Homily
26th Sunday of Ordinary Time C
Christ the King Topeka
28/29 September 2013
Year of Faith
Daily Readings
It didn't take long for people to tell me that I'm the pastor of the rich parish in Topeka. I've been here twelve weeks, and I've learned quite a bit in this big small town. I'll admit I'm annoyed by the label - pastor of the rich parish in Topeka - the parish on the west side - the parish with no money problems - Christ the King.The money spent on the renovations that have taken place to the parish office and rectory in the short time I've been here have been a hot topic in town. So I hear. I'll be honest. The narrative gets old really quick. People think it's easier over here on our side. That we're all spoiled, and probably the pastor too. That we don't have to work hard for what we have. My first reaction is one of defensiveness. If you think it's so easy, then come on over and give it a try. Being pastor at Christ the King is great, don't get me wrong, but I do think we work hard for what we have. And it's not as easy as people think. And I hate the labels, and the jealousy that accompanies those who think life on this side of the city is so rich and easy.
I had this in my first assignment as well, at St. Michael the Archangel in Leawood. We built a church there to the honor and glory of God, a church worthy of the sacred liturgy and of the dignity and the destiny to which we are called in heaven, while at the same time giving generously to the poor, and it was roundly criticized with great amounts of jealousy from those outside. It got tiresome. We had to work hard to raise that money, and we could have settled for much less and saved ourselves the criticism. But we did what we thought was right. So too when I became director of seminarians, I got defensive when people described our seminarians as spoiled. Knowing the sacrifices they had made, I didn't see things that way. But the criticism came nonetheless.
Saying all of this is a prelude to saying that I was dead wrong. Not necessarily in the decisions to build up the kingdom of God, but wrong in my reaction to the criticism. Because as we learn in today's Gospel, being challenged about what we have is always God's gift to us. Specifically, having the poor among us is God's gift to us. Our reaction to being asked for money, or being challenged on what we have, should always be one of humility and gratitude, because as we see in the Gospel, such challenges, as annoying and tiresome as they might become, are most likely God's way of trying to get through to us.
So the more we are asked for money, even everyday, the better off we are. Specifically, Lazarus was the greatest gift that the rich man ever received. It wasn't the man's security and riches - it was the person of Lazarus who was sent to the rich man not as a problem to be solved, but as a person to be seen, and a person to be loved so that the rich man's heart did not grow full of his possessions nor become hardened beyond repair. Most of us would never encounter a Lazarus today. For order and safety in our communities, there are laws against trespassing and panhandling, for such activities usually don't improve the long term plight of the poor anyhow. Admittedly, for the safety first of the many kids we have on our campus all the time, we even have to call the cops here at Christ the King to remove strangers. There is nothing wrong with putting safety first or being smart in how we give alms.
Yet we must resist every urge to ignore or be distant from the poor, for they are likely God's greatest gift to us. Instead, as Christians we are to have a deep attentiveness to the poor, and never lose the ability to see ourselves in them. Interestingly, the poor man in the Gospel has a name - Lazarus - whereas the rich man does not have a name; ostensibly, because he never found his real self. The poor are given to us by God not as a problem to be solved, but as persons through whom we can see our own poverty, vulnerability and dependence upon God and others. They are windows for seeing our true selves. Mother Teresa says that compassion is not simply a feeling, but is the ability to believe that another's life is as real as your own. Compassion is a love that flows first from seeing, from an act of faith - believing that another person's life is real. It begins by truly seeing another person, something the rich man could not do.
Seeing ourselves in the poor and giving alms is thus probably the surest way we have to the salvation of our souls. We are called not to see the poor as a problem, and to think first of how much I can afford and what might solve the problem - we are to see them as a gift, and to ask why God has permitted me to have the wealth I have, and to thank him for the opportunity to give. The more we are asked to give, the surer is our salvation. Jesus tells us to give to everyone who asks of us. He doesn't say what to give or how much, nor does he say solve every problem, but he says to give every time. Whether he means a smile, a prayer or a dollar is up to us in every situation. But we are to stop being annoyed by people asking us to give, and to see them as God's greatest gift to us. End of discussion.
I your pastor have some work to do in this area. What is more, the Gospel is clear that we need to get this work done now, before it's too late to make a change. Please pray that I can see God at work in just the way this Gospel challenges me too. Let us continue to pray for each other. Amen.
