Last week, I met a priest from Uganda. He was telling me about his Sunday Masses with worshippers of 500 people at each Mass and his catechists who use bicycles to travel hundreds of miles each week going to small classes throughout his vast parish. When I expressed admiration, he said that his diocese had a strong culture of evangelization. The idea of a culture of evangelization goes back to the synoptic gospels. Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15, and Luke 24:47-48 come to the same conclusion after reporting the life and ministry of Jesus. They all agree that Jesus gave His followers a Great Commission. Jesus expressed an overwhelming desire to offer saving love universally and continuously to the whole world. In today’s Gospel, we hear startling words from Jesus. I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing. In both the Old and the New Testaments, fire is used as a symbol of God’s presence and love. Jesus Christ has come to save all of creation, to renew our Covenant with the Father, and to make every single person new in His likeness. The urgency in this scripture is obvious. In a world of time and space how is this work accomplished? Two millennia after His Ascension? It happens through the Church, through us. It is our Great Commission. We, the Church, are sent after every Mass to stoke the fire of God’s love wherever we go, for whomever we encounter. We are God’s collaborators. We proclaim Christ by our word and by the testimony of our lives. We are the “why” the Church was established. We are commanded to preach to all nations. We begin with ourselves and our families. We do the same for anyone within our sphere of influence: our relatives, our social circles, our communities, our parish. Parish is important. In the 4th century, St. John Chrysostom preached: You cannot pray at home as at a church, where there is a great multitude, where exclamations are cried out to God as from one great heart, and where there is something more: the union of minds, the accord of souls, the bond of charity, the prayers of priests. An evangelist is a person who works actively to spread and promote the Christian faith. A parish of evangelists creates a culture that takes time, intentionality, and constant attention. It has something more. Such a culture draws people into or back into the Catholic faith. It takes seriously the commission to set the world ablaze with love. Fr. Hernan Cely Pastor
The lesson in today’s Gospel is that Christian Hope is evidenced by constant readiness. Even if life is unsettled, uncomfortable, sorrowful, and full of suffering, we have the assurance that this is only part of our journey into joy. Readiness is the hallmark of the journey. Jesus calls us to be vigilant, prepared, faithful, and prudent. St. Peter asks in this passage whether this instruction is for everyone or just for Church leaders. Is this parable meant for us or for everyone? Peter’s question seems to indicate that he suspects that the task of the apostles will be enormous. He is worried that the threatening words of Jesus directed towards those who do not watch for His coming, or do not actively prepare, might be directed toward him. To Peter and the Apostles, to the Pope and his brother Bishops after Peter, God has entrusted the care of all His beloved children, and with that work, He has given extraordinary authority to carry out His plan. We should expect and demand much from our Church leaders. (We should pray for them, too). However, we are Christians. We do not believe that we are going to bring about, by our own efforts, the perfection of humanity. We know this will only be achieved by God when He brings history to its fulfillment. This past week, Pope Leo met with one million young pilgrims in Rome. He reminded them to aspire to great things and not to settle for less. He told them hope prepares us to act for the benefit of the world. He challenged them to live as servants of God always prepared to do God’s work through the gift of selfgiving love. Today’s Gospel tells us that the Son of God will come when we do not expect Him; He will break into history not when it seems finished, nor even when all seems hopeless. He will come at a time that makes sense to Him. When He does come, He expects to find us working and living life - constantly renewed and renewing. Every one of us: the young and the old, the clergy and the millions of individuals who are baptized and confirmed in Christ’s name must be vigilant. We had better be ready. Let’s look at our leaders in the Church to lead us and inspire us in this work of salvation. Let’s face the future and the present with courage and joy!
