PASTOR S MEANDERINGS 17 18 SPETEMBER 2016 TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME C STEWARDSHIP: The dishonest manager in today s parable knew how to manipulate money to his own advantage. But the Gospel warns that no one can serve both God and money. Which do I serve? Is my stewardship such that anyone can tell? St. Bernard of Clairvaux Theirs is an endless road, a hopeless maze, who seek for goods before they seek for God. TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY 25 SEP 16 Amos 6:1, 4-7: The prophet Amos gives a series of warnings against those who build their lives and their wealth on injustice, corruption, and neglect of the poor. 1 Tim. 6:11-16: The author urges Timothy, a leader in the second generation of Christians, to be faithful to all the essential qualities of the Lord s teaching. It is our responsibility, too, in our generation, to make sure we are passing on to others the essential components of the faith, which must always include service to others, especially the poor. Lk. 16:19-31: The Evangelist Luke is always concerned about social justice, and in this reading he reminds us that we will be judged on the way we have used the goods of this world in ways that lead to righteousness, integrity, justice, and concern for others, especially those in need. Livy Avarice and luxury, those pests which have ever been the ruin of every great state. YEAR OF MERCY The following September reflection on mercy and concrete suggestion of how we can live out the mercy that God offers us has been prepared by the US Conference of Bishops. New situations can be intimidating, yet they are also a great opportunity to grow and express yourself. We want to make a good impression on others, whether it is at the beginning of a new school year, a new job, or just meeting someone for the first time. Likewise, when people are first turning to the Christian faith, we want them to have a positive experience of Christianity so that they can come to know the love and mercy of God. In all of our actions then, we ought to take this into consideration and model our own attitudes and actions after Christ, who is the "face of the Father's mercy" (MV, no. 1). By showing others love, mercy, and compassion, we offer them the opportunity to deepen their relationship with God. 1. Personal encounters and invitations are a great way to witness God's mercy and compassion to others. This month, try some of these out. Even little actions, like a smile, can make a big difference in the way people see you as living out your faith. a. Eat lunch with someone you don't normally sit with. b. Say hello to those you pass on the street, making eye contact and smiling rather than looking
down at your feet. c. Invite someone to come to church with you or to a parish activity. Spiritual Works of Mercy Continued: 4. To forgive all injuries It is the deepest act of love to forgive someone who has injured us in any way even and particularly if the hurt was inflicted with deliberation. Scripture tells us that we are called to forgive seven times seventy times. To understand this incredible challenge from the Lord, we must ask ourselves whether there could be any greater expression of love and mercy than Christ forgiveness of His enemies from the wood of the cross itself. In the words of Pope Francis, Mercy will always be greater than any sin, and no one can place limits on the love of God who is ever ready to forgive (MV, No. 3). Mercy and forgiveness must thus not remain simply beautiful words, but should be concretely realized in our daily lives. This is our challenge, especially in this Year of Jubilee. On the day after Christmas, the feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr, the pope underlined, that to forgive is always very difficult. Every day we have the opportunity to train ourselves t forgive, to live this elevated gesture that brings man closer to God. As our heavenly Father, we too become merciful, through forgiveness we overcome evil with good, we transform hate into love and so we make the world cleansed. Forgiveness from the heart is never easy, but it is possible. It takes training, training in prayer. We are called to pray daily for those who have wronged us and to pray in turn for the courage to forgive, to ask forgiveness from others. It often means letting go of grudges and going out of our way to be positive with someone with whom we are having, or have had, a difficult time. In our acts of forgiveness, we experience personally the concrete victory of mercy over all that divides us. It is, after all, the life of God moving in and through us. Pope Francis asks, as we so often ask, How many times I ve heard it said to me: Father, I am unable to forgive my neighbor, m work companion, the lady next door, my mother-in-law, my sister-in-law. We have all felt this, I am unable to forgive. But how can we ask God to forgive us, if we are unable to forgive? And to forgive is something great, yet it s not easy to forgive, because our heart is poor and it cannot do so on its own. However, if we open ourselves to receive God s mercy for us, we in turn become capable of forgiving. I ve heard it said so many times, I couldn t stand that person: I hated her. But one day I approached the Lord and asked Him to forgive my sins, and I also forgave that person. These are everyday things. And we have this possibility close to us (General Audience, Dec. 16, 2015). SAINTS: Continued Pope Benedict XIV (r. 1740-58) proposed six characteristics of sanctity. First, the saint is willing to undertake even very difficult tasks in the name of God; second, the virtuous acts they perform are done in accordance with the age, condition, and state of the person; third, the acts are performed without hesitation or delay; fourth, enormous joy is found in the performance of virtuous acts, and also in the enduring of great suffering in the name of God s love; fifth, the saint is ever constant, never changing in the fulfillment of God s will, and he or she is as devout and holy one day as any other; and finally, the saint is a perfect example of all the virtues, even
