Eye Has Not Seen, Ear Has Not Heard

                                     What God Has Ready for Those Who Love Him

I’ve never written a blog with such a long title! You may recognize the words. They are from a song refrain that we occasionally sing at mass. They are also appropriate words for us to consider as we look at a theme in this weekend’s First Reading and Gospel texts.

   

The first reading is from the Old Testament book of 2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14.  It is the only place in the Old Testament which mentions the idea of ‘being raised from the dead’.

   

And the Gospel text, Luke 20:27-38, is the only place in the Gospels where Jesus says anything about the Resurrection as such. Jesus’ only other references to the resurrection are in His predictions that He will suffer and ‘rise again’. And then, of course, there are the descriptions of His Resurrection appearances which are wonderful but unexplainable.

So what can we say about ‘resurrection’? I read this commentary:“Trying to describe ‘resurrection’ is like a butterfly describing flight to a caterpillar...or a professor describing ‘college’ to a preschooler. How can Jesus describe afterlife to those who only know this life?”   

Read the title of this blog again. Take 5-10 minutes just peacefully thinking about it.

                                                   Zacchaeus Is Out on a Limb

This weekend’s Gospel text tells the story of Zacchaeus who climbs a tree to see Jesus.  Zacchaeus is a person with a position of importance as the ‘chief tax collector’.  But somehow God’s spirit is at work in him and he wants to see Jesus.

I imagine that Jesus was touched to see a ‘man of importance’ climb a tree in order to see Him.  That was an undignified thing for an adult to do in Jesus’ day. But Jesus sees it as an act of faith. And then Jesus does the unthinkable. He invites Himself to dinner at Zacchaeus’ house. 

    

Zacchaeus is elated! And he immediately makes an ongoing commitment to repent and repay anyone he has defrauded and to be especially generous with the poor.

When’s the last time you went out on a limb and took a risk to do something unthinkable because of your faith?  Do you generally give people the ‘benefit of the doubt’? Think of a time when you were given a second chance…a chance to start over in your life.  Who stands by you when you need someone to believe in you?

                                            A Pharisee and a Tax Collector at Prayer

We hear another great parable this weekend. Jesus tells the story of two people who go to the temple to pray. (Lk 18:9-14)

A Pharisee prays to himself with an unbowed head: “O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity-greedy, dishonest, adulterous, or even like that tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.” (Lk 18:11b)

Then we hear the prayer of the tax collector who stands off at a distance and prays with a bowed head: “O God, be merciful to me a sinner. “ (Luke 18:13b)

Read their prayers again.  And then reflect on the following questions.

To whom is the Pharisee praying? Did you notice how often he uses the pronoun ‘I’ in his prayer?

What is the significance of the Pharisee who prays with an unbowed head and the tax collector who bows his head to pray?

    

Why does Jesus tell this parable?  What does He want you to get from it? When you come to Church this weekend what will be the first prayer you’ll say?

                                                  “Lord, Increase Our Faith”

This weekend’s Gospel (Luke 17:5-10) begins with the Apostles telling Jesus to increase their faith.  Their request for more faith only makes sense when we look at its context.

Just before the Apostles ask Jesus to increase their faith, Jesus says: “Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him. And if he repents, forgive him.  And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and he says he’s sorry seven times, “you should forgive him”.  And that’s when the Apostles say: “Lord, increase our faith.”

The Apostles can’t believe that forgiveness should be given so frequently. But Jesus insists that we must always be ready to forgive…just as God always forgives us.  Forgiveness is the mark of a true disciple! And it's a requirement for all of us who are on The Way.

 

God has given me countless second chances.  How many second chances has God given you?

 

Today’s Gospel concludes by reminding us that we are disciple/servants. We should not expect special treatment for doing only what is required of us. 

What is required? Three things. Love God and others as God loves us.  Forgive each other as God forgives us. And especially care for the poor and those living on life’s margins.

                                                 Making Friends with the Poor

In this Sunday’s Gospel Jesus tells the story of a rich man who has a beggar named Lazarus at his gate…a beggar whom the rich man never notices.  When both of them die, Lazarus is in the bosom of Abraham and the rich man is in the netherworld.

    

Then the rich man tells Abraham to send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water to cool the rich man’s tongue. When the rich man finds out that’s not possible, he has the gall to tell Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his relatives!

 

The rich man never talks directly to Lazarus.  And right there is the nub of the problem.

Do you have friends who are poor?  Are there poor people living in your neighborhood? How good are you at welcoming people who live on the fringes of life?

   

In the light of this weekend’s readings I know that I have to do a better job of reaching out to people who are poor. And I also have to live with less myself. 

   

Today’s the feast of St. Vincent de Paul. It’s a great day to write a check to the St. Vincent de Paul Society! It won’t solve everything, but it’s at least a way to make a difference.

                                                  Using the Gifts God Gave Us

This weekend’s readings from the prophet Amos and from Jesus’ words in Luke’s Gospel focus on the proper and improper use of the gift of money. We might not think of money as a gift, but everything we have, including money, ultimately comes from God. And our job is to be good stewards of all God’s gifts.

In addition to the gift of money, what other gifts has God given you? Think about that for a few moments. Use a note pad or sheet of paper to start making a list of your gifts. Keep that list on your kitchen table for the next week…and add to it on a daily basis.

Share your list with someone who knows you well and who loves you.  Ask them if they see other gifts that you don’t see in yourself.  And then make it a point to tell them some of the gifts that you see in them.

Of all the gifts on your list, which two or three gifts do you treasure most?  

What gifts do you use on a daily basis?  What gifts do you hardly ever use? At the end of this exercise, thank God for showering you with so many gifts.

 

                                              What is the Cost of Discipleship?

This weekend’s Gospel and the second reading from the Letter of St. Paul to Philemon raise key questions about discipleship. To prepare for mass this weekend take a little time to think about the following questions. 

What is a disciple of Christ?  And more specifically, what does it mean that you are a disciple of Christ?

What expectations does Jesus have for His disciples? Make a list of the requirements that you think Jesus sets for those who want to be His disciples. 

What are the costs of discipleship? And, more specifically, what does it cost you to be a disciple of Jesus?

If Jesus would tell you that there is one thing more which He hopes you will do to be a better disciple, what would that one thing be?

Name some ‘disciples’, whom you personally know, that are really good disciples. Make it a point to let them know that you appreciate them.