EVERYTHING HAS A PRICE

Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Luke 14: 25 - 33

 

“Everything has a price”

“There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”

“What’s it worth to you?”

We’re all familiar with these phrases.  When you get right down to it, they all convey the same message.  If there’s something you value, you’ll have to make a sacrifice for it one way or another.

 

What about my faith?

 

Is it something I value, or is it simply a goal?

Do I just want to follow all the rules and precepts and avoid violating the commandments?  Just do and say the right things so that when I die I go to heaven?  There!  I win!

 

Or do I value the relationship that God has with me?  A relationship based upon the fact that Jesus paid the ultimate price for teaching me, forgiving me, healing me, guiding me, comforting me.  He showed me that He loves me so much that He was willing to give ALL – for me.  Do I love the same way?  Am I willing to risk ALL to love others as He loved me?  Is that something I truly value?  Am I willing to pay the price. Or do I just want to play it safe?

 

All our lives we make sacrifices for the things we value.  Each of us could look at his or her life and see what we were willing to give up for what was important to us.  We all know that if we weren’t willing to make a particular sacrifice, well, then what we thought we wanted wasn’t important enough after all!

 

What about my relationship with God?  Is it something I value enough to make the sacrifices that will be asked of me?  No one can answer that for me.  The choice is in my hands alone.

 

“Call Me Ishmael”

 

The Lowest Place

 Six years ago, I was asked to give a speech honoring one of the best men I have ever met, Bob Martella.  And in fact, the person asking me to give the speech was another of the best men I have ever met, Paul Clagnaz.  The occasion was Bob's retirement as the Head Custodian, teacher, and coach of St. Brigid's School.  

My main inspiration for the speech was this Sunday's Gospel.  The reading is from Luke 14: 1, 7-14.  

In the reading, Jesus is telling a parable about going to a party.  The message of the parable is that we should conduct ourselves with humility and honor God in our works, rather than assigning the credit for our actions to ourselves.  In the parable, Jesus suggests that a party guest should take the seat of least honor, so that the host may ask the guest to move up to a higher seat.  And Jesus warns that if the guest assigns himself the higher seat, he may be embarrassed if the host asks him to move to a lower seat.  

Speaking about Bob was easy because he always assigned himself the lowest seat.  By that, I mean that he always did the right thing, without looking to be applauded for his efforts.  He always understood that the goal of his actions was to help others and so give glory to God.  He never acted as though the goal was to honor himself.  Paul is like that, too.  Two men of great integrity.   

But here's the point.   We have high moments and low moments.  What I try to do is not "strut" at the high moments.  Because, brother I'm here to tell you, "this too shall pass".  I'll be patting myself on the back for something I did, and then God will put me where he wants me, i.e., the lower seat.  He will remind me of my failings.  Or maybe I remind myself.  Or maybe both.

I guess the best way to avoid having those moments of strutting for our "good deeds", and then being smacked down, is to remind ourselves that our successes, achievements, and honors truly do not belong to us; they belong to God.  Our successes are no reason to assign ourselves the "higher seat".  As Matthew 5:16 reminds us, "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good deeds and give glory to your father in heaven."  Sounds right to me.

Or remember it a different way.  How do we start our prayers?  "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit..."  All of our works are done in the name of God, not in the name of ourselves.

Peace be with you.  Keep the faith.    

- The Older Brother  

 

VIVIR LO QUE CREEMOS

 

Cuándo estaba en la escuela elemental, un día nuestra maestra de religión, una santa mujer, persona de oración y de vida contemplativa, nos hizo la siguiente pregunta, ¿qué santo te gustaría imitar?  No recuerdo las respuestas de mis compañeros de clase, pero sí recuerdo claramente lo que yo contesté. Dije, “me gustaría imitar a los mártires”. La maestra comentó, “que valiente eres “.

No es que yo fuera tan valiente, no lo era entonces y no soy ahora, todo lo contrario. Pero mi razonamiento era que el mártir al dar su vida en defensa de la fe va directamente al cielo. Mi respuesta fue motivada por el deseo de ganarme el cielo. Pero la verdad es que en aquel momento yo no entendía lo que el martirio supone.  ;¡ La ignorancia es atrevida!

La idea central de las lecturas de este domingo 20º del tiempo ordinario, ciclo C, es qué tenemos que estar dispuestos a vivir de acuerdo a nuestras convicciones, a lo que creemos, a nuestros principios religiosos, aunque vivirlos y defenderlos nos cueste la vida, nos lleve al martirio.