What we do with our possessions reveals the kind of people we are. The parable in today’s Gospel shows just how the hunger for more possessions can isolate us and cut us off from life. A farmer has a good harvest and instead of giving thanks to God for such abundance, he turns in on himself. He does not have enough room to store his crops, so he decides to build larger barns which will house them. He is not doing this to have a store of food to help his neighbors in time of famine. He is only interested in himself. He sees increasing his possessions as a means of security. He hopes to protect himself from the problems that ordinary people face every day. The effect of his greed is seen in his desire for enjoyment. He paraphrases Epicurus: Rest, eat, drink, and be merry. He forgets the final line tomorrow we die. As the farmer is thinking these private thoughts, he is interrupted by God. (A very unusual thing in a parable). His self-regarding world is broken open, and he is called a fool. He is acting as though there is no God. He thinks that he is in control of his future. But beneath his greed there hides a deep fear of the frailty of human life. He thinks that he can ensure the future with more possessions. He tries to forget that he has no power over life or death. The farmer dies alone in possession of riches which will soon be handed over to someone who did not work for them. If he had wanted to really live, he should have been rich in the sight of God. God alone can provide security because He is the source of life. God provided a Law that taught that possessions should be shared. Sharing is the sign that a person has overcome the fear of the frailty of life. Sharing is a sign that the generosity of God is recognized. The desire to have more and more destroys the person and society. In the second reading St. Paul says that greed is idolatry. Life is not made secure by what we own. Security come from trust in God. The Giver of Life keeps us from fear and grants us joy in sharing possessions with those in need.
One of the big mysteries of our faith is that we weak and foolish creatures can enter into a relationship with the Almighty and eternal God. We consider ourselves in a relationship so close that we see it as friendship, and beyond that we dare to call God our Father. Prayers of petition are a mystery, too. Asking God for things we need or just want seems like a very peculiar activity. God already knows what we want and has already decided whether or not to respond. We know that God’s will is eternal and unchanging. Isn’t it arrogant to think that we can change God’s mind? It must be that when we make our petitions to God, it is not God who changes, but we ourselves who are changed. As He listens to our needs, hopes, and desires, God invites us to share in His loving providence. The Father invites us, His adopted children, to participate in the divine life. Prayers of petition sum up the powerful reality that every member of the Body of Christ joins with Christ in interceding with God for the whole world and all its people. We may find it difficult to see ourselves as the few just men and women saving the rest of humanity from destruction, yet we can compare ourselves with Abraham in today’s first reading who pleads with the divine judge for mercy for others. (Whenever we read or hear about terrible injustices done by our fellow human beings, our first response should be Father, forgive them --- and forgive me, too). The disciples in today’s Gospel are led to seek guidance from Jesus in how to pray. They have seen Our Lord praying so often. Jesus not only teaches us to call God our Father, but He shows us through His merciful ministry and His self-giving death what it means to be a child of God. The unity Jesus has with His Father by nature, we share by adoption as we follow the example of Christ. Today’s gospel encourages us not to be afraid of bothering God. God is not the sleepy, irritable friend in the parable. God is the loving Father interested in the minute-by-minute little things of our lives.
In the Bible, hospitality is an important topic. In the Old Testament, God is constantly involved in feeding us, giving us manna from heaven, preparing a table for us now, and planning a banquet in heaven. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus participates in meals and feeds the hungry – whether it is 5000 in a field or twelve disciples at their last supper together. At that final meal, Jesus demonstrates the nature of hospitality. He washes dusty feet with humble attentiveness and feeds His guests with His own body and blood. In today’s story of Martha and Mary, many people feel sympathy for Martha. Jesus’ rebuke seems a little hard. After all, Martha follows the example of her ancestors, Abraham and Sarah, in the first reading. When three unexpected visitors arrive, Abraham and Sarah, despite their advanced age and the noon time heat, rush around serving their guests, washing their feet, baking bread, and preparing the fatted calf. This is what Martha is like. Why has Mary made the better choice? Mary is giving her attention to her guest, listening to Him, and discovering His needs. Jesus is the center of her focus. Mary sits at the Lord’s feet, soaking up every word He says. Martha is so distracted that she interrupts her guest and asks Him to talk to her sister about helping. She wants her guest to interfere in family matters by reprimanding Mary. Jesus does not budge. Of course, He recognizes the need for people to work in the kitchen and get meals ready. But Martha is fretting and worrying too much. For some hosts, the meal can become more important than the visitor. Despite what celebrity chefs may tell us. It is not the meal that makes the hospitality. It is the eagerness to attend to the guest. Every Sunday we are welcomed to a meal with Jesus. We are invited to listen to His words in the Gospel and receive His body and blood at the altar. We are invited to calm down and not be distracted for a little while; we are called to give Him a chance to speak to us in prayer. Every Sunday, we are asked to give genuine, reciprocal hospitality to the Lord. Centering on God’s presence is the one thing needed for the spiritual life. It is the better part of hospitality.
