Pastor's Letter 20220925 - 25 September 2022 - Listen to Moses and the Prophets

[Father Michael]

September 25^th, 2022

26^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

A Message from Father †Michael

Today’s Theme:  "Listen to Moses and the Prophets”

Reflections on Today’s Scripture

Because they enjoyed the “lion’s share” of the earth’s riches, the wealthy upper class of Israelite society assumed they were especially favored by God  Our First Reading (Amos 6:1-7,) gives us an entirely different perspective. While not denying the special vocation of “God’s people,” or that there would be a “Day of the Lord,” the prophet of social justice, Amos, calls the people to take personal responsibility and accountability for their blessings.  He warned them that their “special position” would be the cause of their downfall, and viewed their extravagances as divinely intolerable.  What the people understood as political stability was seen, instead, as religious complacency and imbalance.    

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Our Second Reading presents an appeal for us to live in accord with the faith that we profess (1 Timothy 6:11-16.)  The second century author offers Jesus as a model of such faith, Who confessed before Pilate that He “came into the world to bear witness to the truth.”  All Christians are charged with “fighting the good fight of faith,” and remaining loyal to their initial commitments taken on in Baptism.  As we also do today, third and fourth generations of Christians had to come to grips with a delay in their own lives until the time for Christ’s Second Coming.

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Stories like we read in today’s Gospel parable (Luke 16:19-31,) have been found among ancient Egyptian folkloric tales and in legends of the rabbis. Unique in ^†Luke’s Gospel, however, the “parable of the rich man and Lazarus” was addressed primarily to the Pharisees.  The point of it was later reinterpreted by the early Church, applied to Christ’s resurrection; and carries a message for all would-be disciples.  As we heard in our First Reading, “worldly status” is no indication of divine favor; and it does not guarantee salvation.  Rather, the parable underscores the universality of the Kingdom’s composition:  all were called to enter, even unclean beggars, like Lazarus (he whom God helps.”)  It’s the only parable where a character is named, and shows that even a “resurrected soul” would not be sufficient to dissuade humankind from their evil ways (as even Jesus’ own resurrection has not been universally effective.)  Our faith teaches that awareness of God and conversion are possible only on this side of the grave….

Living in Opposite Worlds

Watching through the window of a comfortable, air-conditioned home, we often see workers laboring outside on a sunny day.  Sometimes, they may seem to be acting quite sluggishly, even though some of them might be quite youthful.  Although separated only by the width of a wall from the outside, our worlds could hardly be more different!  Venturing outside, only to find the temperature in the high 90s—with similarly lofty humidity, we may reconsider our opinion, even to the point of wondering how they are able to work at all, in such conditions!

Sometimes, we can be within arm’s reach of someone, yet be living in a different world from them.  But we’ll never know the difference, unless we leave our world, and enter theirs.  

The “rich man” and “Lazarus,” in today’s Gospel story, lived in opposite worlds, yet they existed side-by-side.  The rich man never once entered that of the poor man; moreover, he didn’t even see Lazarus as a “human being,” much less a brother, with whom he shared a common humanity.  He was “indifferent”—and indifference is a great evil.

Riches can make people self-preoccupied, blinding them to the needs of others, and hardening their heart.  The real tragedy is when an individual (or a country) loses its “soul,” as it accumulates ever greater wealth.  

One might say that the wealthy aren’t responsible for doing harm, exactly, in such cases, yet in our parable, the rich man was condemned to “the torment of Hades”—not because he was rich, but because he didn’t show compassion for the poor beggar.  He lived only for himself!

“Sin” is not only about “doing wrong….”  It’s also about not doing good—the sin of inaction, doing nothing, and still worse: displaying apathy.  The story doesn’t have a fairy-tale ending for the rich man—and he’s the central character.

Our Blessed Lord fully entered our world to help us appreciate the world of those who are in pain, or in need.  Then, having experienced what life was like for them, He was surely moved to do what He could to help them, as is evidenced many times in the Gospels.  

As people who stand in daily need of God’s mercy and goodness—people who pray with hands held out to Him like a beggar’s bowl—we should, in turn, be kind, generous and merciful with others…because the measure we give will be the measure we receive….

The rich are wounded by their riches, just as the poor are wounded by their poverty.  In Mother Teresa’s words: “The greatest evil in the world today is lack of love—the terrible indifference towards one’s neighbor, which is so widespread.”

Where Should We Begin

I’m reminded of the story of a boy who was walking along the shore, when he came upon a starfish that had been washed up by the tide.  Picking it up, he looked it over, and saw that several of its tentacles, near its mouth, were moving.  Wading out a short distance into the water, he dropped the starfish and returned to shore.  

A man standing close by, observed him, and asked, “Why did you bother taking that starfish out into the sea?  Surely you can’t believe that you could save every creature that washed ashore….”  The boy thought a bit and then replied, “That’s true, but I knew I could save that one!”

Many times, we confronted by the destitution in the world and lament that we are powerless to be of any help to allay it.  On a global level, that’s probably true; hardly any of us has the where-with-all to make a grand impact on the world’s problems.  Nonetheless, if we simply exercise simple human compassion—if we make a conscious effort to “care”—then we might be able to help “just one” of those who are less fortunate than ourselves.  Barring our ability to offer physical labor, we might make a donation of time, offered to someone who needs counsel; or we may be able to contribute to the efforts of others in a monetary manner; or donate supplies to some group who is providing services for the downtrodden.  

I’ve heard many other stories that illustrate the value of “giving.”  This one talks about an itinerant monk who was approached by a random villager:  

“Give me the precious stone,” a stranger demanded of the monk.  

“What do you mean,” asked the monk.  The villager said, excitedly:  “I had a dream last night that if I went to the outskirts of the village, I’d find a monk who would give me a precious stone.” 

Rummaging in his sack, the monk found a stone there, and took it out, saying, “I found this in the forest a few days ago.  Is this what you want?”  

The man took the stone and gazed at it, in wonder.  He identified it as a rough diamond—the largest he had ever seen.  

He took it home with him, but that night, he tossed in his sleep, restlessly.  Early the next day he went back to find the monk, and said, “During the night I did a great deal of thinking.  You can have the stone back—it’s a diamond!”  Then he said, sheepishly, “Instead, would you give me the kind of wealth of character that made it possible for you to have given me this diamond, so easily?”

The richer a person’s inner life is, the simpler his outer life becomes; and the less he needs or wants.

Come, Let us Sing.docx

May God Richly Bless You!

To view a recording of today's Holy Mass, click here: 

 

Edited September 25, 2022 by Father Michael