 

Esta semana pasada hemos celebrado la fiesta de San Lorenzo mártir, un mártir del siglo tercero de la era cristiana y también celebramos la fiesta de Santa Teresa Benedicta de la Santa Cruz, Edith Stein, una santa contemporánea que fue víctima del horrible Holocausto en Auschwitz. Lo que le caracteriza a ambos es que el fuego del Espíritu Santo, el fuego que Jesús vino a traer al mundo ardía en sus corazones.

 

En nuestros días también hemos recibido el testimonio de la vida del santo salvadoreño, Monseñor Óscar Romero y la del también santo sacerdote Rutilio Granda.   Ambos martirizados por defender los derechos de los pobres, por ser la voz de los que no tenían voz frente a un gobierno opresor.

 

En la iglesia ha habido santos martiries en todos los tiempos y en todos los países y continuarán habiendo siempre personas dispuestas a derramar su sangre por la defensa de la fe.

 

No creo que ni yo ni ninguno de nosotros seremos llamados a derramar nuestra sangre en defensa de la fe. Pero sí sé que el vivir nuestra fe día a día, preguntándonos en ocasiones que lo merezcan,

¿qué haría Jesús en esta situación?  y tratando de actuar, de responder, como Jesús lo haría, supone sacrificio, compromiso, convicción.

 

Vivir nuestra fe, responder como Jesús lo haría motivados por el ardor del fuego del Espíritu Santo que Jesús nos da en nuestro diario vivir es una forma de martirio. Y hay que tener en cuenta que a veces nuestro comportamiento no va a ser entendido por otros aún por miembros de nuestras familias. Pero esta es la conducta que nos va a ganar el cielo.

 

¡Que el fuego del espíritu Santo arda en tu corazón a fin de qué siempre actúes como Jesús lo haría!  ¡que Nuestra Señora, la Virgen Madre, nos guie!

El Caballero de Nuestra Señora

 

     

 

 

MORE DIVISION?

Luke 12; 49-53

Sunday Gospel Reflection 8.14.22

 

O’ Lord, how You must weep when gazing upon the fires of division that man stokes.

Much of Your creation is being turned into ash, polluted, and being poisoned.

            Glory to You Weeping Prophet!

Many from this earthly kingdom conspire and work dirty deeds behind locked doors.

They do not believe that You see all their deceptive ways.

            Praise to the Patron of Transparency!

Prophecy will return and reveal herself to both the just and unjust.

Yet the division cited in this word will be unlike that of man’s corrupt discord.

            O’ Lord, You are the King of Justice!

For the time has come when You will divide all into two opposing camps.

Those on the right to be saved and those on the left to be lost.

            You, Lord, are the Just Judge!

My soul weeps with Yours because of this divide that has come to my home and church.

In truth, the Baptism of Fire is on the horizon and vigilance calls to us.

            Have mercy on us Victorious Resurrection!

 

My tired plea to those who might read this reflection is to stop for a moment and accept Yeshua into your hearts.  He anxiously awaits you, all of you without exception.  And please keep watch upon the horizon.

                                                                                                The Pilgrim.

Gird your loins and light your lamps

 Did you ever wonder what it meant to "Gird your loins"? well, here is a handy illustrated guide courtesy of the Art of Manliness website. As it turns out, the long tunic, which was the fashion of the day, restricted your movement. If you needed to do some heavy work, or anything for that matter that required a full range of movement,  you would need to "Gird your loins."

So why does Jesus suggest that good servants have their loins girded when they await their master's return? How ready do you need to be to open a door?

Well, I think there's more context to the scenario; Weddings could be feasts that lasted many days. In the book of Tobit, Tobias' wedding feast lasted two weeks. Transportation infrastructure was non-existent so that's a variable that could significantly lengthen the time the Master was away. If He was away for any period of time, it's reasonable to assume He would have  luggage that would need to be unloaded. Unlike the typical 5 hour wedding feast of today's day and age, the Master indeed could be long delayed.

 When the Master comes, the good servant opens the door before his Master even gets there. He was ready and watching for his Master. The Master is greeted warmly by attentive servants, Who run to take His bags in, wash His feet, put a robe on Him and provide refreshments for the tired and thirsty traveler.

Let us not be like the wicked servant, who was not watching for his Master's return. The Master stood outside at the door, waiting for the servant who was slow to rise. When he did rise, the Master had to wait even longer for the servant to light his lamp and get ready to go and receive his Master. 

When the wicked servant finally opens the door, how will it go for him?

Are you ready?

                     + Theophilus