The parable of the Good Samaritan has become part of our language and culture. We use the title to identify anyone who goes outside himself and his responsibilities to help others. We understand the importance of answering the question Who is my neighbor? The basic message of the story is the universal extent of the love and kindness which Jesus asks of us. We read this Scripture as a reflection on how Christians are expected to live in the world. The second reading today is Paul’s Letter to the Colossians. Like a hymn to Jesus, the image of the invisible God, highlights another aspect of the parable. This is the idea that the Samaritan in the story is representative of Jesus. The human race has been wounded by sin. The Jewish Law represented by the priest and the Levite advises people to avoid sin. This good advice does nothing to heal the damage human sinfulness has inflicted on the world and on individual human beings. Just as someone seriously injured cannot restore himself to health, so too, the wounds inflicted by our sin prevent us from attaining our own spiritual health. That spiritual health is called salvation. But health has come; it has come beyond anything we could have expected. The Son of God who existed with the Father before all things crossed over the divide between creature and Creator. Taking on a human nature, Jesus has come to reconcile all things. As an illustration of what Christ has done for us, we see more clearly the irrelevance of all those artificial barriers to charity, which we can be tempted to set up because we have learned that God so loved the world that he sent his only son. The Good Samaritan parable points to Jesus and His care for the human race. We note the commission the Samaritan gives to the inn owner to care for the wounded man until he returns, and he provides the resources to enable him to do it. All of us who have been baptized, and have therefore become members of Christ’s Body, the Church, are called to share the love of Christ to the world. We represent Jesus until He comes again. Through our actions, we display the love of Jesus Christ to every human being. We go outside ourselves and become icons of Jesus, the Good Samaritan. Fr. Hernan Cely Pastor
Many listeners to today’s Gospel automatically associate it with the ordained ministry. We are asking the Master of the Harvest for the gift of more priests. At every parish, the prayers of the faithful are being offered for an increase in deacons and priests. We know the urgency. With this Gospel before us we need to reflect. What is laboring in the harvest about? What does it mean to be called, to be sent, to work in the Lord’s harvest? What strikes us first is the Lord’s generosity. Without His grace, there would be no harvest. His planting in the souls of the faithful produces the fruit of any ministry. Generously, He makes the harvest ours, too. He associates us with what is His work. Jesus tells the disciples to pray for workers to join Him in His labor. He wants co-workers who will work with Him to proclaim God’s reign, to heal, to comfort, and to suppress the forces of evil. The Son of God gives imperfect creatures a share in His recreating work. Looking at it this way, calling for those to be sent is no less a share in the work than actually being sent. There is a curious interdependence in being sent and being called. Might it be that what one person hears when called to ordination is not only a still, small voice speaking in the heart, but also the countless voices in the prayers of the faithful responding to the Lord’s need for laborers? Jesus almost makes it sound as though there will be no more laborers until there are more prayers for laborers. On the other hand, there is no reason to think that the laborers called to the harvest are exclusively those called to the ordained ministry. The passage is silent on their identity. That’s probably as it should be. The overwhelming number of workers in the harvest have been anonymous. Men and women living their faith as spouses, parents, workers, “pray-ers,” - and in innumerable ways – coworkers in the proclamation of the Kingdom. The faithful are both the abundance in the harvest and tireless workers. This Gospel belongs to the whole people of God. While the faithful call for the commissioning and empowering of ministers, the priests and deacons pray that the Lord sends prayerful, supportive laborers to work with them in His harvest. The Lord sends us. Fr. Hernan Cely Pastor
