Jesus says: “Guard against
greed…life does not consist of possessions.”
I wonder: If Jesus were speaking
today, might he tell us to guard against consumerism?
Our economic system is, I think,
the best kind that has yet been devised.
But, like any possible human
system, it can have its limitations.
Maybe one of its limitations or
deficiencies is consumerism.
Today’s advertising assures us
that we will be happy if we have more things.
In fact, it leads us to think
that we will be unhappy unless we have more.
We are led to be dissatisfied
with what we have and to want something else – the newest, the latest, the
biggest, whatever.
One author gives the insight that
what can happen in this endless cycle of unhappiness with what we have is that
we also become unhappy with who we are.
We are not good or good enough
unless…we have this or have that.
Maybe it is this dynamic of
dissatisfaction that explains why so many people in the richest countries are still
quite unhappy.
Now, there is not a black and
white, simple solution to dealing with this.
But I do think we can find three
helps in Jesus’ teaching.
First, Jesus wants us to find
happiness in who we are, not in what we have.
He assures us that we are
valuable and worthwhile in ourselves as sons and daughters of God and as his
brothers and sisters.
We need to be prayerfully rooted
in the Lord and in these truths.
Second, Jesus wants us to make
relationships a priority.
At the beginning of today’s
gospel, there was a squabble over money within a family.
The relationships had become
second to the money.
Jesus calls us to make
relationships first.
And third, Jesus consistently
calls us to be sensitive to those who are in need.
Our sense of charity and justice
will keep consumerism or greed in check.
So, a strong teaching from Jesus
that does relate to today’s life for us here in America!
In
today’s gospel, it almost seems as if Jesus gets distracted.
Jesus
tells his disciples a parable about the necessity of praying.
His story is about a widow who just won’t give up asking the judge for
what she deserves.
But
then, after telling this story, Jesus asks a question that doesn’t seem to
follow: “But when the Son of God comes,
will he find any faith on earth?”
The issue is: how does this statement fit with the story he has just
told?
Will There Be Trusting Faith?
One of
our Catholic authors says that the answer depends on what we mean by faith.
When
Jesus asks “Will the Son of God find
faith on the earth?” he is referring back to the woman in the parable. He is not using this woman’s faith as an
example of persons who know all the definitions in the catechism and all the
teachings of the Church.
Instead,
he uses this woman as an example of persons who trust in God regardless of what
is going on in their lives. She is an
example of those who try to center their lives on God when things are good and
who turn to God when things are difficult.
There
are several times in the gospel where Jesus says to people, “Your faith has saved you.” He says this as he heals people, physically,
emotionally, or spiritually.
And
when Jesus says “Your faith has saved
you,” he means that there is a love of God and trust in God in their heart
– in their heart. He means a steady trust
in the goodness of God, even if things are tough and even if we do not fully
understand – a trusting that is first and foremost a matter of the heart.
The Profession of Faith and Faith
Today,
as on every Sunday, we will recite the Profession of Faith.
We
recommit ourselves to certain basic doctrinal truths about God. This Profession of Faith is an important and
necessary part of faith.
But
here is the question. Is it possible to
profess this and not have the underlying, trusting, heart- faith of the woman
in the gospel?
Is it
possible to profess this without having what Jesus calls the faith that saves? It is this steady, trusting faith in God that
Jesus seems to be referring to in that last line of the gospel.
I think
this is what Pope Francis has been getting at.
He has not been hammering away at just two or three issues of faith or
Catholic teaching.
Instead,
Pope Francis has been focusing more on the love and mercy and goodness of God
and on our need to have a trusting relationship with God. He seems to see this as the core or the foundation
of all faith.
This
must be one reason why Pope Francis is so appealing to many Catholics, to
Catholics who feel distanced from the Church, and to many other Christians and
other people. He is taking us back to
the core of our faith.
A Big Home of Faith
And maybe this is also why Pope Francis sees the Church as
a large home for many and not as a little chapel for a few.
The Pope doesn’t seem to want to exclude people from the
community of the Church for just one issue or another. This seems to follow the way of Jesus.
Jesus lifts up the trusting, heart-faith of the woman in
today’s parable. This is what brings her
and us into relationship with Jesus.
Pope Francis seems to be saying that this is the test of
being in God’s family. This doesn’t make
other truths and doctrines unimportant.
