I’m not exactly sure what I can say in terms of a Homily that can in any way add to the Gospel we just shared. It’s a story that in many ways speaks for itself. It is very similar to a story that I read earlier this week.
The story is about two brothers who live together in a small apartment. The older was a hard working, God fearing man, who lived his faith to the fullest, and prided himself on his hard work, and strong ethics. The younger was very different. He was unemployed, and spent the majority of his money on cocaine and alcohol. He kept late hours, and rarely spent any time at home. When he was caught cheating on his girlfriend, for the third time, the older brother once again warned his younger brother that he had to stop. That someday his careless behavior would catch up with him. One night the younger brother came home very early in the morning from the night before. His shirt was covered in blood, and he held in his hand a smoking gun. His elder brother asked what had happened, and the young man proceeded to start to cry. He was scared, as an incident at last call at a bar had led to a dispute in the streets, and in his drunken high, he shot the other man involved. The young man acknowledged his awful mistake, and was scared for himself. Soon the police were at the door, and the older brother told the younger to remove his clothes. They switched outfits, and the older brother took the gun. When the police came in they arrested the older brother. He was subsequently tried for the murder he did not commit, and was given the death penalty.
The remaining brother subsequently changed his ways, which certainly comes as no surprise. Wouldn’t we be horrified if we knew that this man’s brother had given his own life to save the brother he loved so deeply, and then he hadn’t learned anything from this experience.
Today, my dear friends, we heard the story of how our Brother gave his life for us. Isn’t it then logical for us to do the same as the young man from that story. Isn’t it all together appropriate that we live out our lives in recognition of the sacrifice that was made for us on that Cross. Our brother has been executed for a crime he did not commit, so that we could be free. The question that remains for us, is how do we live that freedom?
While hanging on the cross for our salvation Jesus faces much harassment and torture. The last of which, comes from the two thieves crucified on either side of him. One picks on Him, the other asks that the Lord remember Him when He comes into His kingdom. In his dying moment, the “good thief” realizes the sacrifice that his brother is making. Jesus, in turn assures the man of his place in paradise. Let’s not wait until that last moment. Let’s live our lives as a testimony to the gratitude in our hearts that we hold for what our brother has done for us. We have been given a second chance, we have had our slate wiped clean.
The crowds that day chose to rather have a hardened criminal, Barabbas set free. They chose to risk their very lives, by letting a murderer run free in their community while Jesus takes the punishment of the cross. Each and everyday we are posed with the same question. Who do we want, Jesus or Barabbas? Who do we live for? Who do we choose? The only snag is that in choosing Jesus, we choose the cross, as the two are inseparable. Jesus went to his Cross-without argument, without hesitation, and his final words were those of forgiveness. The question we ask ourselves is, how will we behave when we are hanging from ours.
God Bless You…
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Terms and Conditions May Apply
I think the biggest lesson in life that I have learned is that we always have to “read the fine print”. How often we go to a store to make a return or an exchange, or call the bank over an unexpected charge, or get rejected when trying to make use of a warranty on an item we purchased that has since malfunctioned, and we are slapped in the face with “terms and conditions” that were expressed in the small print at the bottom of a form. It is shocking however when “Terms and Conditions” are placed on helping another human being.
Homeless Voices for Justice, is a statewide advocacy group in Maine that is led by people who have been homeless. It works on issues that affect the homeless, such as supporting affordable housing and preventing violence against the homeless. Portland-based Preble Street, which runs a dozen programs to provide housing and other services for the poor and the homeless, provides staff support for Homeless Voices for Justice.
The Diocese of Portland’s Campaign for Human Development had previously provided grant funding for this program. Proposition 1 on the ballot last fall in Maine was to overturn the new law legalizing gay marriage. The Preble Street Resource Center backed the effort to vote “no” on this question, inspiring the Diocese to not only stop funding the program, but also demanded the return of unspent monies from the grant in question.
