Tuesday, October 4, 2016

27th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle C - October 2, 2016

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Cycle C
October 2, 2016  11:00am 
Saint Matthew Parish, Baltimore


The Vision


The word, the one word I am focused on this morning is the word vision.”

The prophet Habakkuk in the first reading says: “Write down the vision.  [Be patient because] the vision will have its time.”

For me, this one word summarizes our Scripture passages today.  1) We are to see the vision.

2) We are to trust the vision.  3) And we are to live the vision.

1.    See the Vision


First, we are to see the vision.

This means that we need to see Jesus himself.  We see him as the way to God and the way to know God because he is the Son of God.

And so, we are to work to know Jesus just as thoroughly as we can.  We do this by carefully reading and reflecting on the gospels, day by day, week by week, year by year.

What he says and what he does and how he relates to people – this is to be the center of our spiritual life.  This is the vision we are to see.

It gradually shapes who we become as persons.  Step by step, it shapes how we think and what we say and do and how we relate to one another.

 

2.    Trust the Vision


Then, with this seeing, we are to trust the vision.

Here we have to go back to the first reading – the prophet Habakkuk.  The people are suffering and crying out to God.

“How long will this last, O Lord?  We are surrounded by violence and destruction.

“There is strife and discord everywhere.  So, how long, O Lord, how long?”

And the Lord, through the prophet, reassures them.  “Write down the vision.  [Be patient because] the vision will have its time.”

So, we are to trust the vision.  Maybe we are in the middle of chemotherapy treatments or we are caring for a loved one who is slipping away with Alzheimer’s Disease. 

Maybe we are dealing with an addiction issue in our family or we are wondering how we are going keep paying all of our bills.  In situations like these, we are to trust the vision.

We are to trust that God is still with us in Jesus.  We are to trust that the Lord will give us strength to get through and bear up under it all.

We are to trust that dying – not just physical death, but dying in all its forms can lead to new life with God.  We are to trust the vision we see in Jesus.

3.    Live the Vision


And then finally, we are to live the vision in a positive way.

Jesus says today: “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can move mountains.”  So, very intentionally, we are to live the vision.

Here in the year 2016 in America, one thing that this has to mean is that we respect diversity.  We do not view those who are different from us as wrong or as bad or as less than we are.

Instead, we show respect for others in our words and actions.  We do this whether they are citizens or recent immigrants, whether they are Christian or Muslim or Jew, whether they are black or Asian or white or Latino.

And we expect the policies of our government and the words and actions of the political leaders we vote for to show this same respect.  This is a very real way to live the vision positively.

And, if we do this, as Jesus says in the gospel, this will be our reward.  This is what Jesus means about the servants not expecting the master to wait on them. 


We will not expect reward or acclaim, because the living of the vision will bring us an inner satisfaction and peace and that will be a be reward in itself.  So, that’s the message today: 1) see the vision, 2) trust the vision, and 3) live the vision.