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The True Self

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First Reading: Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29
Responsorial: Psalm 68:4-5, 6-7, 10-11
Second Reading: Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24A
Gospel: Luke 14:1, 7-14

Happy first day of September! In today’s Gospel, Luke 14:1, 7-14, Jesus tells the parable of those invited to a wedding feast. He was not giving them, and he is not giving us an etiquette lesson. Rather, the message he is trying to give us speaks to a great spiritual truth. We’ll get to that in a minute, but first, he describes the guests as jockeying for better places at the table. Listen to what he says.

“When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor. A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him, and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place,” (Luke 14:8-9).

What’s one way we can describe the person who assumed they should have the best spot at the table? I think we can say that person was suffering delusions of grandeur! But we shouldn’t smile, shake our head at this poor fellow and go on about our lives. Remember, Jesus is having dinner with a Pharisee and was observing how all the other guests were jockeying for position at the table. Jesus is saying to them, and to us that we shouldn’t have pride of place.

It is certainly true that in our culture today, many people are preoccupied with position or status – “what will people think?” “how will we be viewed by others?” or “what’s in it for me?”. We can create this idea about how important we are or we worry about how we’re perceived by others. These layers we build up or this idea or image we have is what the spiritual masters call the false self.

Now the false self is not inherently bad. Psychologically speaking, we might at times needs this false self or costume to get going – to get motivated – to do things we think are completely impossible, like speaking in public. But this false self can obscure our vision. We might become so attached to the costume that we lose sight of who we really are – or become trapped by worrying about what others think of us. It’s like being stuck in your early teen years always worrying that something you do or say might make everyone laugh at you in the most humiliating way.

As disciples of Jesus Christ, our mission is to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ into the world. We do this with words, and we do this with our actions by ministering to those on the margins. If we’re always too focused on ourselves, then we will be blinded to what really matters. This is the spiritual truth that Jesus is trying to explain to us. When we drop all pretenses, we allow our true self to come through. Our true self can relate simply and directly to reality.

Like an innocent child, our true self will look to those in need and say with all honesty, “We should help them.” And of course, we help without any expectation of repayment. In today’s Gospel, Jesus says we should invite those who can never repay us. For example, when I minister to the needy, when I bring food or supplies to the homeless, when I minister to the orphan, when I visit the sick or the imprisoned, do I look for some sort of repayment? Of course not! Serving others is experiencing the God who is love. As Thomas Merton said, “Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone. We find it with another.”

This is the true humility we hear in the First Reading from Sirach chapter 3. Drop all pretenses. Be humble and love and serve the Lord by loving and serving others.

Homework! I encourage you to reflect on the following two questions this week:

  1. First, what layers or costume do you adopt to protect yourself?
  2. Second, how would you describe your true self?

I think our homework this week will allow us to live more authentically as our true selves. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

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The Narrow Path

a path through rock that narrows to a slim opening

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Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time Mass Readings

First Reading: Isaiah 66:18-21
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 117:1, 2
Second Reading: Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13
Gospel: Luke 13:22-30

“Lord, will only a few people be saved?” (Luke 13:23) Talk about insecurity!

Today’s first reading from Isaiah 66:18-21, and the Gospel reading from Luke 13:22-30, really speak to us about God’s infinite mercy for everyone.

But those who were walking with Jesus, witnessing all his works, presumably calling themselves his disciples, still lacked confidence that they would be saved. I don’t know anybody like that, do you?

Then Jesus says, “Strive to enter through the narrow door,” (Luke 13:24). Jesus isn’t talking about some strange gnostic or Calvinist idea of predestination. No! The Greek word that is used for “strive” is the word we get “agony” from, which in this case means strenuous athletic effort. This is much like the “agony” athletes go through – the effort, the energy, pain and dedication it takes to compete in the Olympics for example. Years of dedication and effort, and yet not all who try will make it to through the narrow gate of competition. Not all will make it to the Olympics. This is the way Jesus describes the path of the disciple.

But wait! There’s more!

Jesus goes on to say, “After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ He will say to you in reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ And you will say, ‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’ Then he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!’ And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth…” (Luke 13:25-28).