On the list of qualifications for receiving a grant from the Diocese the applicant had to respond to various questions asking what various issues the organization supports and doesn’t support. One of these was Gay Marriage. The organization said no, and by their support of this issue in the election they broke the terms of agreement in their Grant arrangement and hence lost funding.
http://media.kjonline.com/documents/eligibility_CCHD.pdf
Technically speaking, this is a cut and dry issue. The Diocese has every right to revoke the monies due to the clear breaking of the original grant agreement, however one can’t help but wonder how the Bishop can sleep at night.
How can we put terms and conditions on something as simple as helping the poor and homeless? In the very same agreement the Diocese clearly says that the top 5 unquestionable things that the recipient of funding must agree with are;
1. The sanctity of human life
2. The rights of the poor and vulnerable
3. Human Rights
4. The Common Good
5. And building and promoting a civilization of love, dedicated to working towards peace.
In the section talking about the Poor and Vulnerable, it says explicitly, “Poor and vulnerable people have a special place in catholic social teaching. A basic moral test of a society is how its most vulnerable members are faring. Our tradition calls us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.” That tells me that the details of the terms and conditions that follow such as Abortion, Gay Marriage, Birth Control, etc are just that – terms and conditions. The Diocese needs to remember that it is ministering to a world that may not necessarily agree with everything they stand for.
Thank the Lord above, that when Jesus died on the Cross for us, He did so without terms and conditions. Thank God that when the angel Gabriel came from God to invite Mary to be the Mother of His Son she said “yes” without any terms or conditions. Her words, which we celebrate today on the Solemnity of the Annunciation, were clear, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to your word.” The next line in the Gospel reads, “Then the angel departed from her.” It was her response, driven by blind faith and love of the Lord and His people that made the Angel feel it was time to leave. It was Mary’s “no terms attached yes” that satisfied the Angel.
I can understand that the Roman Church has certain values that they have to uphold, and I can even accept that Gay Marriage is something that they do not agree with. However, even from the Roman Catholic standpoint it doesn’t make sense to penalize the poor and vulnerable in this situation. When Jesus feeds the multitude with the multiplication of the loaves and fish, He does not ask first if any in the crowd are gay, or have had an abortion, or were in favor of the death penalty. When He heals the 10 Lepers, He does not first ask where they stand on political issues. If the five stipulations that the Diocese of Portland maps out in the first page of their agreement with potential grant recipients are in fact the deal breakers, then the details on page two should be considered in light of how they relate to the primacy of those values.
Even on the second page of the agreement, where the Diocese gets down to the “terms and agreements” it says;
“Preferential Option for the Poor: all economic life should be shaped by moral principles. A fundamental moral measure of any economy is how the poor and vulnerable are faring. The Catholic Church’s position is that the needs of the poor and vulnerable in society should be addressed first, before any others. Is your organization hindering or harming meeting the needs of the poor or vulnerable in society?”
If in fact the needs of the poor and vulnerable are to be addressed first, before any other, then doesn’t that say in the Diocese own words, that Gay Marriage should be at the very least second to feeding the poor, and housing the homeless?
The details of what “legal organization” backed what and which “board of directors” supported what should not matter, as the Diocese should not have made such a withdrawal due to this topic. The directors at the Preble Street Resourace Center responded to both the Bishop and the Campaign for Human Development by saying;
“Last night 51 women crammed into our 30-bed temporary Women’s Shelter. This morning over 300 people lined up in the cold waiting for a hot breakfast at our Soup Kitchen. And today over 40 runaway and homeless children came to our Teen Center for services and sanctuary.”
So then due to politics, 51 women will go without shelter, 300 people will go without food, and 40 children will wander the streets with no place to rest. The organization “Catholics for Marriage Equality” has launched a campaign to try to assist with raising some money to make up for what they will loose from Diocesan funding. It is ironic, isn’t it? The Diocese has decided that they are going to put a legal matter regarding Gay rights before helping the poor (which they had previously stated was of greatest importance), and now that same Gay community that they view as so broken, is picking up their slack, and answering the call of the Lord to feed the hungry and cloth the naked.
