Monday, September 9, 2013

23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle C - September 8, 2013


23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Cycle C
September 8, 2013      7:30 and 9:00am 
Saint Margaret Parish, Bel Air

A Job Interview

Imagine for just a minute that you apply for a job and get called for an interview.

In the interview the boss says that the working conditions are not the best.  It’s an old building and your office area would have no windows. 

The restrooms are antiquated.  And the building gets a bit warm in the summer because the air conditioning system is under-powered.

Then the boss talks about the work hours.  She says that the normal hours will be 9 to 5, but each Friday she lists the hours for the coming week.

Lots of times the hours will shift and go from1 to 9pm.  She knows that this makes planning stuff with your family tough, but that’s the way it is. 

And then the boss talks about the compensation package.  The pay clearly isn’t great.

The benefits are minimal.  And, while they have a 401 retirement plan, the employer doesn’t contribute anything to it.

When you look at all of this, it isn’t great compared to other places.  But you really like this type of work and you take the job.

A Discipleship Interview

That kind of job interview helps us to appreciate today’s gospel.

It’s almost as if Jesus is giving a discipleship interview.  He is laying out some of his basic expectations.

Sometimes you’ll have to do things you dislike.  Sometimes you’ll have to put family and friends second.

And sometimes you’ll have to let go of money and comforts and share with others.  Jesus uses some pretty extreme language here – like hating others.

These are really literary expressions of his day.  Their intention is to jolt us not to hate anyone, but to make a positive decision for him.

Jesus wants us to allow him and our relationship with him to color all that we do.  So sometimes we’ll have to let go of our preferences, attachments, and enjoyments for the sake of following him.

The Job Description

For example, right in these weeks, some of our young adults are in a sense letting go of family.  They are leaving home and family maybe for the first time and going off to college.

And they are doing this as a way to take the next step in developing themselves as persons and using the gifts God has given them.  Consciously or not, they are following the Lord’s calling.

Or parents might let go of going out to dinner to a rather expensive restaurant.  No question, there is nothing wrong with that and it is good for them to get out together.

But they hold off doing this so that they can buy the new jeans or sneakers for their kids or meet some other family bills.  Again, consciously or not, they are following the Lord’s calling.

Or maybe a mother and father-to-be learn from pre-natal testing that their child will have some significant developmental issues.  They are upset and anxious and have to let go of some expectations.

But they do not resort to an abortion and they follow through with the best pre and post-natal care that they can provide.  Again, consciously or not, they are following the Lord’s calling.

Or maybe we Americans in general need to let go of some of our expectations.  Some current authors are saying that the world is shifting and that we can no longer expect the kind of constantly advancing lifestyle that we have had.

So maybe we let go of some of these expectations which were fine in themselves and we do this knowing that material comforts alone will not bring us happiness anyway.  Again, consciously or not, we are following the Lord’s calling.     

Conclusion

So, Jesus gives us a challenging job description for being a disciple.

It is a job description with real-life consequences.  But it will be rewarding work and a rewarding life.