Later, Jesus says that, “…people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south…some who are last who will be first, and some who are first who will be last” (Luke 13:29-30), and the implication is that it might not be them. Now think about that…you’ve been walking with Jesus, but you find yourself outside and others you don’t even know will come from all parts of the world and they, they who did not personally walk with Jesus, might be allowed inside.

Whoa!

This is what should give all of us pause. It doesn’t matter whether you’re sitting in the pew on a regular basis, or you faithfully serve all the time, as clergy or a lay minister. Why? There is no salvation by association, and we can’t earn our way into heaven by going to church or serving the community.

What then does it take and why does Jesus call it the narrow gate?

I have to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. What does it mean to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior? It means I have to surrender. I accept that Jesus is the Lord of my life, and that I am not the lord of the manner. It’s not my life to live however I want to live whenever I want to live and doing whatever I want. My purpose isn’t to satisfy every one of my hedonistic or narcissistic desires. I have to acknowledge that God created me for a purpose, and that I need to discover and live that purpose as faithfully as possible.

Okay, so I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior. Now what? Our responsorial psalm today reminds us that we need to, “Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.” That’s the response we make to Psalm 117.

As a disciple, I am called to go out into the world and share the Good News of Jesus Christ. I need to share the Good News with those who can’t come to church, don’t come to church or won’t come to church. That’s a big challenge. Look at what’s happening in the world all around us. Once again, we see the rise of nationalism, the rise of bigotry, of hatred, of racism. The world once again is ignoring the lessons paid for with the blood of our fathers and grandfathers who fought to end all wars. The world marches almost gleefully into darkness.

But we, the children of the light, are called to share the light of Jesus Christ with those cast in darkness. That takes great courage, but indeed that is the kind of person who will enter through the narrow gate – those who accept Jesus Christ and who aren’t afraid to spread the Good News about God’s infinite, unmerited, undeserved gift of mercy for all of His creation.

You can’t be born into salvation. Salvation isn’t limited to some racial or ethnic group. Salvation isn’t offered to those who work hard at being good people. Salvation is offered to those who accept the Lord’s invitation. All it takes is our free response.

Are you ready?

Homework! I encourage you to spend some time this week reflecting on the following questions.

  1. First, have I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior? Maybe I’ve been living like a Christian by default, either by birth, expectation or obligation? Or maybe I haven’t opened myself up to Jesus Christ.
  2. Second, have I surrendered by life to Jesus Christ? Or do I still have the arrogance to think it’s my way.

I think by doing our homework today, we can deepen our resolve as disciples of Jesus Christ and help bring the message of hope to a world that desperately needs to hear it. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

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Set the World on Fire

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Set Your World on Fire!

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Mass Readings

First Reading: Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10
Psalm: Psalm 40:2, 3, 4, 18
Second Reading: Hebrews 12:1-4
Gospel: Luke 12:49-53

“I have come to set the earth on fire,” (Luke 12:49).

Okay…what does this mean?

Jesus came to set fire to the earth. This is very often interpreted to mean the fire of the Holy Spirit which will be set upon the earth after Jesus endures the baptism of his passion and death.<1> But Jesus goes on in this same verse to say, “…how I wish it were already blazing!” And then he goes on to say that his message will divide people and divide families. Why? What’s going on here?

Well, I think it’s too easy to get caught up in the mechanics of life. It’s too easy to be caught up in all the things this world tells us are important or necessary – contradictory messages that you can have it all, so apply for that new credit card, against the message of saving and investing. It can be so confusing, and at the same time so tempting. We’re drawn into the realities of this world, often out of necessity, and find that we work and work and hardly get ahead in life. I often wonder if the enemy hasn’t rigged the system to keep so many of us distracted from what’s really important – to keep our eyes off Jesus. And so, we get caught in the rat race – a proverbial hamster wheel from which many will never escape. The rat race traps us in into mediocre and unfulfilled lives.

But Jesus came to set the world on fire! He came to smash the hamster wheel, if we’ll let him. He came to lift us out of the rat race, if we accept him. He came to offer us the chance to be the people we are called to be.

So, where do we start? The answer to that question is an invitation to discipleship, which is the overall theme of our readings today.

