SLOW BUT STEADY

We think of sleep as a time for recharging the body, but the brain is actually quite active during sleep — dreaming.  Our dreams can be soothing or scary, mysterious or helpful, and realistic or fantastical.  Sometimes we wake up having no idea we’ve dreamed, while other times, we can closely recall our dreams because they were so intense and vivid.[1]

What an incredible night Daniel has when he goes to sleep!  When he slept vision after vision occur in his dreams.  While partially terrifying, the visions also provide assurances of hope for the future and expectations of God’s victory are not in vain.

In the Gospel, Luke is appealing to Jesus the teacher; whose primary audience is his disciples.  Jesus compares the coming of God’s realm to a blossoming fig tree.  It signifies a change in season is near and thus it shall be with the coming realm of God.  The fig tree signifies part of a “settled life,” symbolizes “the good life” of joy, peace, and prosperity.  Establishing a fig tree is not easy.  Great effort and years of cultivation are needed before a fig tree will blossom in all its fullness.[2]

Jesus knows very well that the reign of God will be a long time in coming.  So, he compares its slow growth to the slow growth and development of the fig tree—and finally its magnificent flowering.  The fig tree’s maturity is steady once it has become established.  Some would say our Christian faith is only 2,000 years old, and we are still waiting for its full flowering.  Many might say it’s still too soon to tell what the fig tree is really going to end up looking like.

Jesus assures his followers the kingdom of God is near and we, his followers, must remain vigilant, hopeful, and steadfast in our faith, for the full blossoming is on its way.  The Scripture passage immediately preceding today’s Gospel, reminds us that Jesus declares there will be signs of “what is coming upon the world” (Lk 21:26).  “But when these signs begin to happen,” Jesus says, “stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand” (Lk 21:28).

As we wait and are vigilant for the change of season, let us be patient and yet active in our Christian duty of cultivating and nurturing this slow but sure “fig tree” we call our life of faith.[3]

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[1] Healthline.com, “What’s Causing My Vivid Dreams?”

[2] Weekday HomilyHelps. Exegesus by Dr. Carol Dempsey, OP.

[3] Ibid, Homily Suggestion by Linus Mundy.

THE HANDWRITING IS ON THE WALL!

Throughout human history, public walls have been used to communicate various ideas from political dissent to love messages to purely artistic endeavors.  Our own culture has expanded and enhanced this age-old art form we commonly refer to as “graffiti.” [Please don't take up your spray paint and go about saying Deacon Joe thinks graffiti is an art form and an appropriate way to get your message across to the public.]  The word finds its origin in ancient Rome.  It is the plural of graffito, which means “to scratch” and commonly refers to drawing on a wall in such a way as to be seen by the public to communicate a particular message.  The word “graffiti” finds its roots in writing on the walls of the ruins of ancient Pompeii and Rome around 50 B.C.

Graffiti is a worldwide phenomenon.  Communicating messages around the globe.  Who of us can forget the tearing down of the Berlin Wall in 1990?  As we watched it come tumbling down, we noted it was full of graffiti on its western side.  For years this 15-foot high, over 100-mile long, wall had borne messages to the world of a long hoped-for freedom.[1]

Today’s first reading evokes this saying: “We better care about the future; we will be spending the rest of our lives there.”  Daniel cares a lot about the future and as a prophet he declares the truth.  The tragic truth Daniel needs to tell King Belshazzar is his Babylonian empire is ending.  The “writing is on the wall” literally.

The story is a profound lesson in humility, underscoring the foolishness of idol worship, offering a glimpse into the expectations of a God who embodies the Babylonian empire with its power, influence, and domination.

The “writing is on the wall” for all of us as well.  Many generations after Daniel, Jesus dramatically reinforces this message of humility, this lesson of putting material things and ego things in their proper place.  God and neighbor come first.  Do the big choices—and even the little choices we make every day—demonstrate we have our priorities straight?  It’s only human to want what we consider “the good things in life.” But our faith gives us new and challenging definitions of just what those good things are.

