Second Coming ... Second Priority

The Sacred Scriptures are timeless.

They first spoke to the people of the times in which they were written.

But the word speaks to us still today.

As it did to all those generations before us.

And will to all those who come after us.

Today’s Gospel passage seems particularly well targeted for us—

Disciples who are 2,000 years out from the writing.

It speaks of waiting for the master’s return.

Keeping the faith, being faithful servants, no matter how long that return might take.

The early Christians thought Jesus’ second coming would happen very soon.

St Paul wrote to the Corinthians recommending that they put their lives on hold

And focus all their attention on preparing for that coming.

He said: I tell you, brothers, the time is running out. (1 Cor 7:29).

Eventually the Corinthians had to resume paying attention to the necessities of daily life.

And find a proper balance between attending to this life and preparing for the next.

And that’s where we still find ourselves today.

We’re still waiting, and still balancing.

Fortunately, we’re not trying to balance goals that are incompatible.

Faithfully living our daily lives is itself our preparation for our next life.

We do have to deal with the conflicts and temptations that threaten our faithfulness.

And we have to learn to keep our balance.

With one foot in the spiritual world and one in the material world.

We each have to find the right balance for our current roles in life.

The average cloistered monk will spend a lot more time in formal prayer and meditation.

The average young mother of three will spend a lot more time in direct service to others.

But we can all work at becoming “contemplatives in action”.

That requires that we maintain our awareness that God is in everyone and everything.

And that we dedicate all our actions, great and small, to serving God---
Maybe through just a brief morning prayer.

If we can do that, then all of our actions of daily life can become prayers.

That second coming has already been long delayed.

But, today’s Gospel, suggests that could be to our advantage:

… should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way,
blessed are those servants.

After 2,000 years we must be into the second watch by now, or at least well into the first.

Whenever that surprise second coming might happen, we want to be prepared.

But almost certainly, long before then, we’ll get a private surprise visit from Jesus.

So, in the grand scale of time, for any one of us, the Master is coming very soon.

Tuesday 29^th Week in Ordinary Time

Lk 12:35-38                                    Read this Scripture @usccb.org    

Mission Impossible

Preparing for today's Mass made me think of the old TV series, Mission Impossible.

Many of us can probably remember that show.

And if you can, here’s a little shock for you.

That series ended 40 years ago!  Time is flying by.

(And here’s a little trivia from Google: Leonard Nimoy, Mr Spock of Star Trek,

was a member of the Mission Impossible team.)

If you can’t remember the first run, you might remember the reruns.

Or maybe the Tom Cruise movie by the same name that’s only 15 years old.

Whether we remember the series or not, it’s a common phrase—Mission Impossible.

An assignment that seems to be beyond accomplishment, but yet needs to be carried out.

An assignment that brings us honor for merely attempting it.

Today is World Mission Sunday.

A day to reflect on spreading the Good News of Christ throughout the world.

The news that we have a God who loves us—who wants to have us with him.

The news that heaven awaits us.

The news that everyone should love us, and we should love them.

That we’re commanded to love one another.

How’s that going?

Jesus himself sent out his disciples on their first mission two thousand years ago.

We might think the job should be done by now.

But he’s still sending us out today.

According to Wikipedia: A missionary is a member of a religious group 

sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service,

such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development.

Some missionaries travel great distances.

To remote corners of the earth.

And that’s necessary.

How else will the word reach there?

And not just the word.

But the example.

The living example of the word is needed.

The missionaries are not only the message bearers, but also the servants.

And their service demonstrates the truth of their message.

We’re all missionaries; we were called to that service at baptism.

Each of us has the mission to save ourselves and to save the world.
But we don’t all need to travel to distant corners of the earth to pursue our mission.

There are many areas nearby where the Good News is unknown or ignored.

Pockets where the need is just as great as in the most remote, isolated village.

Individuals or groups who haven’t really heard, or haven’t really listened.

Individuals or groups who might be reached by the right example, the right servant.

They might be in our own neighborhood.

In our own office.

At our own dinner table.
From time to time, perhaps in or own mirror.

How do we reach them?

Sometimes, the closer we are to the people we’re trying to reach,

the harder it seems to succeed.

Deep down, we know that we've been given a great gift.

The gift of faith.

The gift of knowing that Good News.

And we want to share it; we want others to enjoy that same gift.

We want to share it with the whole world.

And especially with those we care about most.

But, it often seems we could do better in that remote foreign village.

As Jesus himself said,

A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house.

Evangelizing at home may seem all too much like Mission Impossible.

But when words don’t work, we can still try action and example and service.

Saving ourselves and saving the world is quite a mission.

To try that alone would indeed be Mission Impossible.

Jesus told us: It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle

than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.

(And look around the world—we are indeed the rich.)

His disciples were shocked; they believed that wealth was a sign of God’s favor.

So they asked, Then who can be saved?

And Jesus answered:

For human beings it is impossible, but not for God.  All things are possible for God.

 

Acting alone, we can’t save ourselves and we can’t save the world.

But God is with us to make it possible.

He’s in control; he’s sending us to help in his work.

We are his representatives, his hands and feet, his physical presence in this world.

His servants—and each others’ servants.

As we heard in today’s Gospel:

Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant.
For the Son of Man did not come to be served
but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

We’ll probably never be called to give our life in the way Jesus did.

But we are called to devote our lives to others.

To share the gifts we've received: our faith, our time, our talent and our treasure.

To complete our mission.

To do our part in building the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.

To make that Kingdom not only possible, but real.

29^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mk 10:35-45                                    Read this Scripture @usccb.org   

Sunday/Daily Visitor

It’s been almost a year now since we started using the new words of the Mass.

And also with you, became – And with your spirit.

Lord I am not worthy to receive you, became –

Lord I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof,

Those were the words of the faith-filled Centurion.

He initially asked Jesus to come to his house to cure his dying servant.

But on further reflection decided he was unworthy to have Jesus enter his house.

So, he told Jesus that he needn’t come.

He greatly impressed Jesus with his faith.

He had complete confidence that Jesus could just as easily cure the servant from afar.

Mary, in today’s Gospel, seems far less concerned about her unworthiness.

She’s happy to have Jesus enter under her roof, and to just sit and listen to him.

Her sister, Martha, is anxious and worried about preparation, hospitality and many things.

But even she doesn’t express concern about her unworthiness.

Jesus was their friend and visited with them often at their house.

The house they shared with their brother, Lazarus.

As they came to fully realize who Jesus was, they surely also realized their unworthiness.

But at the same time, they also recognized their continuing friendship.

They may not have been worthy; who could be?

But they knew that Jesus wanted to be with them.

He came of his own accord.

In our Mass, just before communion, we echo the words of the Centurion.

We don’t mean them in the same literal sense he did.

We’re speaking figuratively, referring to Jesus entering not our house but our selves.

But we do mean to express the same unworthiness that the Centurion recognized.

The same unworthiness that Mary and Martha also recognized.

And we realize that no one can be truly worthy of that visitation.

We can and should profess our faith, like the Centurion did.

We can and should prepare and serve, like Martha did.

But that doesn’t make us worthy to have Jesus enter under our roof.

Yet, unworthy as we are, he comes to us anyway.

At his choosing; as a friend.

And he’s told us what he would like for us to do when he comes.

We should follow Mary’s example and choose the better part.

We should sit with him.

And listen.

Read This Scripture at usccb.org

Tuesday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time

Lk 10:38-42