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Thirty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Deacon John Gomez

I’d like to start this morning by taking a quick survey. By show of hands who thinks that they know the difference between right and wrong? Ok, now who thinks that the person in the car in front of them on the way to church this morning knows the difference between right and wrong? The questions are simple ones and yet, if we are honest with ourselves, the answers can be very challenging. The question posed by today’s first reading is just as challenging but not as simple: do you know the way of salvation?

Our reading from 2 Maccabees is a bit gruesome describing the torture and murder of a mother and her seven sons, the Maccabean martyrs. At the time of the Maccabean revolt, the Jews had been conquered by the Greeks and were under the rule of the Macedonian king Antiochus Epiphanes, whose name translates to God revealed or God manifest. The demands of the Macedonian king mirror the demands of our own humanist society. Humanism mistakenly holds that we reveal God for ourselves in the choices we make. If we embrace human reason and choose to reject religious dogma, we are set adrift in a sea of choices where there is no universal, objective truth to help us know the good. The only justification needed for my actions is that it makes sense to me. The epidemic of violence across our nation attests to the desolation of this approach.

The story in Maccabees reveals the greater truth. The strength for our journey of salvation lies in following God’s loving advice to his children captured in the commandments and church teaching. Recognizing that the relationship between the Hebrew people and the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was a source of strength, the Macedonian king sought to destroy that relationship by what seemed an insignificant act—eating pork. Isn’t this the way Satan seduces us into sin? Isn’t this the same ploy used on Adam and Eve in the Garden? The Maccabean martyrs are among the few pre-Christian figures celebrated in our Catholic calendar of saints. They chose to obey God’s law rather than the demands of men. They knew the true way of salvation included faith.

A couple years ago, Martin Scorsese directed the movie Silence about Jesuit priests in 17^th century Japan facing the same question about the way of salvation. At this time in history, Christianity was being suppressed during a rebellion against the ruling shogun. The priests helplessly witness the mortal torture of Japanese converts to the Christian faith. Their guilt over the villagers’ suffering is fueled by the recognition that they are the cause of that suffering. One villager repeatedly seeks absolution for recanting his faith under the duress of torture. The priests forgive the villager and eventually come to forgive themselves. They came to realize that the way of salvation included forgiveness.

Last month, I had the privilege of spending some time with a gentleman who was stationed in Germany during the Berlin Airlift. Following years of war where the strategic bombing campaign left many cities as large piles of rubble, with the full extent of the atrocities of the Holocaust being revealed daily, there were many widows and orphaned children starving because there was no infrastructure to provide food. Because all Germans were still looked upon as the enemy, our soldiers in Europe burned their leftover food to ensure the enemy didn’t benefit from it. Lieutenant Gail Halvorsen saw something different. He didn’t see an enemy; he saw innocent people suffering. He decided to help. He returned to his barracks and asked his crew for their chocolate ration. He tied handkerchiefs to the bundles of Hershey bars to act as parachutes. The next day as he flew supplies into Berlin he dropped the Hershey bars to the children below. Thus began the story of the Candy Bomber. His efforts were picked up by others so that over the next year they dropped over 23 tons of candy to the residents of Berlin. A few years ago following a presentation about the Candy Bomber, a man in his fifties approached Gail Halvorsen. He said that the Candy Bomber saved his life. He was an orphan sitting in the remains of his bombed out home waiting to die when a candy bar drifted down next to him. He never ate the candy bar because for him it was more than food, it was hope. Hope that someone cared for him—a hope that saved his life. Gail Halvorsen’s way of salvation included delivering hope.

The time that I spent with Gail made me wonder where I see people suffering and what am I doing on the way of salvation. I didn’t have to look far. Last weekend I received the witness of a young man seeking asylum in this country. I learned from an international aid organization that poverty in developing nations significantly raises levels of depression, suicides, panic disorders, alcohol and substance abuse or dependence, and post-traumatic stress disorders—to the point that the poor endure levels of psychological damage comparable to living in a war zone. Let me say that again: living in poverty is living in war. Indeed millions of poor men, women, and children in the developing world find that they cannot go to school, or go to the medical clinic, or keep their wages, or keep their land, or keep their job, or start a business, or walk to the water well, or stay in their house, or stay healthy because they are enslaved, imprisoned, beaten, raped, or robbed.

