September 29, 2019. Homily for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time; Year (C)

Readings: Amos 6:1, 4-7; 1 Tim. 6:11-16; Lk 16:19-31.

Our Sins of Omission

Last Sunday, we read from prophet Amos as he lashed out on the rich for exploiting the poor. His message was direct and uncompromising. He told the people of Israel that, because of their social injustice and religious arrogance, the Lord will punish them by means of a total military disaster. Amos who came from the South, and preached in the North, warned that, due to the life style of the people the impending disaster will spare no one, it will affect the rich and the poor alike. In today’s first reading, Amos warned the rich who feasted sumptuously and enjoyed a comfortable life style that they “Shall be the first to go into exile, and their wanton revelry shall be done away with.” The rich did not care about the poor, in fact, they took no notice of them, except to exploit and use them to advance their own selfish interests.

In the Gospel reading, Jesus presents us with the parable of the rich man, Dives and Lazarus. Dives, (pronounced ‘Dive-ees’ the Latin for ‘rich’) was a rich man who dressed in purple (royalty) and fine linen clothes; and feasted on exotic and costly dishes and drank expensive wine. And there was Lazarus, a Latinized form of Eleazar meaning ‘God is my help.’ Lazarus was a homeless, crippled beggar, who was so sick that he could not drive away dogs that came to lick his sores. He survived on the leftovers that fell from the rich man’s table. Though, day in day out, Lazarus would make his way to the rich man’s gate, he did not notice him. The only time the rich man noticed Lazarus was when he saw him in the after-life on the bosom of Abraham. While the rich man was laughing, rejoicing and celebrating on earth, Lazarus was in agony. But in heaven, Lazarus rejoiced while Dives suffered in hell. And Christ warned: “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. But woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep.” (Lk. 6:20-25).

But what was the sin of the rich man? What was his crime? And why was he in hell? He did not kick Lazarus out, shouted at him, or prevented him from sitting by his gate. The parable said nothing about the source of his wealth. Being rich was a blessing from God. For Psalm 112:3 tells us: “Wealth and riches shall be in their homes; their prosperity shall endure forever.” And Deuteronomy 8:18 reminds us that “It is the Lord, your God, who gives you the power to acquire wealth, by fulfilling, as he has now done, the covenant which he swore to your fathers.”

The only crime that sent the rich man to hell was that he did not care; he did not notice his fellow man dying in abject poverty. He did nothing to alleviate his pain and suffering or remedy his situation. He saw Lazarus as part of the landscape in front of his gate. He lacked human decency to pursue a life of holiness by taking care of his fellow man in need. He failed to do what Paul urged Timothy to do in the second reading. “But you, man of God…pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Compete well for the faith. Lay hold of eternal life…” (1 Tim. 6:11-12). He failed to obey the commandment of love. He did nothing! It was the sin of omission that sent the rich man to hell. We contribute to the sufferings of the poor by doing nothing to help them in their poverty!

We often feel that the poor deserve their state in life. We seem to think that it is because they are lazy that they remain in poverty. M.K.O. Abiola, the late Nigerian millionaire was right when he said, “If I am the richest man, living among the poorest of the poor, I am the poorest of them all.” How easy we forget that the rich should help the poor in this world while the poor will help the rich in the next. “He raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.’” Hell is real, and we may go there if we refuse to notice the Lazarus in our family, our community, our society and in our world. They are everywhere, but can we see them? They are needy people, hurting people, people who need our attention, who want us to help them with school fees. They are pan-handlers on the street corners, and they sleep under bridges. Can you see the hurt in their eyes? They need you now. Do not wait for the reversal of fortunes to notice them, it may be too late then. Let us remember, as John F. Kennedy would have us do, in his inaugural address of January 20, 1961, “If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich…”

Finally, it seems odd that the rich man’s request, that his brothers be warned was refused. Isn’t it true, that if men possess the truth of God’s word, and, if wherever they look, there is sorrow to be comforted, need to be supplied, pain to be relieved, and they are not moved to do anything, or take action to alleviate their sufferings; then nothing can change them, even if someone should come from the dead? We are in no doubt as to why the rich man went to hell; for God sends no one to hell. He went to hell because of his sin of omission, and we are not immune to that sin. May we choose the path of righteousness and decide to do something today, to alleviate the pains of our suffering brothers and sisters, so that we may not join the rich man in his pity-party held in hell. May God bless us today and always. Amen!

September 22, 2019: Homily for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year (C)

Readings: Amos 8:4-7; 1 Tim. 2:1-8; Lk 16:1-13.

What Would You Sacrifice for Eternal Life?

