Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time_B - How Low Can You Go?_101721

Deacon Tom Writes,

“How Low Can You Go?” 

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Remember the lyrics to Chubby Checker’s song, Limbo Rock? “Jack be limbo, Jack be quick, Jack go unda limbo stick.” The idea was to contort yourself from one side of the “limbo stick” to the other. The challenge was to see “How low could you go?” We had a lot of laughs trying, but not too much success!

Today’s readings provide us with profound insight into the revolutionary nature of the Kingdom Jesus laid the foundation for during his ministry. It comes as the Apostles are arguing about who was the greatest, who would be first when this kingdom came to full stature. To their dismay, Jesus makes it clear that what he has in mind isn’t about choosing a CEO or EVP; rather, it’s about attracting servants. Jesus is challenging his followers to conduct their lives in such a way that to others they would appear to be “the slaves of all.” By their outward acts of service, Jesus’ followers would reject the vestiges of power and privilege that governed the prevailing society. For the Apostles, as for us, this teaching that the rules that govern the Kingdom of God are vastly different than those we are accustomed was, and remains, quite a shock. In this world the great ones lord it over their subjects; in God’s realm, the greatest ones are the servants of all.

Jesus isn’t making small talk. We know from the way he lived and, especially, by the vicious death he suffered that he meant what he said about Servanthood. He was the faithful servant who came into our broken and troubled world to bring us the Good News of our Father’s love. It is a love that the Father intends for us to share with one another... willingly... graciously... indiscriminately.

It is in the spirit of Servanthood that Jesus takes on the role of the Suffering Servant who, in the words of Isaiah, “through his suffering…will justify many.” Most of us are not called to suffer the way Christ did, and thank God for that! But, we are called to share the suffering our brothers and sisters in Christ experience today by being aware of their poverty, how they are victimized and exploited by our society and then to respond, as best we are able, as moved by the Holy Spirit. We share in Christ’s suffering when we put ourselves into these desperate situations and we stand there as a sign of God’s presence. We witness to God’s presence when we make the decision to cooperate with the abundant graces God has placed in our hearts. The lower you go to serve God’s children, the higher you rise in the Kingdom of God where Jesus tells us that “as often as you did it for one of my least brothers and sisters, you did it for me.”

St. Paul reminds us that Jesus experienced all of our human condition in their entirety. He suffered the abuse, rejection, ridicule of the people he came to redeem; he suffered the rejection of family who thought he was out of his mind; he suffered the loss of beloved friends. He suffered the injustice of capital punishment! He experienced the full spectrum of our human drama, and he did so willingly... “tested in every way” Paul writes. Why? Because of his great love for us. And, the Kingdom he sets in motion is that place, the only place, where the love we see in Christ’s life and death calls us to follow him by “giving our all” to being “servants of all.”

Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom

 

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Just For Today”

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

In this vivid passage from Exodus, the Lord sternly warns His people they shall… “not molest or oppress an alien….... or wrong any widow or orphan” because, God reminds them, “they were once aliens in the land of Egypt”. It is God who reminds the Israelites to keep this memory of the harsh treatment they received at the hands of the Egyptians alive in their “collective consciousness” so that they treat the weakest and most vulnerable members of their society with the respect and dignity they deserve. God goes on to make this pledge to them…. since the aliens, widows and orphans have no one to protect them or defend them…. then, “If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me, I will surly hear their cry and my wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword.” Wow! Do these words strike us to the heart today as we watch the fallout from a failed governmental policy that separated children from their parents as they crossed our Southern border. Say what you will but my word is: "SHAME"!