The words of Matthew 25:34-45 come to mind;
“Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.'
Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'
Then He will also say to those on His left, Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.'
Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?' Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'”
Thank God that the Gay community in Maine is ready to answer the call of the Lord to feed, clothe, and shelter their brothers and sisters. What a demonstration of true Christian charity.
Homeless Voices for Justice, is a statewide advocacy group in Maine that is led by people who have been homeless. It works on issues that affect the homeless, such as supporting affordable housing and preventing violence against the homeless. Portland-based Preble Street, which runs a dozen programs to provide housing and other services for the poor and the homeless, provides staff support for Homeless Voices for Justice.
The Diocese of Portland’s Campaign for Human Development had previously provided grant funding for this program. Proposition 1 on the ballot last fall in Maine was to overturn the new law legalizing gay marriage. The Preble Street Resource Center backed the effort to vote “no” on this question, inspiring the Diocese to not only stop funding the program, but also demanded the return of unspent monies from the grant in question.
On the list of qualifications for receiving a grant from the Diocese the applicant had to respond to various questions asking what various issues the organization supports and doesn’t support. One of these was Gay Marriage. The organization said no, and by their support of this issue in the election they broke the terms of agreement in their Grant arrangement and hence lost funding.
http://media.kjonline.com/documents/eligibility_CCHD.pdf
Technically speaking, this is a cut and dry issue. The Diocese has every right to revoke the monies due to the clear breaking of the original grant agreement, however one can’t help but wonder how the Bishop can sleep at night.
How can we put terms and conditions on something as simple as helping the poor and homeless? In the very same agreement the Diocese clearly says that the top 5 unquestionable things that the recipient of funding must agree with are;
1. The sanctity of human life
2. The rights of the poor and vulnerable
3. Human Rights
4. The Common Good
5. And building and promoting a civilization of love, dedicated to working towards peace.
In the section talking about the Poor and Vulnerable, it says explicitly, “Poor and vulnerable people have a special place in catholic social teaching. A basic moral test of a society is how its most vulnerable members are faring. Our tradition calls us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.” That tells me that the details of the terms and conditions that follow such as Abortion, Gay Marriage, Birth Control, etc are just that – terms and conditions. The Diocese needs to remember that it is ministering to a world that may not necessarily agree with everything they stand for.
Thank the Lord above, that when Jesus died on the Cross for us, He did so without terms and conditions. Thank God that when the angel Gabriel came from God to invite Mary to be the Mother of His Son she said “yes” without any terms or conditions. Her words, which we celebrate today on the Solemnity of the Annunciation, were clear, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to your word.” The next line in the Gospel reads, “Then the angel departed from her.” It was her response, driven by blind faith and love of the Lord and His people that made the Angel feel it was time to leave. It was Mary’s “no terms attached yes” that satisfied the Angel.
I can understand that the Roman Church has certain values that they have to uphold, and I can even accept that Gay Marriage is something that they do not agree with. However, even from the Roman Catholic standpoint it doesn’t make sense to penalize the poor and vulnerable in this situation. When Jesus feeds the multitude with the multiplication of the loaves and fish, He does not ask first if any in the crowd are gay, or have had an abortion, or were in favor of the death penalty. When He heals the 10 Lepers, He does not first ask where they stand on political issues. If the five stipulations that the Diocese of Portland maps out in the first page of their agreement with potential grant recipients are in fact the deal breakers, then the details on page two should be considered in light of how they relate to the primacy of those values.
Even on the second page of the agreement, where the Diocese gets down to the “terms and agreements” it says;
“Preferential Option for the Poor: all economic life should be shaped by moral principles. A fundamental moral measure of any economy is how the poor and vulnerable are faring. The Catholic Church’s position is that the needs of the poor and vulnerable in society should be addressed first, before any others. Is your organization hindering or harming meeting the needs of the poor or vulnerable in society?”