Our Catholic Social Teaching calls us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first, but to do that we have to really see their suffering. The poor are those people who are the most marginalized amongst us, who cannot afford to have any bad luck, those forgotten by society. We should allow what we see, what we hear, and what we know to really touch us. When we go to encounter the poor let us encounter them as a fellow poor person. My way of salvation includes compassion.

Do I know the way of salvation? Yes and no. I know that it includes faith, forgiveness, hope and compassion. I also know that like the stories I shared with you this morning, each of our ways is different and unique. I can only follow the path God has laid out for me; I cannot show you your path but I can help you find it. Here at the banquet of the Word of God, we feast on God’s wisdom to see as He sees and to act with His heart of love. Here at the banquet of His body and blood, we are gifted with strength and courage to bear our crosses with patience and love and to give without counting the cost.

The remainder of this chapter in 2 Maccabees continues describing the excessive cruelties suffered at the hands of the Macedonian king. But it also gives us this hope, “Our brothers, after enduring brief pain, have drunk of never-failing life, under God’s covenant. Like my brothers, I offer up my body and my life imploring God to show us His mercy.”

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Thirty First Sunday in Ordinary Time (Stewardship-Tithe Witness)

Fr. Jim Deiters

This story of Zacchaeus always brings back a funny childhood memory, when in grade school the Sisters had us put on a skit about this quaint bible scene for religion class.  I remember there was a 70’s-vibe song that went with it about Zacchaeus climbing the tree.   Well, there was one problem.  With everyone in our entire Clinton County being of tall German stock, the only way we could depict short Zacchaeus was by having someone kneel down for the role!  As a matter fact, I don’t think I even met a short person until I went to college out of state!

There is so much underlying meaning to this popular story but the image of the tree he climbed stands out for me.  If we think about the symbolism in the story, for us… the Altar is OUR sycamore tree.  We each had to climb something to get here: some climbed through the difficulties of getting the children ready for Mass; some young people climbed over the list of other things they wish they could be doing on a Sunday morning; some climbed beyond their isolation or depression and made the extra effort to pull themselves together enough to be here; some in our midst climbed beyond their feelings of unworthiness or guilt to be here.  Whatever small or big effort we each took to be here, what we have in common is that it was the Holy Spirit who nudged each of us to come to see and hear this person Jesus!

And now, through the grace of God, we are all ‘up here’ in this sycamore tree of a Holy Altar…seeking something in this person Jesus.  As Jesus often asked people in the Gospel, “What are you looking for?”  We each came here today acknowledging how much we need this person Jesus in our life.

Here at St. Clare, our staff and volunteer leaders are always trying to offer ways to help each of us “climb up”…and grow closer to Jesus.  These efforts take resources like the finances and budget of your own home.  Once a year our Stewardship and Finance Teams provide a Stewardship Report to you that shows what our ministry costs are and how we need your support in our annual tithing drive.  Each year I invite different parishioners to share a brief overview of their commitment to faith and our parish.  I am so grateful for Betsy and Ryan McCarty willing to give their witness.

"Good morning.  Being raised in the Catholic faith I was always mindful that my faith has been the glue that held me together at pivotal times during life’s ups and downs, which we all experience. 

As a young adult, I admit I had been a ‘hover’ parishioner in my previous parishes. I did not commit to be part of any ministry as I had always told myself I just didn’t have the time.  Fast forward to 2012 when I began dating Ryan McCarty, and we were both parishioners here at St. Clare.  After we were married in 2017, we began getting active in a few ministries yet I wanted our relationship’s roots in our parish to grow.  As a married couple we chose to both become extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion as an example of getting more involved.  Another ministry we are both involved with is the Right to Life ministry. 

As with many new married couples, Ryan and I established our budget soon after becoming one household.  We both agreed to pay God first then contribute to our retirement and savings, then bills, then ourselves. I cannot put a financial price on the joys I have in my life, as blessings from God, so why would I not give back to Him first. 