First, as we heard in the Letter to Hebrews, we need to confess our sins, (Heb 12:1). Why? Look, happiness and fulfillment aren’t out there somewhere. You can’t go out and try to find your happiness and you will never find it in a cherry-red convertible. Happiness isn’t something that will magically come tomorrow. Happiness is available to us right here and right now. We need to confront the sin and the pain and hurt in our lives so that we can let it go and move on and experience the joy that Jesus offers us right now – today!

Second, we need to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. That means we need to keep our eyes on Jesus, as we find in today’s second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews. For many of us, this means reigniting the fire of our baptism. Allowing the Holy Spirit to set fire to our lives means that we surrender our attachment to this world – to everything which distracts us, like money, possessions, control, social media. By detaching ourselves, we then can take our rightful place as stewards using wealth and resources as tools rather than allowing ourselves to become slaves to the tools.

Next, we need to deepen our relationship with Jesus. We do this in several different ways. We can try to learn more about Jesus intellectually, like participating in Bible study programs or like going to talks offered by your church or in your area. We build on the intellectual by spending time with Jesus in prayer and in the mass. In our Catholic tradition, there are even opportunities to sit with Jesus during adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. But here’s the catch: we mustn’t try this exclusively alone. Yes, there are some aspects of this we do as individuals, but Jesus didn’t just come to save you and to save me. He came to us in the context of the community. That’s what the Kingdom of God is – a community. So, we need to reach out to those who are on the same journey we are on and discover the gift of seeing Jesus in their eyes. That’s beautiful! That’s a gift!

Finally, we need to share the gift of faith, the gift of salvation, the gift to rise above the rat race with other people. We need to witness to the one savior, Jesus Christ, to his church, to the community of believers. We need to witness to the fullness of salvation available through Jesus Christ. <2> This is what it means to be a missionary disciple.

Setting the hamster wheel a blaze, spending more time with Jesus and sharing the saving message of Jesus Christ and the gift of his church on earth are not popular messages. Walking this path could strain friendships and divide families. This path is not easy. In our first reading, they threw Jeremiah in a cistern for speaking out against an unjust war. Think about St. Teresa of Calcutta. Yes, she dedicated her life to serving those on the margins, but she fought years of doubt and depression in order to carry out God’s will. Or St. Agatha, the twelve-year-old girl who endured all kinds of torture, including disfigurement and sexual assault, but she would not deny her faith in Jesus Christ. Bishop St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More refused to go along with a man who wanted to make himself head of the Church in England and paid for it with their lives. And of course, they crucified Jesus for his radical message. <3>

But Jesus endured cross so that you and I might not, “grow weary and lose heart,” (Heb 12:2-3). We are challenged as disciples to keep running the race, (Heb 12:1). We are emboldened by the virtue of fortitude, which is both a gift of the Holy Spirit and a quality inherent in the human person. By allowing the fires of discipleship to consume the yoke that enslaves us to this world, we can help others rise above the distractions which keep our eyes off Jesus, and we can introduce others to Jesus Christ. Our salvation cannot be found in our bank ledger or our in our possessions. Those things are fleeting and can easily be lost or taken away from us. Our salvation comes from the undeserved, unmerited grace of God. Our salvation comes from the scandal of the cross. Our salvation comes from the blood of Jesus Christ. Our salvation comes through the fire of the Holy Spirit. Are you ready to set your world fire?

Homework! After being nourished by the Word of God proclaimed and by the Eucharist, I encourage you to reflect on these questions this week.

  1. We didn’t get a chance to discuss it, but who do you think the “cloud of witnesses” in the second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews refers to? What do you think everyone in the cloud of witnesses has in common?
  2. Does the radical unconditional love that God has for you cause resistance or division in your heart? If yes, why?

I think by doing our homework, we will be able to become more authentic witnesses as the disciples Jesus calls us to be. Do you got it? Do you get it? Are you going to do it? Good! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. +Amen!

Notes:
<1> The Gospel of Luke by Pablo T. Gadenz, Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, Baker Academic (2018).
<2> A History of The Christian Tradition by Thomas D. McGonigle and James F. Quigley, Paulist Press (1996).
<3> St. Teresa of Calcutta
St. Agatha
St. John Fisher
St. Thomas More
St. Catherine of Sienna