Today’s Solemnity brings together two giants of the early days of the Church. Two very different men. This joint celebration reminds us of the similarities of their endeavors. Both were headed on different paths toward the city of Rome, where the mission to all the nations would find its center. In that great imperial metropolis, the Apostolic tradition would bear fruit, and Peter and Paul, in different ways, would be united to Christ in deaths like his. In Paul’s conversion, a blinding vision provided him with such knowledge and zeal that nothing could stop him from moving through multiple communities on his way to Rome pouring pastoral care on his converts. Paul’s mission is one of expansive evangelization, risky strategies, and the courage to believe that once conversion has happened in someone’s heart, there is no doubt of the opportunity to return to God in moments of failure. Peter, after making a profession of faith, is chosen as the rock and foundation of the Church. Peter seems like a weak man because he shows his flaws, doubts, and weaknesses. He tries to make sense of the teachings of the Lord and to alleviate the fears of the others. There is hurt and humiliation for Peter at the cross. He is disappointed in the Lord and in himself, and cries bitterly. He doesn’t have the reckless adventures of Paul, but he stands firm and preaches the authenticity of the Gospel with unity and authority. Both Peter and Paul were given miraculous experiences for the fulfillment of their missions: Peter is unlocked from prison; Paul is saved many times from shipwreck. Ultimately, the Lord does not save them from an ignominious death, like His. They share in it willingly - a short distance from each other. If we are tempted to judge the weakness of Peter and the arrogance of Paul, we might want to reflect on our own moments of conversion and our own confessions of faith. It is we, ourselves, who choose to remain in darkness, and in doing this we bind ourselves and sometimes others to the darkness. Once we change our hearts and lift our minds, we are free to see God and to show Him to others. It is our duty to encourage one another to glory in the cross of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. To stand firm. Fr. Hernan Cely Pastor
Christians are a repetitive people. Generation after generation, the Church has celebrated the Mass, obedient to Jesus’ command to do this in memory of me. For some, doing things over and over again makes life flat and uninteresting. But repetition is not always a negative experience. Small children who are only learning to use their imagination love to repeat games. They call out Again! They delight in the present moment and want to replay it again and again. There is another aspect to repetition. To understand someone is to observe in what way they are repetitive – what sort of things they are known for doing. The generous man is a repetitive giver. The prayerful woman is one who keeps praying, not one who prayed only once for a very long time. Repetitive actions can make us become what we do. So, Christianity is repetitive. We have been doing the same thing for over 2,000 years. In today’s second reading, St. Paul writes of the mystery that was handed down to him, and which he is handing on, namely how the Lord Jesus had anticipated the shedding of His blood by offering the cup of that blood to His disciples and had offered His body to them as food. Calling to mind the long history of Israel: the sacrifice of Melchisedech, the Passover lamb, manna in the desert, Jesus was gathering a history of repetition together and offering a new ritual interpretation of all those events, fulfilled in the meal celebrated in the upper room by Jesus and His disciples. And from that upper room, a new repetitiveness streams forth and flows down the generations of the Church: Do this in memory of me. Do this over and over, not as a mindless chore or workplace routine, not just as a child repeating a joyful game, but as the thing that gives meaning and purpose to life: become what you do here. Throughout the seasons of Lent and Easter, we celebrate the Lord Jesus, crucified, risen, ascended, and glorified. At Pentecost, the Easter mystery finds its fullness in the witness that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God and with us in the mission of the Holy Spirit. The Lord of all time is truly present in our world and in our time. In every Mass, we encounter this real presence. The repetition? This Paschal Mystery is given to us, not just as an activity, but as a mystery we must become. We share it again and again, so that we may become the perfect offering of praise and love. Fr. Hernan Cely Pastor