24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C - September 11, 2022

 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time – C 

September 11, 2022, 11am   

  Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton     

 

Seeking What Is Lost

 

Several years ago, I lost a credit card.

 

I was at a gas station. When I opened my wallet to get a credit card to pay, I immediately saw that I had only one card there.

 

I have two credit cards, and the other one was missing. Well, I pumped the gas and then immediately started looking for the missing credit card.  

 

I took everything out of my wallet, and it wasn’t there. I looked in the glove compartment and under the seats of the car, and it was nowhere in sight.

 

I went back to the rectory at Saint Margaret’s where I was the pastor. I looked all through my study and my bedroom – no credit card!

 

And then, I tried to get a grip on my anxiety and panic. I asked myself: when did I last use the credit card?

 

Almost right away I realized I had used it the night before when I bought some Chinese carry-out food. So, I immediately called that restaurant and thank God, I had left the card on the counter, and they were holding it for me. 

 

Seeking Who Is Lost

 

Well, my intense focus on finding my credit card helps us to appreciate today’s gospel.

 

Jesus tells two stories: the one about a shepherd looking for one lost sheep and the other about a woman looking for one lost coin. With these two images of the shepherd and the woman, Jesus is showing us how intense God is in looking for us when we are lost.

 

God is even more intense than I was looking for my credit card! And then, with the images of the lost sheep and lost coin, Jesus shows us that we can be lost in two different ways.

 

Lost: Our Fault 

 

First, we can be lost like the one sheep.

 

We can wander off, and our being lost is our own fault. So, we can get lost when we stop coming to Mass and lose our centeredness in God.

 

We can get lost when we drift into being unfaithful to our major life commitment or vocation. This can happen in marriage or in the priesthood or in the lifework that we feel God has gifted us to do. 

 

But even though we get lost in these ways, Jesus is saying that God is still there, still loving us, and still looking for us. God is like the shepherd looking for that one lost sheep. 

 

In fact, when we are like that one lost sheep, hopefully our conscience will bother us, and we will feel guilty. These guilt feelings may be a signal that God is intensely looking for us and trying to bring us back. 

 

Also, notice in Jesus’ image that the shepherd does not scold or punish the lost sheep. Instead, he joyfully carries it back to the flock – what a good example this is for how we as persons and we as a Church are to relate to a lost sheep!

 

Lost: No Fault

 

And then we can be lost like the lost coin.

 

This means that we are lost through no fault of our own. For example, we can feel lost when we are grieving the death of a husband or wife.

 

Or we can feel lost when we are dealing with depression. When we are lost in ways like these, God is still there, loving us and wanting to be close to us, even though we may not feel it. 

 

God is like the woman looking for the one lost coin. Some of our great spiritual teachers have called these experiences dark nights of the soul.  

 

In these times, we may need to push ourselves even to pray, to pray in some small way each day. We may need to push ourselves to do the basic responsibilities of life. 

 

And we may need to push ourselves to respond to the companionship of family and friends. But, if we hang in there and give God a chance in these ways, we can be found, and we can find ourselves once again.    

    

Conclusion

 

So, a powerful lesson today: 1) about God, searching for us when we are lost, and 2) about ourselves, the ways we can be lost and how we might respond when that happens!

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C - September 4, 2022

 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – C 

September 4, 2022, 5pm and 8:30am

Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton 

 

Is Jesus the Priority?

 

When I am about to respond to someone who has been offensive, do I first think about: what would Jesus say and how would he say it? 

 

When I become aware that I am holding a grudge and maybe not even talking to someone, do I think about: what does Jesus teach about this? When I feel drawn into a conversation that is bashing somebody, do I step back and think about: how would Jesus act here?

 

The point behind these questions is probably clear: is Jesus not just a focus in my life, but the focus? Is Jesus not just a priority, but the priority?

 

Discipleship 

 

This is the point that Jesus is hammering across in today’s gospel.

 

He is talking about discipleship – about what it means to really follow him. He is not talking about just being a Sunday Catholic or being a Christian in name only.

 

Instead, Jesus is talking about our fully embracing his way, and he calls this discipleship. In this passage, he sees this as relating to three dimensions of life: myself, family and friends, and possessions.    

 

Regarding Myself 

 

So, Jesus says, “Whoever does not carry their own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”

 

Here Jesus is not saying that our whole life needs to be a cross – doing stuff that we don’t like. And he is not saying that self-care – taking care of ourselves by getting enough rest and some exercise and good nutrition – he is not against this.

 

Instead, Jesus is saying that if we want to be his disciple, we need to be willing at times to let go of our preferences and comforts. For example, we let go of having an easy evening at home and instead take our neighbor to Urgent Care.

 

Or we hold off on buying something for ourselves so that we can provide back-to-school necessities for our children. We need, at times, to carry our cross in ways like these to be Jesus’ disciples. 

 

Regarding Family (and Friends) 

 

And then, Jesus says: “If anyone comes to me without hating their father and mother, wife and children, brother and sister, they cannot be my disciple.”

 

This is a tough one. It sounds crazy – even inconsistent with other teachings of Jesus.

 

So, we’ve got to be careful and understand this correctly. This saying about “hating” was a Jewish idiom. 

 

It is hyperbole – an exaggeration to make a point. So here, Jesus doesn’t want us literally to hate family and friends or even turn our back on them. 

 

He’s just making a point that even with those closest to us, we are to make him the priority – to make him first. Here’s a real-life application of this that I, as a priest, have advised on. 

 

Imagine that you are a Catholic and your son or daughter or someone close to you is going to get married. They are also Catholic but are not going to get married in a Catholic ceremony.

 

Considering Jesus’ words – or a correct understanding of his words – what do you do? My guidance has usually been in the direction of having a conversation with the person – and I mean a conversation and not a monologue.

 

Respectfully, share your point of view and your hope that they would be married in a Catholic ceremony. And then listen – listen respectfully to them.

 

They may end up not changing their minds, but then just be with them, keep the relationship intact, and make sure they know of your love. This is a good response to Jesus’ entire teaching – keeping him first and yet still loving family.     

 

Regarding Possessions

 

Finally, Jesus says, “Anyone of you who does not renounce all your possessions cannot be my disciple.”

 

Well, once again, there is hyperbole, some exaggeration here to make a point. And Jesus’ point is not to give away our home and car and clothing and bank account. 

 

Instead, he wants us to realize that possessions and money are not what will bring us true happiness. He wants us to know that sharing some of what we have with others, especially with those in need, is important. 

 

This will enrich us. The freedom and willingness to share what we have will make us disciples.

 

Conclusion

 

So, 1) myself, 2) family, and 3) possessions – in all three dimensions of life, we are to make Jesus the priority if we want to be his disciple.