8th Sunday after Pentecost (EF) 2021 - The Dishonest Steward and the Motu Proprio

 

What do we do with the time that we’ve been given? What do we do with the blessings with which we’ve been blessed? And what does it matter?

The Lord answers these questions in the Gospel today. In the Gospel parable, this steward has been dealing dishonestly with his master’s accounts, and when he is found out, he sort of scrambles to settle the accounts of his master.

The honest listener to the Lord’s parable would have to admit his resemblance to that dishonest steward.  We’ve all been given this great patrimony to administer, we’ve been given natural gifts from God, intellect, creativity, physical and emotional strengths, not to mention the great supernatural gifts that flow from God’s grace. And yet, the honest Christian admits the dishonest misuse of our blessings. 

And like the steward in the parable we will have to make an accounting for how we used or misused our time talent and treasure. The hour for rendering an account will come for each one of us, and we do well to ensure that we are doing all that we can to atone for squandering the gifts of God. 

While certainly not praising the wasteful stewardship of his master’s good,  the Lord praises a particular aspect of the steward’s conduct: his shrewdness. He deals shrewdly—wisely—with his master’s debtors, and for this the steward is praised. 

How are we to use our time in the master’s service? How are we to use the gifts we’ve been given? Christians need to be wise, shrewd, and clever.

Elsewhere, the Lord says that his disciples are to be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. I think of the Lord’s own shrewdness in dealing with the Pharisees. He was crafty and clever in exposing their errors and hypocrisy. And so should we. Or the early Christians, who faced terrible persecution. Shrewdly, they gathered in secret when the government outlawed their worship. They studied their faith, they passed on the faith to the children and neophytes, they evangelized not just the commoner, but also the imperial courts, the aristocracy, and finally the emperor. That’s clever.  They didn’t just evangelize by their words either. They became known for their charity toward the poor. They made beautiful music, beautiful art to lift the soul, to attract souls to God.

I think this Gospel is so very fitting in light of the this week’s disheartening Motu Proprio issued on Friday, which depending on how our bishop reads it may or may not limit our ability to celebrate the beautiful mass of the ages in this diocese. I’ve only been celebrating the EF for two years, I can’t imagine how some of you must be feeling. Not only from the possibility of the mass being limited, but a sense of injustice, misunderstanding and betrayal from church leaders. What has happened to accompaniment? What has happened to pastoral sensitivity?

I’d like to share with you some encouraging words from the great Fr. Zuhlsdorf, which you may have already seen. They gave me comfort. He  wrote, “To those of you who have put your heart and goods and hopes into supporting and building the Traditional Latin Mass, thank you.

Do not for a moment despair or wonder if what you did was worth the effort, time, cost and suffering.  It was worth it.  It still is.

By your efforts you made it possible for many people to come close to an encounter with Mystery.  That is of inestimable value and eternal merit. By your efforts you supported many priests who deepened their appreciation of who they are, as priests, at the altar." And that includes me.

But I’d like to add, and this is inspired from the Gospel, that there is an opportunity here, for great shrewdness. The mass will continue to be made available in this diocese. Make use of the time we’ve been given. Be shrewd and be clever, in inviting souls to share its beauty and goodness.

We’ve in a sense been wounded, and there is sadness. But be careful. Whenever sadness is not handed over the Lord, it can become poisonous.  Somehow, this is an opportunity to bring souls to Christ. To build up the church and strengthen ecclesial communion.

If the Holy Father is concerned that this form of the mass is a form of division, let’s show him the opposite. Show our bishop your strong, solid, orthodox faith that supports him in his role as chief shepherd of the diocese. Invite the bishop to get to know you, to see the good spiritual fruit that flows from this form of the mass. Be clever, be kind, be aware that people are watching to see how we react. Be innocent as doves in word and deed. 

Knowing this group just for a few months now, I know, this is a very resourceful group of faithful, crafty catholics. As clever as they come. So keep calm and worship on for the glory of God and salvation of souls. 

31st Week of OT 2019 - Friday - Have I Squandered God's Gifts?

Consider the last line of the Gospel. “For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than the children of light.”

If Jesus’ followers were as prudent in doing the work of God, as children of the world are in seeking after their own self-interest, how different would the world be?

Would that Jesus’ followers were as diligent at storing up treasure in heaven, as the greedy and corrupt are in acquiring earthly wealth. Would that Jesus’ followers were as meticulous at organizing charitable activity in their parish as the head coaches of professional football teams are organizing their teams for victory. Would that Jesus’ followers were as thorough at disciplining their minds and hearts against temptation, as professional athletes are in training their bodies.  Would that Jesus’ followers were as painstaking in teaching the Gospel to our children, as the culture is in malforming them. What a different world this would be.