If in fact the needs of the poor and vulnerable are to be addressed first, before any other, then doesn’t that say in the Diocese own words, that Gay Marriage should be at the very least second to feeding the poor, and housing the homeless?
The details of what “legal organization” backed what and which “board of directors” supported what should not matter, as the Diocese should not have made such a withdrawal due to this topic. The directors at the Preble Street Resourace Center responded to both the Bishop and the Campaign for Human Development by saying;
“Last night 51 women crammed into our 30-bed temporary Women’s Shelter. This morning over 300 people lined up in the cold waiting for a hot breakfast at our Soup Kitchen. And today over 40 runaway and homeless children came to our Teen Center for services and sanctuary.”
So then due to politics, 51 women will go without shelter, 300 people will go without food, and 40 children will wander the streets with no place to rest. The organization “Catholics for Marriage Equality” has launched a campaign to try to assist with raising some money to make up for what they will loose from Diocesan funding. It is ironic, isn’t it? The Diocese has decided that they are going to put a legal matter regarding Gay rights before helping the poor (which they had previously stated was of greatest importance), and now that same Gay community that they view as so broken, is picking up their slack, and answering the call of the Lord to feed the hungry and cloth the naked.
The words of Matthew 25:34-45 come to mind;
“Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.'
Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'
Then He will also say to those on His left, Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.'
Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?' Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'”
Thank God that the Gay community in Maine is ready to answer the call of the Lord to feed, clothe, and shelter their brothers and sisters. What a demonstration of true Christian charity.
Friday, March 19, 2010
A Spirituality of Silence
Today is the Solemnity of Saint Joseph. When I was in Seminary, we would pray that March 19 would fall on a Friday in Lent, so that we could skirt around the Lenten Fast for one day. This year I am sure that "meat starving" Seminarians across the world are rejoicing!
Saint Joseph is one of the most fascinating characters in Scripture, to me anyways. We don't know very much about him. We know what town he is from, tradition holds that he was a carpenter, he was Husband to Mary, present at the early events of Jesus' life, and then he disappears from the face of history.
His spirituality however is one worth looking at. I like to call it a Spirituality of silence. Joseph himself never speaks in Scripture, not even once. He has no powerful lines, or thoughtful expressions that we can quote or meditate on. What we do know is, he is a man of action, and certainly a deep faith.
He discovers that his wife is pregnant, supposedly with a Divine child. He considers a divorce; as for him to marry a pregnant woman would bring nothing but scandal and gossip upon he and his family. He plans to do so quietly, so as to retain Mary’s dignity, however, an angel advises him not to. She fills Joseph in on the Divine plan of God, and Joseph, without question or debate, takes Mary into his home.
After the birth of Jesus he is guided by a dream to take the newborn Jesus and Mary and flee to Egypt, as Herod is unleashing a mass laughter of all the newborn males in Bethlehem. Again without question or debate, he follows these instructions, and returns to Nazareth after an angel informs him again that it is safe to do so.
He maintains silence throughout the entire story. Even when Jesus is lost in the temple, it is Mary who verbally rebukes Jesus for wandering away from the family on their journey home from Jerusalem. “Your father and I have been looking for you.” Joseph says nothing, and his opinion is not even noted.
He disappears with an equal silence. We know nothing of his death. There are various traditions and tales. There are stained glass windows that show Jesus as a teenager holding His dying father in His arms. There are paintings of Joseph fashioning tables and chairs in his carpentry shop, but the reality of it is we have no idea.
That’s the point of Joseph’s spirituality that we can draw from Scripture. Or I should say, that’s the spirituality that can be molded from Joseph’s story. We should follow the calling of the Lord in silent faith and trust. We know he was an ordinary man, who was obedient to his faith and the law. It was in obedience to the law that he went to Bethlehem to begin with, that he presented the child Jesus in the temple at the proper age, and that they went on the prescribed journey to the temple in Jerusalem.
