| For your convenience you can now listen to Fr. Bob’s reflection, click here. |
| 34th Sunday – Christ the King
|
| A
young child climbed to the top of a large tree. His mother, worried,
called out to him, “What are you doing?” “Nothing,” the boy replied.
“Well, then, get down here,” his mother answered in an angry tone. The
child was confused. “Why should I get into trouble for doing nothing?”
he wondered. |
| Today’s Gospel tells us that much of the time we get into trouble for doing nothing. |
| I
was hungry, and you gave Me no food…. I was thirsty, and you gave Me no
water…. I was away from home, and you gave Me no welcome…. Naked, and
you gave Me no clothing. I was ill, and in prison, and you did not come
and comfort Me. In other words, in all of these cases, nothing was done. |
| Of course we sin when we do wrong things: stealing, lying, etc. But so often we overlook the possibility of sinning by not doing.
|
| The
Gospel calls our attention to the judgment all of us will face. It is
wholly contingent upon whether one has responded humanely to the needs
of the marginalized, the nameless, the homeless, and those that society
looks down upon. You do not define neighbor by race or religion.
Neighbor is a four-letter-word…. Need.
|
| We
have our modern day outcasts, often ostracized from human society,
separated from their families and even, at times, from our churches; the
mentally ill who are prematurely released from hospitals, and the
substance abusers, unable to obtain treatment. |
| Then
we have the runaways who sleep on our streets every night. Add to them
some of our elderly, for whom a nursing home is hardly a home, who watch
and wait for a son, a daughter, a relative or friend, anyone to spend an hour with them. |
| There
are many people in our world who need us. Maybe we can update the list a
little. Like, I was being picked on or gossiped about, and you did
nothing to defend me. I was headed for disaster by my bad decisions, and
you simply laughed at my destructive behavior. I was discouraged, and
you thought “Oh well, he’ll get over it.” What are you doing? Nothing!
|
| St.
Theresa of Avila, a great mystic and doctor of the church, wrote after
20 years of being a nun, “Christ has no body on earth but yours. No
hands, but yours. No feet, but yours. Yours are the eyes through which
He is to look out at the world. Yours are the hands He must use to
bless.” |
| St.
Theresa understood that if the hungry, thirsty, homeless and sick are
to be cared for, if Christ’s mission is to be sustained and continued,
then it is to be done by us, His followers. He made enemies of the
powerful because He put compassion above tradition, love above law, and
people above things and institutions. |
| In
her book, “Out of Africa,” Karen von Blixen writing as Isak Dinesen
tells the story of a young man who came to work for her. She employed
many people on her farm. He worked out very well, and was a good
manager. After a year he suddenly announced that he was going to leave.
He said, “I wanted to work for a Christian for a year, to see how they
treated their workers. Now I will work for a Muslim. I want to compare
both of these faiths to see which one to follow.” |
| What
would this young man choose if he lived among us? When we thought he
was not looking, what would he think of what we did and how we acted? Or
how we treated each other? |
| My
friend, it is not for me to tell any of you how you should fit into
today’s Gospel. I do, however, urge you to take time and listen to what
God might be saying to you, might be asking you. |
| Perhaps
He is saying to some of us, “Live simply so that others may simply
live, especially those who experience far more of Christ’s crucifixion
than His resurrection.” |
| In
a short while I will read the preface of Christ the King. It tells us
that His kingdom on earth is to be a kingdom of truth and life, a
kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace. |
| We ask ourselves, is this the kingdom we experience every day? If not, why not?
Perhaps we need to recall from time to time the words we began this
mass with; “Forgive us for those things we have done, and for those
things we have failed to do.” |
| When
we stand before the Lord and He asks us, what did we do to bring about
His kingdom on earth, make sure the answer is not, “Nothing.” |
| P.S. Request the Weekly Advent Devotional Series now,
they will feed your spirit and nourish your soul, allowing you to
engage more deeply with the Word of God shared in Mass. I will be
sending my reflection each Sunday, beginning on the First Sunday of
Advent, November 29th, and ending with a Christmas blessing. I do hope
that my words provide you with encouragement and remind you of God’s
love that is present in all of our lives. I look forward to sharing this
with you this Advent season. |
|
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