The first reading of today reminds me of St. Oscar Romero, (canonized October 14, 2018) the slain Archbishop of San Salvador. Monsenor Romero, as he was called, was an advocate for justice and the voice for the poor in the turbulent times leading up to El Salvador’s civil war. Romero saw people, especially the poor, as human beings, created in the image of God and so should be treated with dignity. He struggled for the liberation of his people from the shackles of repressive military government. He was assassinated on March 24, 1980, while celebrating Mass in the hospital chapel of Divine Providence. Romero knew his death was imminent and so warned his would-be assassins: “If am killed, I shall arise again in the Salvadoran people.” When I visited El Salvador in 2017, it was an overwhelming experience for me to stand at the same place Romero stood by that Altar when the assassin’s bullet struck and shattered his heart. I think about the Liberation Theologians from South America between 1950 and 1960. Men like Gustavo Gutierrez of Peru, Leonardo Boff of Brazil, Juan Luis Segundo of Uruguay, Archbishop Helder Camara of Brazil and Jon Sobrino of Spain. These men popularized the phrase preferential option for the poor and believed that God speaks particularly through the poor and that the Bible can be understood only as seen from the perspective of the poor. They were courageous and fearless defenders of the poor. They fought and died while defending their rights. Dom Helder Camara reminds us that “When we are dreaming alone it is only a dream. When we are dreaming with others, it is the beginning of reality.”

As I think of these men, I note with sadness that we are engaged in the same struggle even today. The poor are still hounded, traumatized, stigmatized, pushed around, put in cages; slammed into prisons and out of sight; while there seems to be a collective sense of silence among those who should speak out for their rights. Amos addressed a situation similar to ours where the giant corporations have bought the government, fossil fuel companies, the gun lobby, health insurance companies and drug companies have taken control of the economy; and the poor and the powerless are thrown under the bus. Where greed and injustice prevail, revolt, anarchy and protest are the result and the brunt of it all would be borne by the same poor people.

The message of Amos is as urgent today as it was in his days. “Hear this, you who trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land! We will buy the lowly for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals.” (8:4-7). Amos lived and preached at the time of material and financial prosperity in Israel, where the rich amassed wealth by ruthlessly exploiting and cheating the poor, when fraud and deception were normal in businesses and banking and the lawyers were working for vested interests of the wealthy rather than for justice, where the city life was corrupt, and religion was just a routine, a farce, a sham and shameful. In their affluence the children of Israel lost their faith and focus on God. The Sabbath and the new moon that were supposed to be days of prayer and rest, were resented as interruption in the pursuit of money. All caution and a sense of decency in business and the care of ordinary people were thrown to the wind.

To them Amos’ warning was frank, direct, precise and decisive: “The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Never will I forget a thing they have done!” He called the people back to wholeness of life and solidarity as one people under God. He reminded them of the futility of their fancy liturgies and solemn assemblies as long as they kept exploiting the poor. For as the psalmist reminds us the “Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Ps. 34:18). The mission of Christ was clear and simple: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” (Lk. 4:18-19).  

In the parable we have just heard from the Gospel, Jesus does not in any way praise the craftiness and the attitude of the dishonestly honest steward for his laziness and shady bookkeeping. Oh no! He commends, rather, his ingenuity and willingness to foresee and do whatever it took to ensure a prosperous future for himself while he still had time and ability to do so. “For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.” (v.8). He, in fact, did what Christ urged us to do: “Make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” (v.9). But our friend’s immediate concern was not eternal life but how to make ends meet and prepare for rainy days. We should be willing to do whatever it takes to attend eternal life. How much are you prepared to invest in your quest to be with God?  

The Gospel reminds us that whatever we have is given to us for the benefit of all. Our wealth is a blessing from God only to the extent that we detach ourselves from them and are willing to share with others. Our use of money should always be related to social justice and personal responsibility. Our worship of God has to influence the way we behave. It is by so doing that we will be entrusted with eternal life, for those we assist on earth will plead for us on the day of judgment. “Whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matt. 25:40).  And this is the kind of world that the first reading and the Liberation Theologians dreamt of, the world where the resources are equitably shared and made available to all. For according to Dom Helder Camara, “Without justice and love, peace will always be a great illusion.” It is only in the recognition that God has blessed the world with abundance to be enjoyed by all that peace, justice and equity will prevail in the world.   

The readings leave us with a few lessons to ponder so as to “lead quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity” according to St. Paul in the second reading. First of all, we must be men and women of prayer. “I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions and thanksgiving be offered for everyone and that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument.” Prayer must not only be the concern of women and children, men should also be prayer warriors.

Secondly, we should be serious about the things of God. That means, the Christian should be as eager and ingenious in his attempt to attain goodness as the man of the world is in his attempt to make money and have comfort in life. We tend to spend money and time for what gives us instant pleasure: our hobby, our pets and our sports more than we would spend time in prayer or pursuing spiritual things. Third, we should use material things and possessions to cement our relationships with others, especially the poor. They are the ones who will secure our life of peace with God. The rich should help the poor in this world while the poor will help the rich in the next. Finally, since we cannot serve two masters, we must decide who to serve, God or money. Once we choose to serve God we should know that there is no spare time for ourselves, since all our time belongs to God. God is our most exclusive master. We either belong to him totally or not at all. May God give us the strength to choose him above and beyond all else. Amen. 