He lives his day-to-day life as a faithful, law abiding, gentleman. When the time came for him to make the difficult decisions, he made choices that were in consideration of others, but listened to the voice of the Lord when he needed to adjust his plans. By living this simple and silent life, he has ended up the Patron Saint of the Universal Church, and nearly every culture holds him in high regard. There are churches throughout the world that bear his name, and his Feast day in the Church is among the few regarded as a “Solemnity”. All this esteem is regarded to a man who never spoke a word worth history recording, and who is depicted as a gray haired old man, in a purple and brown robe, holding a walking staff.
Sound familiar? We may never speak a word worth history’s acknowledgement either. We go through our day-to-day lives trying our best to follow the laws of the land, our faith, and our conscious. The next step, is to listen for the voice of the Lord when we least expect it; even in those times when we think we already are making the right choice.
Saint Joseph is one of the most fascinating characters in Scripture, to me anyways. We don't know very much about him. We know what town he is from, tradition holds that he was a carpenter, he was Husband to Mary, present at the early events of Jesus' life, and then he disappears from the face of history.
His spirituality however is one worth looking at. I like to call it a Spirituality of silence. Joseph himself never speaks in Scripture, not even once. He has no powerful lines, or thoughtful expressions that we can quote or meditate on. What we do know is, he is a man of action, and certainly a deep faith.
He discovers that his wife is pregnant, supposedly with a Divine child. He considers a divorce; as for him to marry a pregnant woman would bring nothing but scandal and gossip upon he and his family. He plans to do so quietly, so as to retain Mary’s dignity, however, an angel advises him not to. She fills Joseph in on the Divine plan of God, and Joseph, without question or debate, takes Mary into his home.
After the birth of Jesus he is guided by a dream to take the newborn Jesus and Mary and flee to Egypt, as Herod is unleashing a mass laughter of all the newborn males in Bethlehem. Again without question or debate, he follows these instructions, and returns to Nazareth after an angel informs him again that it is safe to do so.
He maintains silence throughout the entire story. Even when Jesus is lost in the temple, it is Mary who verbally rebukes Jesus for wandering away from the family on their journey home from Jerusalem. “Your father and I have been looking for you.” Joseph says nothing, and his opinion is not even noted.
He disappears with an equal silence. We know nothing of his death. There are various traditions and tales. There are stained glass windows that show Jesus as a teenager holding His dying father in His arms. There are paintings of Joseph fashioning tables and chairs in his carpentry shop, but the reality of it is we have no idea.
That’s the point of Joseph’s spirituality that we can draw from Scripture. Or I should say, that’s the spirituality that can be molded from Joseph’s story. We should follow the calling of the Lord in silent faith and trust. We know he was an ordinary man, who was obedient to his faith and the law. It was in obedience to the law that he went to Bethlehem to begin with, that he presented the child Jesus in the temple at the proper age, and that they went on the prescribed journey to the temple in Jerusalem.
He lives his day-to-day life as a faithful, law abiding, gentleman. When the time came for him to make the difficult decisions, he made choices that were in consideration of others, but listened to the voice of the Lord when he needed to adjust his plans. By living this simple and silent life, he has ended up the Patron Saint of the Universal Church, and nearly every culture holds him in high regard. There are churches throughout the world that bear his name, and his Feast day in the Church is among the few regarded as a “Solemnity”. All this esteem is regarded to a man who never spoke a word worth history recording, and who is depicted as a gray haired old man, in a purple and brown robe, holding a walking staff.
Sound familiar? We may never speak a word worth history’s acknowledgement either. We go through our day-to-day lives trying our best to follow the laws of the land, our faith, and our conscious. The next step, is to listen for the voice of the Lord when we least expect it; even in those times when we think we already are making the right choice.
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