas, the air and the bears, all humans and all animals.  We humans are the highest order of creation and God appointed us as His stewards – the caretakers – of all God created.  How well have we cared for God’s creation?  Did you know that the people of the 20th century polluted or destroyed God’s creation more in that one century than all humanity did in all of the other 19 centuries combined?  And that’s nothing to be proud of.  We humans certainly have our work cut out for us in this 21st century.  Can we reverse our destructive ways?

          We heard of King Cyrus today.  We heard that he was God’s “anointed.”  God anointed King David and God anointed his great (etc.) grandson Jesus Christ.  God anointed other Jews, too.  King Cyrus stands out like a sore thumb.  Anyone know why?  Cyrus wasn’t Jewish.  He was a pagan king, founder of the Persian Empire.  Yet, he served God’s will and purpose as God’s “anointed.”  This is not so unusual as God will use whatever and whomever God wants to use in order to fulfill His will.  And to find a recent example, we don’t have to look far back into our history either.

          Remember the “Holy Alliance” of Pope John Paul II, President Ronald Reagan, and President Mikhail Gorbachev?  From mostly behind closed doors, their “alliance” brought down the Iron Curtain and the Berlin Wall.  There God used a saintly Pope, a divorced former Catholic, and an Atheist to bring down ugly walls, an evil empire.

          So, “repay to God what belongs to God” isn’t such a difficult thing to figure out when we recognize that everything belongs to God.  And apparently it’s not just a Christian or a Jewish thing; it’s a human thing.  And perhaps, if we really had a Dr. Doolittle among us, we’d discover the ways the animal kingdom already responds to God.  You scoff at the notion of animals serving God?  Stories of how animals serve God are plentiful throughout the Bible.  Give it a good read!  When will we learn?

 

 

2008 A / 28th Ordinary

Father Kevin J Forsyth

“Bringing Our Baptismal Dignity Unstained Into Heaven” ©

 

          “On this mountain the Lord of hosts will destroy the veil that veils all peoples, the web that is woven over all nations.”  “The web woven over all nations?”  Up until 18 years ago, when Al Gore invented it, Biblical scholars believed that Scripture passage referred only to death itself.  Now, with the presence of the ‘world wide web,’ could that passage mean more?  Stay tuned.

          Isaiah writes that God will destroy the veil or shroud that has covered us, preventing us from seeing and understanding the ‘mysteries of life.’  There will come a day when we will see clearly and understand fully everything that has perplexed or confused us.  As the special insert to Eucharistic Prayer 3 states, “we shall see you, our God, as you are.”  The cloud of doubt, the haze of hesitation will be evaporated, and when it happens, maybe we’ll understand today’s Gospel passage better!  It certainly is one of the Lord’s more mysterious parables.

          What we can say with some degree of certainty is that it is an allegory about the final judgment.  Now, since many people today believe we are in the “last days” maybe this is one Sunday you might want to listen more carefully and read the bulletin at home!  Matthew, who writes his gospel around the year 85 AD, is warning his community that the terrible destruction of Jerusalem in the year 70 AD – some 15 years earlier – was God’s judgment on the people’s unfaithfulness.  Think for a moment about the unfaithfulness of people today.  Is God repeating Himself?  Are we experiencing the fall of the great American Empire?  Stay tuned.

          The Gospel allegory is about a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.  Biblical wedding feasts are always used as symbols of final salvation – they’re about happiness, dreams fulfilled, plenty of food and drink, dancing and merriment.  The initial invitations were issued by the king – the Lord God – and delivered by the prophets.  Israel was unresponsive to the invitation.  A second invitation comes from early Christian missionaries, again to the Jews, who again refused the invitation.  The third, and final invitation, is once again issued by God, but this time it is extended to both good and bad alike – “Come to the feast!”  The wedding hall is packed and it seems that the response to the invitation has been a great success - but there is one more shock in store.

          The king finds a person in the wedding hall not wearing “a wedding garment.”  He confronts that person who is very surprised by all this, and then - to our shock - that person is “bound hand and foot and cast into the darkness outside where there will be wailing and the grinding of teeth.”  Yikes!  What’s that all about?  It’s actually a direct warning by Matthew to his community then and to all Christians today.  It means that ‘being called requires more than just showing up.’

          If you’re thinking about how you’re dressed right now, and if you’re dressed well enough, and if not, worry that if the king were here right now, he’d throw you out, well, think again.  It’s not about clothes.  I wish I could say it is, so people would once again wear their ‘Sunday Best’ to this feast, but it’s not about clothes.  It’s about our heart, soul, and mind – our attitude.  Remember Paul’s words a few weeks ago – our “attitude must be Christ’s!” 

          It’s about the dignity bestowed upon us at baptism when we were “clothed in Christ.”  It’s about wearing that dignity proudly in all we say and in all we do, and bringing that dignity unstained into the everlasting life of heaven.  It’s about being good stewards of the many good gifts of time, talent and treasure God has given us.  It’s about fulfilling the old saying, “What I am is God’s gift to me; what I make of myself is my gift to God.”