To be committed to our weekly tithing, I regularly have to take a deeper look at what I think I need to purchase and decide if it is a want or a need. This means I may not have a new dress or have tried the new restaurant but I know my sacrifice will be visible much longer here at our parish than those things.
 
Given our recent capital campaign, like many of you, Ryan and I sat down and re-evaluated our finances to see what we could give to our new building in addition to our monthly church tithe, not instead of. The additional giving was a challenge for us, yet we faithfully chose to do so. It warms my heart knowing that we are part of the parish’s growth and future, this is truly our parish.

We all need to remember that our weekly or monthly tithe is for the parish operating budget that is separate from the building fund.  Our regular tithing is what our annual fall stewardship drive is about that you see in the stewardship report mailed to you this week.

In closing, I want to say ‘thank you’ to those of you who routinely commit your sacrificial gifts with your weekly or monthly contribution which maintains our existing building, grounds. I would ask those who are uncertain what they can do for St. Clare, to pause and reflect on the many blessings you have in your life.  I hope you decide to join me in this spiritual commitment as a way of thanksgiving to God for all he has given to us, in watching our faith grow right before our eyes." 

Thanks Betsy and Ryan for your witness and commitment to St. Clare and the bigger Church.  And thanks to all of you who already give generously of your time and financial support.  Every parish is like a family, in which everyone has to pitch in and give their best in order for this ‘faith enterprise’ to work well.  Like Betsy said, tithing off the top of our income, and not what is left over, takes planning and commitment.  And once a year, our parish leaders seek your help to increase your giving so we can meet the increases in our parish family budget that you will see in the report sent to you.  

Whether you are here for a year, three years, or life long, we are united in our common desire to climb and grow closer to Jesus.  As one Catholic family, we must do and give our best in thanksgiving for all that God does for us.  The same Spirit that moved Zacchaeus to make the extra effort to go seek out Jesus… nudges each of us to come closer to Jesus through our parish ministries and this Holy Eucharist, the center of our life.  Here at the ‘tree’ of this Altar, think about what you are seeking from Jesus?

All Saints
Fr. Jim Deiters

A lot of times when I am listening to people’s struggles in the sacrament of confession, I try to help them realize that God wants to help them see their life differently and give them a new vision of themselves and others. That is because I think that is what Jesus tried to do each time someone came to him to be healed or forgiven.  Most of our anxieties and sins have to do with how we are looking at our self and others; our vision gets clouded and distracted from who we really ARE as daughters and sons of God. 

For this feast of All Saints, we have this beautiful scripture from a letter of St. John’s that invites us to see our life differently…as holy….and beloved by God…and blessed.  It is when we don’t SEE our self as holy and blessed in God’s eyes that we act out as someone other than who we really are!  Do you see the difference? We usually get it backwards and think we can never achieve holiness and the blessed life until we do everything perfectly.  Rather, if we start with SEEING our self as already made in the Image of God’s beauty, love, and generosity…then we simply have to ask the Holy Spirit to help us live with INTEGRITY to BE this person we already are!

Listen again to the words of St. John talking to you: “SEE what love God has bestowed on you; SEE that you are God’s child; SEE that you will become like Christ.”  The Church surrounds us with holy images to help us SEE how much we are loved, primarily in the image of Jesus on the Cross.  Those arms outstretched are saying, “Can’t you see how much I love you?” We see how much Jesus wants to be a part of our life each time we look at the Eucharist and then take God’s Spirit of Love into our bodies in Christ’s Body and Blood.  BUT, can we SEE how loved and holy we are when we look into the mirror?

All Saints feast day is a powerful challenge for us to re-examine how we see our self on the journey of holiness.  Each and every saint had to go through their own conversion of letting God forgive and love them… before they could LET their life become a reflection of Jesus himself.  As much as we honor the saints for their faithfulness, ultimately Jesus is the icon and image of who we want to become.  The Good News is that in our mother’s womb God was already sculpting us to be someone sacred and beautiful.  And in baptism we were re-created into the life of Jesus…set on the path of sainthood and holiness.  We simply have to do the hard work of SEEING this truth…and choosing every minute and day to stay on the path of holiness… that Jesus walks with us.