How have we squandered the time we have been given? ? How many wasted hours in front of a television? Or a computer screen? In pursuing mindless entertainment or social media status? How many wasted opportunities for visiting the sick, feeding the hungry, visiting the lonely? How many God-given gifts, have gone unused because we didn’t want to leave our comfort zone?

Isn’t God saying to us, what rich man said to the steward in the Gospel, “What is this I hear about you? Squandering the gifts I have given you?”

What would my life look like, what would my soul look like, if I was putting those gifts into practice with diligence, devotion, discipline, courage, and generosity?

Let us take serious accounting,, and by God’s grace, seek a transformation, a reorientation of values and practices, that our whole lives may be at His service for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That the Pope and all the Ordained may courageously call forth and order the gifts of all the faithful.

That our president and all civic officials will carry out their duties with justice, honesty, and respect for religious freedom and the dignity of human life.

During this National Vocations Week, we pray for an increase in vocations to priesthood and consecrated life, and that our young people may take seriously the missionary call of Christ, that they will turn away from the godlessness of our culture to spread the good news of Christ’s eternal kingdom.

For all those struggling with addiction, mental illness, chronic sickness, unemployment, or ongoing trials of any kind: that they will be fortified and blessed with the Father’s healing, light, and peace.  We pray to the Lord.

We pray in a special way during this month of November for all the faithful departed, for those whose names are written in our parish book of the names of the dead, all deceased members of St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish, and our deceased family members and friends, deceased clergy and religious, for the repose of the soul of Bishop Richard Lennon who will be buried today, for those who fought and died for our freedom and for X. for whom this mass is offered.

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

25th Sunday in OT 2019 - "You cannot serve both God and Mammon"

“You cannot serve both God and mammon." Last week, a parishioner, perhaps looking ahead to this week’s reading, asked me before Mass, “Father, what does the Bible mean when it refers to mammon?”

Just from the context of today’s Gospel, we can surmise that mammon has something to do with money or wealth or earthly possessions.  After all, this teaching about mammon follows a parable about steward who squandered his master’s property, certainly recalling from last week, the parable of the prodigal son who squandered his inheritance on his earthly appetites.

This dishonest steward, instead of serving his master’s interests, has squandered his office, and only after getting caught, does he scramble to make some amends. Instead of serving his master, he has served an idol, a false master, himself.

The word mammon comes from the Aramaic word for “trust”. So “mammon” is something, anything that you trust in, other than God. It could mean money, it could mean power, it could mean your own ego.

So, Jesus isn’t calling money, evil, here, per se. Most people use money for very good reasons, like providing for their family.  But some people sell out their family, their country, their integrity . . . for money.  Money becomes a false idol, money becomes mammon when it is pursued at the expense of one’s soul. But again, not just money can become mammon; I read an article this week in which a Hollywood actress was boasting that it was her multiple abortions which enabled her to grow in fame—she willingly sacrificed the lives of her children for personal fame and wealth. Mammon is a relentless unholy god that demands sacrifice for short-term gain at the expense of others.

Last week, the prodigal son, having squandered his inheritance, was symbolic of sinful humanity, guilty of a squandered relationship with God resulting in the spiritual death of sin. But the good news was that the father in the parable, was symbolic of God, who runs to embrace his repentant son in mercy. Each of us, falling into sin, over and over, is pursued by God who longs to embrace us in his mercy.

Well, the dishonest steward, this week is symbolic as well, but of who? Well, Jesus is certainly addressing the Pharisees, who have squandered their holy office, their sacred duty, for their own sordid gain. They were supposed to be true spiritual leaders in Israel, helping people to be faithful to God and helping people to recognize how God was working in their lives. Jesus equates the Pharisees with the unfaithful, dishonest, steward, for their failure to help people recognize Jesus as Son of God and follow Him.

But this parable is also addressed again, just like last week, to every Christian of every age, to all of us. The parable challenges us to ensure that we do not squander the time we have been given, the treasure with which we’ve been entrusted, and to be vigilant against becoming a slave to mammon, and to serve God in even the smallest of matters.

So, what does it mean to serve God? Our first reading defines this service as care for the poor, honesty in our business transactions. Speaking through the prophet Amos, the Lord God, has some pretty harsh words for those who would take advantage of the poor and whose priorities are not aligned with God’s. “Hear this, you who trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land.. Never will I forget a thing they have done!” Lest we think we are off the hook as long as we are not cheating the poor outright, the Lord condemns just as strongly those who are anxious for the Sabbath to be over in order to pursue the things of the earth.