It simply says that this trusting, heart-faith is the
basis for oneness with Jesus and oneness with the living Body of Christ on this
earth. This is to be the basis for
welcoming and including.
So, “Will the Son of
God find faith on the earth?” I believe
there is a good amount of it, within the Church, and also outside the Church, especially
among some who have felt distanced for one reason or another.
Two
weeks ago, I visited a couple in the parish, Joe and Joan.
Now, I have
made-up those names to protect the privacy of this couple. About two months ago, Joe was diagnosed with
stage 4, inoperable cancer, and was told that he had maybe four months to live.
Joe and
Joan have been married for sixty years. For
years, Joe has come to Mass every day and every Sunday, he and Joan are here
together.
So, I
went to visit them. Joe explained how
surprising all of this has been.
He said
he had been more tired than usual, but was generally feeling well. Then the doctor found something, sent him for
tests, and the results came.
Joe talked
very peacefully and calmly about what is happening. He said that this must be what God wants of
him right now.
Joe
even said that he wishes that his death would come sooner than four months
because of his growing weakness and the burden he is on Joan and their
children. But, he quickly added, that is
up to God, not me, and I just accept this from God as it comes.
Joe
then looked me in the eye and said very peacefully, “I am prepared Father. I really
am ready.”
I
looked at Joan and she silently nodded yes, affirming what Joe had said. There is no doubt in my mind that Joe is
ready to meet God.
Catholic Profile
I left
their home that afternoon uplifted and reflective.
I was
uplifted by the faith that both Joe and Joan have. No question, they are also sad, but their
trust in God is giving them much peace and strength.
What
has occurred to me is that Joe is what I want all of us and myself to
become. Some schools today – like John
Carroll – have what they call a graduate profile.
The
graduate profile is what they want their students to be like when they
graduate. So I have been thinking that
maybe there is such a thing as a Catholic Christian profile.
It is
what God wants us to be like when the moment comes for us to meet God directly. Joe expresses that profile very well.
Our Mission
I keep
this in mind when I think about the mission of our parish.
I kind
of test everything with this standard of a Catholic Christian profile. In other words, does this program or activity
or ministry help us to become the kind of person God wants us to be?
I want
us all to have an inner relationship with Jesus, to be at peace, to be trusting
of God, and to be loving in our relationships –this is something of the profile
I am thinking of. I hope to keep doings
like we did last April when we re-worked some of the budget to make room for
the book Why Stay Catholic?
We
provided over 1,150 copies of that book, they were all taken and so many of you
have told me how much you got out of this.
In September, we again re-worked some of the budget and bought 4,500
copies of the book Catholic Prayers
and mailed a copy to every parish family.
I
really wanted us to have this for our personal prayer and spirituality. I hope to do more things like this.
Now we
also have lots of challenges – like how to communicate faith better to those
not coming to Church and to our young people, or like how to do this best in
this digital age. I want to involve you
even more with me in figuring out creative ways to bring God more effectively
to everyone.
Offertory Giving
Now, I don’t want to disappoint you, so I will say a word
about money.
Your financial support is needed for this important
spiritual mission. A week ago I mailed a
letter to every parish family.
In that letter, I asked for a specific dollar amount for
your weekly offertory giving. I don’t
know if the amount I asked for was right.
You have to decide – whether that amount is right, or if
you can even do more, or if you cannot do that much. I only ask that you take a prayerful and
serious look at this.
Some of you have already mailed your commitment cards to
the office and I thank you for that. If
you brought your commitment card with you today, great – just drop it in the
collection basket.
If you are ready now to complete the card, wonderful. I ask those of you at the ends of the rows to
pass down the commitment cards and pencils.
You can complete the card now and place it in the
collection basket in a few minutes. If
you are not ready today, please complete it at home and mail it or bring it
back next weekend.
Saint Margaret’s needs your commitment this year. Our income is off, it is under budget, and we
need your financial commitment to fulfill our mission well.
There is nothing more important than our ministry. Not our buildings, not our property, not
capital campaign pledges – nothing is more important than the offertory because
the offertory equals ministry and service.
I feel very passionate about this. I want all of us to be growing toward that
Catholic Christian profile that I saw in Joe and Joan two weeks ago.
So I thank you. I thank
you for your faith and for your trusting generosity to Saint Margaret. It is an honor to be your pastor and I hope
you have a good weekend.
