Guard against Greed

This weekend’s Gospel (Lk 12:13-21) warns us to avoid greed in all forms. Then we hear a parable about a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. And he talks to himself about what he will do with this big harvest. In the end he decides to build larger barns.

After he filled his bigger barns, he said to himself: “You have so many good things stored up for many years. Eat, Drink, Be merry!” “But God said: ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and all the things you have, to whom will they belong?’”

Consider the following issues:  

Do you have more ‘stuff’ than you need?  Analyze your closets, basement, attic, and garage.

Do you think you have too much money?  Write a check to the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

Consider living in solidarity with the poor for the next week.  What would that mean?

Did you notice that the rich man only talked to himself?  With whom can you talk about greed, self-centeredness and living in solidarity with the poor?

                                                                Teach Us to Pray

His disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray in this weekend’s Gospel text (Lk 11:1-13).  So Jesus taught them the Lord’s Prayer. And then He told them some parables, addressing other prayer-related issues. So here are some questions about your prayer life.

How much time do you spend in daily prayer? How much time do you think you should spend? Did you know that Muslims pray for about 10 minutes…5 times each day?

When you pray, how much time do you spend telling God what you want? And, on the other hand, how much time do you listen to what God wants to say to you? (Truthfully, I’m a lot better at telling God what I want, than I am at really listening to Him!)

Here’s a final point. In a book called 'Vesper Time', Frank Cunningham says: “Gratitude is the first movement in the spiritual life.” I think there's something deeply true in that.   

So here's a final question: How much time do you spend thanking God in your daily prayers? (I’m embarrassed to tell you my answer to that question!)   

Blog homework: Set a timer for 10 minutes and spend all ten minutes thinking of things for which you want to say thanks to God.

                                                             Martha and Mary

This weekend we will hear a familiar story. Jesus is invited to Martha and Mary’s house for dinner.  Martha’s nose gets out of joint when Mary isn’t helping her in the kitchen.  Mary, on the other hand, is enjoying herself just listening to Jesus.  

Martha’s about ready to throw in the towel! And Mary has no idea why Martha’s upset. On the other hand, what does Martha expect? That Mary should leave Jesus sit by himself while she helps Martha dice the onions?  

Meanwhile Mary assumed the position of a disciple by sitting at the master’s feet. She was focused on Jesus.  And it’s true that she chose the better portion, since Jesus was the only Rabbi in His time who had women disciples!

Do you have a little bit of Martha in you? Do you get ‘anxious and distressed’ by the chores at hand? (Martha could easily be my patron saint!) Or are you more like Mary?  Focused on people, but not noticing unattended details…like the lamb becoming a burnt offering!

The good news is that there is room for both Marthas and Marys in Jesus’ life.

We don’t hear the end of the story…but being a good Rabbi, Jesus would have concluded the meal with a prayer of thanks for the food…and for the good company too.

                                                         What Is Your Mission? (2)

This weekend’s gospel tells the story of Jesus sending 72 disciples on a mission trip. (Luke 10:1-9) Their work was to care for the sick and announce the coming of God’s Kingdom.  So it was a mission that included both talk and action.   

So I can’t help but think of the 18 youth from St. Patrick, St. Richard and St. Edward parishes who are currently on a mission trip in Knoxville Tennessee. We had a commissioning ceremony for them and their chaperones last Sunday at the 9:00 am mass at St. Patrick’s Parish. They left for Knoxville on Monday. 

   

These young people are an inspiration for an old goat like me!  They have an enthusiasm and a spirit of adventure and probably they’ve got a little anxiety too. But my guess is that they will return with stories to tell and experiences that they will never forget. 

If you were going on a mission trip at this point in your life, where would you like to go and what would you hope to do?  What gift do you have that would help you change the world? If you would ask God what your mission should be, what would He say?

                                                           What’s Your Mission?

You may have noticed that recent blog posts have taken a new turn.  In the past, many posts were reflections on the previous weekend's Gospel.  Now the posts will tend to be a preparation for the coming weekend’s message. Let me know if this is helpful or not.

In this weekend’s Gospel, Jesus is determined to go to Jerusalem…knowing that His mission is to suffer and die there. So Jesus is a ‘man on a mission’! But He did't want to travel alone. So He sought disciples who would be companions on His journey. Unfortunately He encountered resistance from the excuses of those would-be followers. 

At this point in your life, what is your mission?  What does God expect of you?  Are you accomplishing it?  What excuses do you make for not fulfilling your mission? Who are your companions on the journey?  Pause a bit to think about these things. 

Going on a mission is risky business. There’s always the possibility of failure…and I have known enough of them!  But as Mother Teresa says: “God does not require that we be successful, only that we be faithful."  Lord, help us be faithful to our mission this week! 

                                    “Give Them Some Food Yourselves.”  (Luke 9:13a)

This weekend’s Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ is linked with Luke’s account of the feeding of the 5000 (Luke 9:11b-17). . As the day unfolds, the Apostles tell Jesus to dismiss the crowd so that they can buy something to eat.  The Apostles only have 5 loaves and 2 fish with them. But Jesus says “Give them some food yourselves.”   

Just prior to this event the Apostles had returned from their first missionary journey. They were excited because their journey was so successful. And they had just been recipients of the hospitality of people who wanted to know Jesus.      

So it’s no wonder that Jesus tells the disciples to give that crowd something to eat. It’s about offering the best hospitality they can give to those 5000 people. It doesn’t matter how much they have to give, it’s about their willingness to share whatever they have.   

Not only that, but sharing their food with that big group is a specific way to ‘Feed the Hungry', which is the first corporal work of mercy.  Feeding the hungry and sharing the Eucharist cannot be separated.  

Jesus saw the the connection between those 2 things and He hopes that we and the Apostles can see that link too.  

                                                       Trinity – A Community of Love

The Sunday after Pentecost is always Trinity Sunday.  From a priest’s standpoint, it’s a tough weekend to prepare a homily because the Trinity is pretty much inexplicable!

But key to understanding the Trinity, at least a little bit, is to see the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as a ‘community of love’. This ‘community of love’ is at the heart of God and everything God does. The result is that all creation is rooted in love, for love and of love.    

The problem is with our free will which bollocks up the whole thing.  The remedy is to remember our roots in our triune God of love.

Have you seen the rise of ‘nationalism’ in recent elections?  Have you noticed the divide between rich countries and poor ones? Are you shaken by increasing gun violence? Do you lament the lack of attention being paid to working for the common good?

Lamenting these things doesn’t help. But putting our love into targeted, daily action can make a difference.  Have you heard the song: “Go Make a Diffrence”? It rouses us to do something to change our world and reconnect us to our roots in God’s love.   

Name something you can do today that reflects the Trinity’s Community of Love.

*The lyrics of ‘Go Make a Diffrence’ were written by Steve Angrisano and Thomas N. Tomaszek.  Go on line to view their YouTube performance.