Rather, we are to live for God all week, by placing Christ at the center of everything we do, and to remember our responsibility to the poor in our midst, the materially poor and spiritually poor, to ensure that we are setting good example for young people, to ensure that our time, talent, and treasure is entirely at the service of God.

Time, talent, and treasure. That’s a phrase this parish is pretty familiar with. Over the last five years, our former pastor Fr. Troha was very vigilant in calling the parish to commit their time, talent, and treasure to the Lord’s service. And though, we know longer will have the month long stewardship renewal, we do well to make an examination of our personal stewardship with questions like: am I reasonably supporting the Church and the work of the Church with my time, talent, and treasure? Am I setting aside time every day for some form of service to God? Am I setting aside a reasonable amount of treasure every week that will go to help someone else-- that will lift someone else’s burdens? What is an appropriate percentage of my income to give to God? 1% 5% 10%? Am I using my talents to make the world more beautiful, to glorify God so that strangers and neighbors and family may believe in Him? Could I get to daily mass during the week, or could I do spiritual reading, if I spent less time on social media, if I didn’t stay up so late watching television?

At the end of every day, we do well to make an examination of conscience—an account of how we have spent our time, talent, and treasure—to repent of our selfishness and to seek God’s help in being more generous the next day.

Just like last week, this week’s parable contains challenge, warning and promise. Yes, we are challenged to ensure we are honest and prudent before God, and we are warned, that we will, at the end of life, be required to give a full account of our stewardship before God. But we also hear God’s promise: those who are faithful shall be known as children of the light; a “tranquil life of devotion and dignity”, as St. Paul, describes in our second reading, “is pleasing to God.” And shall be rewarded in eternity.

For to the extent which we have given ourselves away in this life, in imitation and in union with Christ Our savior, we will be blessed in eternity. So may we be generous for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Friday - 31st Week in OT 2017 - Prudent and Clever in our Christian Mission

In our society there are many pragmatic and clever people, and that cleverness is employed in many ways, some good, some bad. The internet, cellphones and computers help us communicate better, work faster, produce more, but they are also utilized by hackers and criminals to steal identities, cause chaos in governments, and even used by common folk to spread rumors and bully their peers. We have sophisticated weather systems to warn us of impending disasters like hurricanes, tsunamis and other natural disasters, but also instruments of war which can destroy the world. All made by very clever people.

Often cleverness, shrewdness, and skillfulness are busy working for financial and social gain, to protect ones own interests, but Jesus teaches, particularly in the Gospel today, that people of faith are especially called to use their cleverness, shrewdness, and skillfulness for others. It is not simply that we are to be other-minded, but that other-mindedness needs to be put into action.

We need to be more clever in organizing charitable activity, than head coaches of professional sports teams are in organizing victory for their franchises. We need to be more diligent in disciplining our minds and our hearts than professional athletes in training their bodies. We need to be more clever than Wall Street bankers, in storing up treasure not on earth, but in heaven.

Pope St. Leo the Great certainly put his intellectual and spiritual gifts at the service of the Gospel. He’s known as one of the best administrative Popes of the ancient Church. He labored to put down the prominent heresies of his day; he led the defense of Rome against barbarian attack, persuading Atilla the Hun to halt his path towards Rome which he was planning to plunder. His personal sanctity and pastoral care are evident from his writings and spiritually profound sermons.

He put his nearly boundless energy, compassion, and intellect in service of the Church as Pope for 21 years, one of the longest reigning Popes in Church history.

Like Pope Leo, and so many good Christians before us, let us endeavor to put an ever-greater portion of our time, talent, and treasure, our intellect and compassion, at the service of the Gospel, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That Pope St. Leo and all the saints may assist the Holy Father, Pope Francis, and governing and teaching the Church to faithfully address the challenges of our times.

That our president and all civic officials will carry out their duties with justice, honesty, and respect for religious freedom and the dignity of human life.

During this National Vocations Week, we pray for an increase in vocations to priesthood and consecrated life, and that our young people may take seriously the missionary call of Christ, that they will turn away from the godlessness of our culture to spread the good news of Christ’s eternal kingdom.

For all those struggling with addiction, mental illness, chronic sickness, unemployment, or ongoing trials of any kind: that they will be fortified and blessed with the Father’s healing, light, and peace.  We pray to the Lord.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased clergy and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.