those that may seem incompatible with each other (e.g., humility and benevolence), while exemplifying the perfect fulfillment of the Theological Virtues (Faith, Hope, and Charity) and the cardinal Virtues (Prudence, Justice, Temperance, and Fortitude). For all of these reasons, the Church has long promoted the proper veneration of saints as a means of giving honor and recognition to them and to encourage all to follow their example. The correct form of veneration which is bestowed upon the saints is dulia, which is differentiated from the heightened veneration given to the Virtue Mary (hyperdulia) and the special worship reserved exclusively for God (latria). It is not proper for Catholics to say that they worship saints (as they worship God), for that is reserved alone for the Lord. Instead, they give veneration, from the Latin venerari, meaning to regard with religious awe. To be continued. SYMBOLS: The Fish is an ancient symbol for Christ and Christianity used since the earliest days of the Church. The Greek word for fish is Ichthus. This is treated as an acronym for Iesous, Christos, THeou, Uias, Soter - Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. The fish I also an emblem of those apostles who were fishermen and Christ s promise to make them fishes of men (Mk. 1:17). It is fund on many Christian tombs in Rome dating from the first centuries AD, sometimes with a basket of loaves and a glass of wine. The loaves are a symbol of the miracle described in the Gospel when Christ feeds a multitude of people on a small number of fish and loaves of bread. The Pope is also known as The Fisherman, since he is the successor of St. Peter, and St. Peter was a fisherman. The expression the shoes of the Fisherman refers to the institution of the Papacy. The Fisherman s Ring is a special signet ring worn by the Pope and used for sealing important Papal document. It represents St. Peter fishing and carries the name of the ruling Pope. When a Pope dies his ring is destroyed. RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS AND MISUNDERSTANINGS: Jesus didn t come to start a church or a religion but simply to reveal God s love, the gospel of salvation. How does the Catholic Church have the right to claim that it is the original church founded by Christ when the New Testament doesn t even say anything about a Catholic Church. Actually, the Bible is clear that the Lord intended to establish a Church and to bring u the gospel of salvation. Both of these are inextricably connected. Christ established the Church to be the means by which His Gospel would be preached to all the nations, baptizing and teaching with His own authority. (Mt. 18:18; 28:18-20; Lk. 10:16)
St. Paul said: To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery hidden or ages in God who created all things; that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known tote principalities and powers in the heavenly places. (Eph. 3:8-10) It is in and though this one Church He established that He wants all men to be reconciled to the Father through Himself. It is completely alien to Scripture, indeed to the Gospel message itself, to attempt to separate the Church and the Gospel Passages such as these make it quite clear that Jesus did indeed establish a Church and that His followers understood this: And I tell you, you ae Peter and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. (Mt. 16:18) If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him lone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you in on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Mt. 18:15-18) So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was built up; and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit it was multiplied. (Acts 9:31) Admittedly, the term Catholic does not appear in the New Testament just as other theological terms commonly used do not appear there. The early church had not had the time for prayerful reflection and study to develop the vocabulary that we are familiar with today. In that early period, it did not take long following the completion of Jesus public ministry for heretical Christians, described by St. Paul as fierce wolves, to create factions and divisions among the faithful (Acts 20:29-32). With this development, it became difficult at times for the faithful to discern who was a fierce wolf preaching heresy and who was a fellow orthodox believer since many used the title Christian. So with time a term arose that could not be misunderstood as a description of the Church to which true disciples of the Lord belonged. By the second century the name Catholic was commonly accepted as an identifying title. It comes from the Greek compound word katholokos, derived from the word katholou, meaning for the whole. As an example, in one of his epistles St. Ignatius of Antioch (c. 35 108) matter-of-factly referred to the Church as the Catholic Church. The theological implications of the term Catholic can be glimpsed in Matthew 28:19-20, where Christ commissioned the Church to Go therefore and make disciples of all nations. Thus, the word Catholic conveyed the identity and mission of the Church very handily its mission is for all people, in all places, at all times.
Around the year 345, the Eastern Father of the Church, St. Cyril of Jerusalem commented on the meaning and importance of the name Catholic : And if ever thou art sojourning in any city, inquire not simply where the Lord s house is for the sects of the profane also attempt to call their own dens, houses of the Lord not merely where the church is but where is the Catholic Church. For this is the peculiar name of the holy body the mother of us all now it is called Catholic because it is throughout the world, from one end of the earth to the other (Catechetical Letters). SAINT OF THE WEEK: ADAMNAN d. 704 22 Sep The abbot of Iona, also called Eunan. Born sometime about 624 at Drumhome in County Donegal in Ireland, he was educated by the monks of St. Columba. In 605 he became a novice in the monastery on Iona, in Scotland, and was named abbot of the community in 679, an office that he held until his death. During his term as abbot, Adamnan went to Ireland three times. He was also President-general of the Columban monasteries in Ireland. On his last visit, Adamnan assisted the Synod (Church council) of Tara, and his Canon of Adamnan was passed at the gathering. This series of regulations protected women and children from wars, forbidding anyone from killing or enslaving them. Adamnan gave sanctuary to Aldfrith of Northumbria (r. 685-705) when feuds erupted over Aldfrith s right to succession following the death of King Oswy (r. 655-670). In 686, Aldfrith gave Adamnan prisoners taken in battle. The abbot of Iona also adopted the Roman calendar for Easter celebrations as a result of his meeting with St. Ceolfrid. He went to Romanize the Church in the region, freeing it from its Celtic customs. He also wrote a definitive life of St. Columba and a treatise (De Locis Sanctis) much praised by St. Bede. Adamnan presented this work, which was a description of the East given to him by a Frankish bishop, Arculf, who had made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and had been shipwrecked on Iona on his return to King Aldfrith. This saintly abbot was described by contemporaries as fond of prayer, diligent, and learned. He died on Iona on 23 September 704.