          A husband and wife were looking over vacation pictures.  “Your sister took this one,” the husband said.  “It’s when we were at the waterfall, but it’s strange – I’m not in the picture.  I must be behind whatever this thing is that’s blocking the right half of the picture.”  “That thing,” said his wife “is your belly.  You’re in the picture alright – you take up half of it!”  Like that husband, we may not initially see ourselves in today’s “parable/picture” of the wedding banquet, but the parables of the Lord are actually interactive – we’re in every parable somewhere.

          You might think, “I can’t relate to the parable because, the events are just not realistic.  Who would refuse to go to a banquet hosted by a king?  Who’d kill the messengers?  Besides, the people who finally came were simply the only people available – the bottom of the bowl – and I’m a whole lot better than that!  Certainly, I’m not going to share the heavenly banquet with riff-raff brought in to fill the hall!”

          Well, maybe that logic isn’t really ‘air-tight.’  We actually do decline invitations all the time, and for many reasons.  We decline weddings we don’t actually have to go to; talks or presentations on worthwhile topics; and even 12-hour prayer vigils.  And there’s the invitation to attend the Lord’s Banquet here each Sunday.  And though logic would dictate otherwise, we do choose work over such occasions because working overtime does impress the boss, or Lord knows we do need the extra cash!  We may not actually kill messengers but some people sure do give the Lord’s messengers a hard time, even trying to kill their reputations through gossip.

          The fact that we are here, Sunday after Sunday, speaks volumes about our commitment to God, His Son, the Church and this parish.  You are one step ahead of the ones who don’t “come to the feast.”  But again, showing up is not the goal; it’s not the end of the story.  This wedding banquet – the Eucharist – is a call for us to continue to look closely at our own lives and change those aspects which don’t speak loud and clear of our being faithful disciples of Jesus Christ – of living lives of honesty and integrity – of being God’s good stewards.  All those in Washington - the White House, Congress – and Wall Street should hear this homily!

          “Many are invited, but few are chosen.”  As much as we may not want to hear it, we must prove ourselves by proper and fitting conduct.  It’s not enough to just be invited and show up, we must also be worthy to be chosen. I hated junior and senior high school gym class.  I was never really good at sports – music was my forte – so when it came time to choose sides during gym, I’d never be chosen first, I’d more likely be chosen last.  Sometimes, I feared never being chosen at all. In case you’re concerned that you might not be chosen, or might be chosen last of all, fear not and remember, “the first shall be last and the last shall be first.”  And until then, as Paul writes, “I can do all things in Him who strengthens me … (because) my God will fully supply whatever I need.”

 

 

2008 A / 27th Ordinary

Father Kevin J Forsyth

“Two Tales of Two Vineyards” ©

 

          “Let me sing of my friend’s vineyard.”  Oh, be not afraid!  I’m not going to sing.  I sang enough last Sunday.  No, that’s how our Scripture passage from Isaiah began today.  And oh, what a song he sings!  This song was written by Isaiah to be sung at wine festivals.  It’s in the form of a ballad – a love song – and until the last couple of lines, it seems to be a simple, pleasant love song about a vineyard – an unproductive vineyard!

 

          The song asks the listeners – the residents of Jerusalem and Judah – to pass judgment as the vineyard owner pleads his case against his own vineyard!  The hearers would naturally agree with the owner that the vineyard should be destroyed because it was useless and unproductive.  The proposed actions of the owner seem appropriate and reasonable.  Then, right at the end, those last couple of lines, Isaiah explains that the vineyard is the House of Israel, and the people of Judah are the plantings.  Oh-Oh; they have to pass judgment on themselves – on their own lack of response to God’s Word.  The final verse contrasts the judgment and justice God seeks, with the bloodshed and outcry God finds.  It’s not a pretty sight.

 

          Isaiah’s “Song of the Vineyard” is clearly part of the background of the Gospel Vineyard.  In fact, the descriptions of the two vineyards and the efforts of the landlord are quite similar.  However, the Lord’s parable in Matthew has become more of an allegory, with different characters representing different people in Israel’s history.  The landlord is God, the tenants are the people of Israel, the servants sent to the tenants are the prophets, and the landlord’s son is … Jesus, who is killed by the tenants.

 

          Just like Isaiah’s parable, Jesus’ version asks the hearers to pass judgment on themselves.  The quotation from Psalm 118 about the “stone rejected by the builders” reinforces that point.  Then Jesus adds a final line to make it absolutely clear that the story applies to the rejection of the Gospel by many in Israel: the Kingdom will now be given to those Jews and Gentiles who believe in Jesus.

 

          Vineyards were surrounded by hedges, which were extra thick and filled with thorns.  The purpose of these thorny hedges was to keep out the animals that would trample the vines and eat the grapes.  The thorny hedges also served to keep out thieves who would try and steal some of the grapes come harvest time.