September 15, 2019. Homily for the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year (C)

Readings: Ex. 32:7-11, 13-14; 1 Tim. 1:12-17; Lk 15:1-32.

Forgiveness is The Key to A Healthy Relationship

The readings of today can be summarized simply as lost and found, strayed and returned. Sinned and forgiveness; estranged and reconciled. They addressed the idea of separation from God and ultimate reunion with Him. There can never be a healthy relationship, in our family, in our church or in the society, without an intentional aspiration for forgiveness, compassion and mercy. Whenever we sin and hurt our brothers and sisters we are away from our senses. It is by coming to our senses that we find ourselves, others and God.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks to a mixed crowd: the tax collectors and sinners and the grumbling Pharisees and scribes, who disapprove of His fellowship “with the wrong kind of people.” In the first reading, Moses intercedes on behalf of the people for their sin of apostasy. They had turned away from the living God and worshipped the Golden Calf. “But Moses implored the Lord, his God, saying, ‘Why, O Lord, should your wrath blaze up against your own people, whom you brought out of the Land of Egypt with such great power and with so strong a hand?’ So the Lord relented in the punishment he had threatened to inflict on his people.” (Ex.32:13,14). Acknowledging the mercy of God, prophet Nehemiah said: “Yet in your great mercy you did not completely destroy them, and you did not forsake them, for you are a kind and merciful God.” (10:31). The Lord revealed himself to Moses as “The Lord, the Lord, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity, continuing his kindness for a thousand generations, and forgiving wickedness and crime and sin.” (Ex. 34:6-7). God forgives us always not counting our sins. “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Is.1:18).

In the second reading Paul gave thanks to Jesus Christ for favors bestowed on him. “I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and an arrogant man, but I have been mercifully treated because I acted out of ignorance in my unbelief. Indeed, the grace of our Lord has been abundant, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” (1 Tim. 1:13-14). Paul’s sin was grave, but the mercy of God saved him and offered him an opportunity to be an apostle to the gentiles, to be an ambassador of reconciliation. “And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” (2 Cor. 5:18-20). “…where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through justification for eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Rom. 5:20-21).

The Gospel presents us with the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. In the first two parables there is no hint of sin or deliberate separation except that the sheep strayed, the coin was lost, and both were recovered. But there was joy and happiness in their recovery. The story of the lost son is one of the greatest stories ever told. This is the story of hatred and animosity; of overindulging father who fulfilled the demands of an ungrateful son with a false sense of entitlement; It is a story of searching and finding, love and compassion, forgiveness and cold-heartedness, mercy and reconciliation. This is the story of grace! Shakespeare captured the essence of mercy thus: “The quality of mercy is not strained. It droppeth as the gentle rain from haven, upon the place beneath. It is twice blessed: It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.” This is the story of a father who forgave and loved his son because he chose to. It is the story of joy and jubilation over the repentance of a recalcitrant son. There will be joy in heaven when a sinner returns to God. Margaret Moody captures this joy in the Song ‘When a Sinner Comes As A Sinner May’ “There is joy among the angels, and their harps with music ring, when a sinner comes repenting, bending low before the King.”

The merciful father forgave and embraced his son (welcomes him back fully), put shoes on his feet (he is not a slave, but free) and gave him a ring (restored him to full status with authority to act in the name of the family). While the father forgave his son, his elder brother did not. It was the father again who made the move to reconcile the two brothers. He pleaded but would he listen? Forgiveness is a choice: against anger, hurt, pride, bitterness, suspicion, self-righteousness, grudges and irrational need for revenge. It is a choice for liberation and freedom. The elder brother could not forgive his brother but resented the fact that his father did. Was he envious of his brother? Did he underestimate his father’s love for them? Did he not understand that his father’s love could not be earned; that it is pure grace? Will he ever forgive his brother, and join in the celebration? We will never know. But our attitude towards our enemies and our unwillingness to forgive them is an indicative of the brother’s mindset. These were the scribes and the Pharisees who were upset with Christ for associating with the tax collectors, prostitutes and sinners. There was no love lost between them and Christ!

This story teaches us that there is no perfect family. There must be understanding and forgiveness in our families. Some members must be prepared to sacrifice for peace and concord of others. The task of keeping the family together must be initiated by parents who may be the cause of some of the problems in the family. Over-pampering the children and favoring of child over others can make them feel they can do anything and go free. This attitude has caused problems in many families. Spare the rod and spoil the child is the saying that parents must bear in mind at all times.

Let us pray that the God of forgiveness and mercy may teach us to be merciful ourselves. If we have hurt anyone, let us ask for forgiveness and accept forgiveness when offered. And if we have sinned against God, let us approach the throne of mercy and receive the grace of forgiveness from God who, like the merciful father, waits for us to come to him. He will never withhold his forgiveness and love from us. If today you listen to his voice harden not your heart. May God bless and keep us always in his love. Amen.