Jesus makes it clear that the weak and vulnerable have a special place in the Kingdom of God. By all that He says and does, Jesus reveals them to be a “protected class of people” whom God will look after and see to it that they are not harmed or exploited or left to fend for themselves…or else‼

Were these words that we read in Exodus only intended for the people of antiquity or does the Lord speak to us and warn us to care for the aliens, widows and orphans among us today? If we do sense that the Word of God speaks to each and every generation, do we feel that we are insulated from God’s promise to listen to their cries and to act on their behalf? Is God, right this very moment, listening to the cries of the weak and vulnerable who are crying out to Him during this pandemic…the father who has been out of work for the last 18 months and is desperate for a job… those losing their homes to foreclosure, the children who suffer the ravages of war, poverty and disease…. for those who live day to day but can’t get to see a doctor because they have no money and no medical insurance... and those who are distraught they will lose their insurance because our government is desperate to take it away from them…. and for the aliens and immigrants - the "dreamers" among us today? Will God not remember His promise? There are millions of our brothers and sisters who are weak and vulnerable and in need of our help…in need of systems that are fair and just and that recognize the dignity we all possess as children of God. How should God act toward us if we fail to do what is right? No need to guess! The Hebrew Scriptures may shed some light on how things could work out. 

Let us offer this prayer today… that just for today we may do all within our power to help those in need with a meal, a listening ear, some words of hope and encouragement, to be agents of change for the good and well being of others. Just for today let us cooperate with the Lord by helping those who cry out to Him. Just for today let us seek to build the kingdom of God right where we live, work, and worship. Just for today let us work to build the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth so all God’s children may live in peace and harmony and the cries of the poor are turned to tears of joy. 

Enjoy the day!

Deacon Tom 

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Our Help Is In The Name Of The Lord_101820

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Our Help Is In The Name Of The LORD” PS 124:8

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Have you ever had this experience: you are in a difficult situation and you are desperately in need of help but you have no idea where to turn. Then, someone, a complete stranger, comes to the rescue, and you are left with this overwhelming sense of amazement. You just know that God somehow had His hands in these events that touched your life.

The story of the Jews liberation from captivity in Babylon at the hands of the Persian King Cyrus is just such an experience. It is a genuine sign of God calling upon a “stranger” to accomplish His plan in an amazing and awesome way. About King Cyrus, Isaiah wrote, “I have called you by your name, giving you a title, though you knew me not”. The Jews were in a hopeless situation; they were being held captive away from their home; their temple lay in ruin; their way of life altered forever. So they thought! Then Cyrus, the King of the Persians, one not numbered among the tribes of Israel, rises up and defeats the Babylonians and comes to their aid. In 538 B.C. Cyrus issued an edict allowing the return of all the Hebrews to Jerusalem. Better yet, he ordered the rebuilding of the Temple and provided that the Israelites be given a royal subsidy from his treasury. He directed that the sacred vessels seized by the Babylonians when they destroyed the Temple should be sent back with the released captives.  Finally, he urged all Israelites to contribute to the restoration of public worship. Isaiah tells how God took Cyrus’ right hand and led him, “subduing nations before him…..opening doors before him and leaving the gates unbarred”. Isaiah wrote that the Lord summoned Cyrus. The events that followed tell us that responding to the Lord’s call produces amazing results. 

Today we face an unimaginable, life threatening and life changing global pandemic. Evidence of the devastation this pandemic has caused is all around us.. in the loss of lives, in the physical, emotional and financial suffering we or our family or friends and neighbors have or are suffering. This tragedy only exacerbates the everyday problems and difficulties we face in our lives, problems with our relationships, with our kids, our boss, fears of losing our jobs or our health. We struggle with forgiving those who have hurt us; we struggle with addictions and all sorts of impossible situations.  We even struggle with the teachings of our church. We ask ourselves, “How am I going to get through this?”  or, “Where can I turn for help?”  

It’s always darkest before the dawn, they say. I am sure the Jews held captive in Babylon felt that way. But, then God, who is the master of doing the impossible, comes to their rescue and turns their tears into laughter. Isaiah tells us today to keep the faith. There is no struggle or difficulty God cannot overcome!! There is no struggle or difficulty of ours that God does not want to overcome. But, the lesson from Isaiah’s text is clear….the Lord called Cyrus by name to do His work, to liberate His Chosen People, to rebuild the Temple and restore Israel to its former glory. The thing is, God has call us by name, today… and he asks us to do the same. He calls us to respond to the needs of those around us… who have suffered tragic loss, who are in desperate need, who have given up hope. How will we decide to be instruments in the hands of our Lord in helping accomplish His plan?

Enjoy the Day!
Deacon Tom