We are living in a pluralistic culture that tells us there are many paths to God.  In light of eternity what is the kingdom of Babylon, what is the United States of America, when compared with the kingdom forfeited by men and women without Christ, men and women who will be “weighed on the scales and found wanting”? (Dn 5:27)

“Mene, Tekel, and Peres.” (Dn 5:25) God’s graffiti. The handwriting is on the wall!

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[1] Preaching.com “The Handwriting Is on the Wall” by O.S. Hawkins

TIME AND SPACE

I believe there is a time and a place for everything and that there is a necessary balance in human engagements.  This seems to be particularly important when it comes to entering the church for Mass.

The sacredness of the church goes back to the days of the temple.  We hear in our first reading how Judas and his brothers assembled the whole army, after their enemies were crushed, went up to purify the sanctuary and rededicate it. (1 Mc 4:36-37) For eight days the community celebrated the dedication of the altar, and to celebrate for eight days on the anniversary date thereafter.  I’ve been blessed to see 5 altars dedicated by the Bishops of the Diocese of Orlando, including the Cathedral and this altar.  Bishop Barron talks of 5 paths to understanding the Catholic faith to reengage those who have left or living on the fringe.  The first path is Charity & Justice, the second is Beauty.  The Church and her worship spaces, her liturgy are beautiful, but most often misunderstood.  The beauty and sacredness of our churches command and demand our utmost respect.  It is no wonder that we read of Jesus driving out the merchants telling them, “My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves." (Lk 19:46)

When I consider our own local house of prayer, the visitors I invite are in awe of the beauty of the sacred space, yet I can’t help but think of the many broken people who come.  The wounded and searching people.  Let’s face it, we are all to some degree broken believers who enter this sacred space seeking answers to and refuge from life challenges, seeking reconciliation with God, and maybe just seeking a fleeting moment of peace.

And so, Mother Church, over time, has developed norms which include an element of sacred silence to establish and cultivate an environment of prayer, while also acknowledging the human social dimension of welcoming and greeting.

The 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal speaks very specifically about silence before and during the liturgy.  Reading: “Sacred silence also, as part of the celebration, is to be observed at the designated times.” . . . “Even before the celebration itself, it is praiseworthy practice for silence be observed in the church, in the sacristy, in the vesting room, and in adjacent areas, so that all may dispose themselves to carry out the sacred celebration in a devout and fitting manner” (45).

I also found a reference (from the Introduction to the Order of Mass, a pastoral resource issued in 2003 by the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy) that speaks favorably of Mass attendees being “made welcome by representatives of the community and acknowledged informally by their neighbors.”

Now, I’ve seen both references taken to the extreme.  Where reverence for the sacred silence is strictly enforces upon entering church to the point that the environment becomes like a stuffy museum or welcoming equates to a constant chattering in the pews without consideration for those around them attempting to quiet their hearts to hear God calming whisper of consolation. 

So, I return to my opening line, there is a time and a place for everything.  Sacred silence and welcoming, done in proper balance, respects the sanctity of the sacred space and allows for the community to be welcoming, to be united in prayer and fellowship

FAITHFUL INVESTMENT

I attended the baby shower for my daughters second child.  My daughter and her husband are not actively engaged in their faith traditions, yet my son-in-law made a very faith-filled comment while they were opening the gifts everyone brought.  He blurted out in awe, how mysterious & wondrous it is, how a baby is formed in a mother’s womb and is brought into the world as a unique individual.  Some of us acknowledged this forming of the child as the hand of God active in their lives.

The mother in our first reading expresses the same message when she, “Filled with a noble spirit … exhorted … "I do not know how you came into existence in my womb; it was not I who gave you the breath of life, nor was it I who set in order the elements of which each of you is composed.” (2Mc 7:21-22) It seemed this was all that was needed for the youngest of seven to have the courage to see his faith through to the end.  A point of enlightenment for me is this is the Old Testament, before Jesus, moment that speaks of the faith in the resurrection.  An understanding and faith in God’s engagement that the sons and their mother offer their very lives as witness to this trust.

