28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C - October 9, 2022

 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time 

Cycle C

October 9, 2022, 8:30am and 11am  

Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton 

 

Giving Thanks 

 

This morning, I want to reflect with you on two questions.

 

First, why are we sometimes not thankful? And second, why is it important to be thankful?

 

1.    Why Are We Not Thankful? 

 

So first, why are we sometimes not thankful?

 

To answer this, let’s look at today’s gospel. Jesus heals ten lepers and only one comes back to thank him.

 

Following the guidance of some of our Catholic spiritual guides, let’s put our imagination to work here. The Scriptures may speak to us more fully if we do that. 

 

So, let’s imagine: Maybe several of the other nine lepers immediately get busy building a new life for themselves. They busy themselves finding a job and a place to live and just forget the blessing they have received.

 

Maybe several of them decide to get back at anyone who made fun of them or ignored them. They are obsessed with vengeance and experience no joy in their cure.

 

And maybe several of them just run away as far as they can. They want to forget their old life even to the point of blocking out the cries of other lepers and people who are suffering.

 

Okay, all of this is imagination but may well be real-life. I believe it comes down to two reasons why you and I are sometimes not thankful to God in the way we should be.

 

First, we simply don’t notice the good things we have. We take for granted our life, our food, our clean water, our home, and on it goes.

 

We don’t even notice these ordinary things. And so, we don’t thank God for them.

 

And second, we get hung up on the negative. We get stuck on thinking about what we don’t have.

 

We keep saying “if only” this or “if only” that, things would be better. And this negative focus blocks us from thanking God.        

 

2.    Why Is This Important? 

 

That takes me to the second question: why is it important to be thankful?

 

I see two reasons. 

 

First, our thanking God gives us a certain humility. By humility, I don’t mean denying our talents or pretending that we are less than we are. 

 

Instead, by humility I mean that we stand in a correct relationship with God. We remember that God is the giver and sustainer of our life. 

 

We see God as loving and generous and remember God’s love for us in so many ways. Our thanking God leads us to a correct image of God and puts us in a correct relationship with God.

 

And second, it gives us compassion. It leads us to be empathetic with all other persons because all have been given life and love from God.

 

This compassion that comes from thankfulness begins with those at the very beginning of life. It begins with the unborn. 

 

We have sensitivity for their life because we have first appreciated our own life as a gift from God. We do whatever we can to protect and care for the life of the unborn and also of the newly born and all children.

 

In a way, I think this might be a comfortable thing for most of us to do – I hope it is. But the compassion that comes from thankfulness may also lead us beyond our comfort zone.

 

Recently, I have thought of those with same-sex-attraction. In every parish where I have ministered, including right here at Our Lady of Grace, especially young people with same-sex-attraction or their parents have spoken with me.

 

And the theme has been consistent: they feel unwanted, unwelcome, excluded by our Church. This is so counter to the way of Jesus. 

 

We need to be compassionate and respectful of life in all persons. Our thankfulness to God for our own life needs to lead us to welcome and care for all. 

 

Conclusion

 

So, the take-away today is that our thankfulness is important. 

 

Among other things, it gives us humility and compassion. Let’s make sure that we offer a prayer of thanks to God for something every day. 

 

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C - October 2, 2022

 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time 

Cycle C

October 2, 2022, 5pm and 11am       

Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton 

 

The Vision 

 

Today, I am focused on one word – the word “vision.”

 

In the first reading, God says: “Write down the vision. The vision will have its time and will not disappoint you.”

 

God wants to make sure that his people will remember the vision when life is tough. And it was tough for them at that time. 

 

God wants them and us to 1) see the vision, 2) trust the vision, and 3) live the vision.

 

1.    See the Vision

 

First, to see the vision.

 

For us, this means that we need to see Jesus himself.  We are to see him as the way to God and the way to know God because he is God present with us.

 

And so, we need to work to see the vision that Jesus gives us. For example, we are to see his vision of God as a loving Parent.

 

We are to see his vision of ourselves – as human and sometimes sinful, yes, but also as worthy and beloved by God. And we are to see his vision of all humanity – of all persons as God’s sons and daughters.

  

This vision gradually shapes who we become as persons. It shapes how we see ourselves, others, our world, and God himself. 

 

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?”

 

I mean, might we ourselves say similar words in today’s world or in our own personal life situation? How does God respond to this cry, this lament? 

 

God is reassuring: “Write down the vision. The vision will have its time and will not disappoint you.”

 

So, we are to trust the vision. Maybe we are in the middle of difficult chemotherapy treatments.  

 

Or maybe we are wondering how to meet all the bills with the high inflation and high cost of almost everything. In situations like these, God asks us to trust the vision.

 

And part of that vision is that we are not alone. We are to trust Jesus’ promise that he is always with us as our strength and our refuge, no matter what. 

 

3.    Live the Vision 

 

And then, with this seeing and with this trust, we are to live the vision.

 

Jesus says today: “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can move mountains.” In other words, we are to set out to live the vision that faith gives us and we are to live it in everyday ways.

 

So, a child or teen tells their parents the truth about what they did even if they will be sent to their room or grounded for a while. They live the vision by telling the truth.

 

Or we adults live the vision every time we stop being self-focused and instead also focus on the well-being of another. Here we live the vision of loving one another as we love ourselves – a balance that Jesus calls us to live. 

 

Conclusion

 

Now, if we do all of that, this in itself will be our reward.  

 

This is what Jesus means in our gospel passage when he talks about the servants not expecting the master to wait on them after they have worked all day. I mean, this seems like a strange passage at first sight.

 

It seems uncaring and callous. But, if we put it in context, Jesus isn’t talking here about how a master in his day should treat servants or how an employer today is to treat employees.

 

Instead, he is talking about our vision of ourselves – all of us, you and me seeing ourselves as servants of God. He doesn’t want us to expect or depend on earthly rewards, as nice as they can be.

 

Rather, he wants us to 1) see the vision, 2) trust the vision, and 3) live the vision. And he is saying that, if we do this, we will experience an inner satisfaction and peace, and that will be reward enough for us. 

 

That will be a sufficient reward – even an eternal reward. That’s my take on these passages today.