26th Sunday of Ordinary Time C
Christ the King Topeka
28/29 September 2013
Year of Faith
Daily Readings
It didn't take long for people to tell me that I'm the pastor of the rich parish in Topeka. I've been here twelve weeks, and I've learned quite a bit in this big small town. I'll admit I'm annoyed by the label - pastor of the rich parish in Topeka - the parish on the west side - the parish with no money problems - Christ the King.The money spent on the renovations that have taken place to the parish office and rectory in the short time I've been here have been a hot topic in town. So I hear. I'll be honest. The narrative gets old really quick. People think it's easier over here on our side. That we're all spoiled, and probably the pastor too. That we don't have to work hard for what we have. My first reaction is one of defensiveness. If you think it's so easy, then come on over and give it a try. Being pastor at Christ the King is great, don't get me wrong, but I do think we work hard for what we have. And it's not as easy as people think. And I hate the labels, and the jealousy that accompanies those who think life on this side of the city is so rich and easy.
I had this in my first assignment as well, at St. Michael the Archangel in Leawood. We built a church there to the honor and glory of God, a church worthy of the sacred liturgy and of the dignity and the destiny to which we are called in heaven, while at the same time giving generously to the poor, and it was roundly criticized with great amounts of jealousy from those outside. It got tiresome. We had to work hard to raise that money, and we could have settled for much less and saved ourselves the criticism. But we did what we thought was right. So too when I became director of seminarians, I got defensive when people described our seminarians as spoiled. Knowing the sacrifices they had made, I didn't see things that way. But the criticism came nonetheless.
Saying all of this is a prelude to saying that I was dead wrong. Not necessarily in the decisions to build up the kingdom of God, but wrong in my reaction to the criticism. Because as we learn in today's Gospel, being challenged about what we have is always God's gift to us. Specifically, having the poor among us is God's gift to us. Our reaction to being asked for money, or being challenged on what we have, should always be one of humility and gratitude, because as we see in the Gospel, such challenges, as annoying and tiresome as they might become, are most likely God's way of trying to get through to us.
So the more we are asked for money, even everyday, the better off we are. Specifically, Lazarus was the greatest gift that the rich man ever received. It wasn't the man's security and riches - it was the person of Lazarus who was sent to the rich man not as a problem to be solved, but as a person to be seen, and a person to be loved so that the rich man's heart did not grow full of his possessions nor become hardened beyond repair. Most of us would never encounter a Lazarus today. For order and safety in our communities, there are laws against trespassing and panhandling, for such activities usually don't improve the long term plight of the poor anyhow. Admittedly, for the safety first of the many kids we have on our campus all the time, we even have to call the cops here at Christ the King to remove strangers. There is nothing wrong with putting safety first or being smart in how we give alms.
Yet we must resist every urge to ignore or be distant from the poor, for they are likely God's greatest gift to us. Instead, as Christians we are to have a deep attentiveness to the poor, and never lose the ability to see ourselves in them. Interestingly, the poor man in the Gospel has a name - Lazarus - whereas the rich man does not have a name; ostensibly, because he never found his real self. The poor are given to us by God not as a problem to be solved, but as persons through whom we can see our own poverty, vulnerability and dependence upon God and others. They are windows for seeing our true selves. Mother Teresa says that compassion is not simply a feeling, but is the ability to believe that another's life is as real as your own. Compassion is a love that flows first from seeing, from an act of faith - believing that another person's life is real. It begins by truly seeing another person, something the rich man could not do.
Seeing ourselves in the poor and giving alms is thus probably the surest way we have to the salvation of our souls. We are called not to see the poor as a problem, and to think first of how much I can afford and what might solve the problem - we are to see them as a gift, and to ask why God has permitted me to have the wealth I have, and to thank him for the opportunity to give. The more we are asked to give, the surer is our salvation. Jesus tells us to give to everyone who asks of us. He doesn't say what to give or how much, nor does he say solve every problem, but he says to give every time. Whether he means a smile, a prayer or a dollar is up to us in every situation. But we are to stop being annoyed by people asking us to give, and to see them as God's greatest gift to us. End of discussion.
I your pastor have some work to do in this area. What is more, the Gospel is clear that we need to get this work done now, before it's too late to make a change. Please pray that I can see God at work in just the way this Gospel challenges me too. Let us continue to pray for each other. Amen.
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