Jesus’ parable today speaks of this trust and faith.  This parable is less about the intrigue surrounding whether the nobleman would become king as it is about the people who were already loyal to him.  How would they spend the time while they awaited their master’s return?  Would they invest in the coming kingdom, confident in their master’s claim and authority?  Or would they hedge their bets, not sure whether their master would triumph?  In other words, did they believe in him, and did their faith translate into action?[1]

Each of us face the same questions: Will we invest in the coming kingdom?  Do we believe in Jesus enough that our faith translates into action?

I can’t help but to think, Thanksgiving is one week away.  For some the tension is building now, as we ponder how to engage in conversation on the many sensitive current event topics in politics and religion.  As family gathers around the table for the feast, “I beg you, child, to look at the heavens and the earth and see all that is in them; … know that God did not make them out of existing things; and in the same way the human race came into existence.” (2Mc 7:28)

When the opportunity to share our faith arises, to stand for the Gospel values, will this Eucharistic feast of Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection that we share and profess, give us the courage to put our faith into action, thus making an investment in our family and friend’s salvation and movement toward the coming Kingdom?

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[1] The Word Among Us, November 2019

LOST IN CREATION’S BEAUTY

Homer tells the story of Ulysses a respected warrior who is returning home, to the island of Ithaca, from the Trojan War.  Ulysses is a sympathetic, complex man.  He tries to do the right thing and usually pays attention to what the gods tell him.

He especially heeds advice from the goddess Circe who warns him about the “Sirens.” These two monsters, who pretend to be beautiful women with amazing voices, try to assure sailors, who pass their island, by wanting to entertain them with beautiful melodies.  What they really want, however, is to kill them.

But Ulysses wants to hear that famous song and still survive.  Circe has told him how to do it.  He orders his sailors to tie him firmly to the ship’s mast. When he is firmly tied, and his men have the beeswax in their ears, they row their ship alongside the island. 

When he hears the words and the music, the song enchants Ulysses’ heart. He longs to plunge into the waves and to swim to the island to embrace the Sirens.  He strains against the bonds nodding and scowling at his ear-plugged crew as if urging them to free him.  Expecting this reaction, the men row harder and harder with their oars to safety.

Today’s reading describes pagan philosophers so caught up in objects of beauty in creation that they lose sight of their Creator.  Sensory pleasure from art so overwhelms them that they lose sight of the invisible and more powerful realities at work.  In sum, they are ignorant of God.

Jesus too, draws on the stories of Noah and Lot to teach a similar point: It is so easy to get caught up in daily affairs, deadlines, and even desires that we lose sight of eternity.  The phrase “One will be taken and the other left” speaks of the tentativeness and passing value of life’s cares.  Being “taken” happens to us—it’s not something we plan for ourselves.

The question comes to me, is there balance in our lives?  Is God at the center of our being?  Are we so enchanted by desires for success or wealth, or the beauty of the world around us that we strain against the bonds of what we know are right & just to achieve our desires at any cost?  Perhaps the thing we cling to most is security.  It helps us feel control over the inevitable changes in life.  Jesus reminds us that control is not the mother of inner peace.

As we approach this mystery of true love, can we stand before God in gratitude for his freely given love and grace, not armed with a list of accomplishments? 

POWER & IMMIGRATION

Voltaire penned, “Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe.”

Mother Cabrini, whom the Church honors today, lived by faith. She and her sisters intended to be missionaries in China. Yet, Pope Leo XIII told her, “not to go to the East, but to the West.”  She was sent to serve thousands of Italian immigrants in the United States. Mother Cabrini arrived in a New York City filled with chaos and poverty.  When things started off so bad the Archbishop of New York urged the ailing nun to return to Italy.  By faith she stayed and over time her community established 67 institutions throughout the United States (schools, orphanages, and hospitals). In 1909, Frances became a naturalized citizen and was named patroness of immigrants in 1950.

No doubt, American policies on immigration have shifted based on those in power.  Whether Italians, Irish, Germans, Polish, Asians, or those coming by way of the Southern border, the motto of, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” has often shifted to, “Give me those who we feel can contribute to the greatness of America, all others need not apply and will be stopped.” I wonder if sometimes we forget that America was made great by the efforts of a sickly nun and the backs of laborers who worked mines, mills, factories, and railroads.

Our first reading tells us that Wisdom must be sought, especially by kings and judges. Israelite kings were to uphold justice as a primary duty, but they often brought injustice through abuse of power and trampling on the poor.

We must recognize that the current immigration situation globally is a very complex issue that needs Wisdom. The Wisdom reading warns against “dominion” reduced to domination and control. The author reminds the audience that the human family is blessed in stewardship and kinship with all creation as a subject; the world is not an object for human exploitation.

Truly wise rulers are humble and motivated by service. Such insight from Wisdom remains timeless and speaks to leadership in every age and circumstance. The lowly may be pardoned, and the Lord stands in awe of no one. The Lord “provides for all alike” (Wis 6:6–7). 

Max Lucado, Christian author and San Antonio pastor, writes: “Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want. It is the belief that God will do what is right.” Striving to do what is right keeps us on the path of faith. The one Samaritan who returned to Jesus was not acknowledged for his thanks but for his faith.  Indeed, faith at times takes us to that place beyond which reason fails. That’s what can make being led by the Lord’s hand an attractive adventure.

THE LIVING GOD

We recently returned from a Pilgrimage of Mercy to Poland following the steps of St. Maximillian Kolbe, St. Faustina & St. Pope John Paul II.  One of the sites we visited was St. Maximillian’s monastery. His story struck me deeply on how Fr. Kolbe was arrested by the German Gestapo and taken to prison.  Three months later, he was transferred to Auschwitz and became the victim to severe violence and harassment. Toward the end of his second month in Auschwitz, men were chosen to face death by starvation to warn against escapes.  Fr. Kolbe was not chosen but volunteered to take the place of a man with a family.  It is said during the last days of his life Kolbe led prayers to Our Lady with the prisoners and remained calm. He was the last of the group to remain alive, after two weeks of dehydration and starvation. The guards gave him a lethal injection of carbolic acid. The stories tell that he raised his left arm and calmly awaited death.[1]

Where does one find the courage to lay down their life and receive death so calmly?  Much like the Maccabean brothers and their mother, in the first reading, who chose to be faithful to God rather than transgress God’s laws. They endured the cruel sport of their tormentors offered their lives, not out of lust for suffering or a rejection of the world, but in trust of the living God.[2] Faith in the promise of resurrection.

As we ponder Jesus’ confrontation with the Sadducees, regarding life in the world to come, compels us to ask, “Do we believe in resurrection?”  How one answers this question orients how we live today. It is a question that is not so much answered intellectually as it is in the ordering of our loves. Who or what is our true love?  Do we find our loves fulfilled in the living God or in the promises of this world?

In his response to the Sadducees, Jesus states that God, is a God of the living, speaking in the present tense of the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. All people are alive to God.  So, the Resurrection is not just about a future life.  It’s also about our current life, which will be transformed in life beyond the world as we know it. The Gospel is revealing that the real life is both now and then, and how we live now is how it will be forever.

It’s really very simple, our choice in how we live our life right now is telling God what you want.  If you are living a life of negativity, separation, judgments, and hatred, that’s Hell and it begins right now.  Sadly, some people, I’m afraid, choose hatred and are living in their own Hell.  They’re not going to be surprised when their earthly journey ends. 

Yet, if we choose love, then we’re choosing the eternal element that exists forever.  Choosing to love and serve this world and our neighbor, we’re already having a foretaste of Heaven.  Maybe it doesn’t always feel like it but the fact remains, it’s a foretaste of the promise.  Jesus wasn’t putting down marriage in this reading.  He’s simply saying marriage is a school of eternity because at least we’re learning how to be united to one other person.  The reason he says Heaven will not be about marriage is because Heaven is a universal connection, not just with one other person, but with everything and everybody.[3]

God journeys with us and will help us negotiate life here and hereafter, if we allow God to give us direction and hope.  Everything we have loved will be with you in eternity.  Many of us will be happy to know this includes our dog or our cat.

As Catholics, we express our trust in God during the Catholic funeral rites when we profess our belief that at death “life is changed, not taken away.”  This Eucharist is an expression of our belief in the good news that Christ is risen and has won for us a life stronger than death.

There was a picture in the museum at the monastery that captured my contemplative gaze.  It was a picture of the gray concentration camp with Fr. Kolbe, in his stripes, being taken up heavenward and behind him a great multitude of others, literally rising from the ashes.  We just received a card this week in our office from a widow who lost her husband unexpectedly.  She wrote, “We are all blessed by David, his love for…”  Do you hear and see how she communicates about her husband, “we are blessed” she speaks as someone who believe her husband is alive with Christ and interceding for us.  This is a person who believes all we profess in the Creed.

“I believe in God” a living God, I believe in Jesus Christ, the first fruits of the life to come, I believe in the Holy Spirit, who is active in our daily lives, and the Communion of Saints including all those we’ve loved and have proceeded us.

“I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.”

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[1] St. Maximilian Kolbe, Catholic Online / Saints & Angels, https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=370

[2] The Word on the Street, by John W. Martens, “The Living God” © 2018

[3] Hungry, and You Fed Me © 2012 Edited by Jim Knipper. “The LORD is not God of the dead, but of the living.” Fr. Richard Rohr, O.F.M.

SECRET RECIPES

I had a flashback this morning when I drove onto the parish campus.  All the preparations for the annual Fall Festival was going on, it reminded me of the years I worked for Habitat for Humanity of South Brevard.  Habitat’s largest annual fundraiser the Strawberry Festival.  We had everything strawberry, with the main attraction was the strawberry shortcakes.  Planning for the festival was a challenge early on because all the individual food booths had “secret recipes”.  Recipes that were very reluctant to share.  It took me three years to develop the relationships to gain the volunteers trust so they were willing to share their secret recipes so we could better plan for future events.  Pondering today’s Gospel made me think about the benefits of sharing and the consequences of not sharing.

The Gospel starts out with a rich man (aka God) is preparing to fire his steward for what appears to be a just cause.  By the end of Jesus’ parable, however, the steward is actually commended for “acting prudently.”  In fact, the steward redeems himself by giving away goods that are rightfully his owner’s.  That makes no sense!  Giving away more of your owner’s stuff is all the more reason to be fired!

Millard Fuller, founding president of Habitat for Humanity International, in his book, “Love in the Mortar Joints” speaks of the Economy of Jesus.  He refers to the scripture that basically states, to whom much is given, much is expected.

In God’s gift economy, the steward’s prudent action makes perfect sense.  God is the eternal giver: the perpetual, indiscriminate sharer. “He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous” (Mt 5:45).  Giving and outpouring reflect the fundamental nature of God.  From this perspective, what is given has been given in order to be given.  In other words, everything we receive is a gift from God that is meant to be regifted to others.  That is why the dishonest steward is commended for acting prudently (wisely).  He is actually acting in a godly manner by forgiving debt and extending generosity to others.

To often in business and church have I experienced people hanging onto “secret recipes” or knowledge for fear of losing their identity that is rooting in the secret or the perceived loss of power/control if they shared their knowledge/gifts.

We would do well to emulate the redeeming qualities of the steward by giving away God’s stuff.  We were never meant to be share-holders; we are meant to be share-givers. God challenges us every day to outdo His divine generosity, compassion, forgiveness, and mercy.  Be a good steward and let’s step up to God’s challenge.