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Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Jim Deiters

As a child, staying overnight at Grandma Holthaus’ house was always a special treat.  We got to eat and drink things we did not have at home like soda, hot chocolate, and Snickers bars.  But I remember Grandma also used the time to talk about her faith, teaching us the Rosary and other Catholic traditions.  When I asked her one time why she had big pictures of Jesus and Mary hanging on the bedroom wall, she said, “They are there to remind you to never be afraid since Jesus and Mary are always watching over and loving you.”  I have used a version of that faith testimony many times in my ministry, whether I’ve been helping a teenager work through depression issues or an elderly person who feels alone as they face death.  Because in the long run…the ones we will always have at our side no matter what happens… are Jesus, Mary, and the saints.  Sometimes, I also remind people who feel like they don’t have many friends or family they can count on…that Jesus himself only had about 7 people at his funeral.  From the bible we learn that at the foot of the Cross there were only a small group of women and two men in Jesus’ final lonely hours.

We spend a lot of our life working on relationships we hope will be there for us when needed; but many of them fade away or end for various reasons.  St. Paul, in our reading today from his letter to Timothy, describes his experience of feeling abandoned by most of his friends and followers as he writes this letter from his prison cell.  He specifically says in sadness that at his trial “no one appeared on my behalf.”  But with great faith he writes further, “but the Lord stood by me and gave me strength.”  We mistakenly think that our saints had this grand, famous life; but in reality many of our great martyrs died violently with few friends or no one by their side.  They died…trusting in Jesus alone to be at their side; and later became “famous” for how they lived their life for God.

St. Paul’s letter is a beautiful reflection on what really matters in the long run of life.  Paul realizes he doesn’t have much longer to live and so the letter is like a journal of examination on what he has done with his life that made any difference in God’s eyes.  He does a little boasting that he has “fought the fight and run the race” of the hard work of being a follower of Jesus.  While Paul literally had the scar marks from being chained and beaten for Christ, his sort of “end of life reflection” challenges each of us to reflect on what we could put in a letter about what we did for Jesus if we knew this was our final month of life.  In other words, using images from St. Paul, “what race am I running? And to where?” and how am I “pouring out my life” for what Jesus asked of us?  Or another way to ask it, “What do I hope will be bragged about in my obituary?” 

During the month of November, we Catholics celebrate our saints, pray for our deceased loved ones, and reflect on our own upcoming death.  As part of the Communion of Saints we must ask our self “what parts of my life actually LOOK LIKE I’m on the road to sainthood?”  And “what areas of my life are running the wrong race?”

Ultimately my grandma was right in teaching me that in the end, all we really need is for Jesus and Mary to be there to greet us when the veil to heaven is opened.  Out of all the busy, important things we are doing with our life, does anything matter more than developing a close friendship with our Savior Jesus Christ who is the main one we need by our side when we take our last breath?  As wonderful as our family members and friends are, when some of them might not be there for us in the end, ultimately our trust and hope must be in Jesus as we confess with St. Paul, “It is the Lord who stands by me… and in God is my strength.”

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Twenty Ninth Sunday in Ordinarty Time

Fr. Jim Deiters

A young mother came to me last spring asking for advice on how to improve her prayer life.  She said, “I know this sounds like a poor excuse, but I’m finally ready to actually do something about my prayer life now that the kids are all in school during the day.”  I encouraged her by saying it is never too late to start rearranging our schedules to make time for prayer.  In addition to scheduling TIME for prayer, one has to learn what to DO or "how to" pray during that time...in order for the prayer experience to truly lead to a deeper friendship with Jesus.  It is probably safe to assume that most of us do NOT have the problem Moses had in the first reading today in which he was praying so long and hard with his hands in the air that he got tired and asked two people to hold up his arms so he could keep praying.  Interesting to note that this prayer posture of Moses’ with his hands in the air is the foundation for the priest’s hands and arms raised up at Mass in the ‘orans’ position, representing all the people’s prayers upstretched to God.

Moses example of praying until he is ready to fall over puts in perspective the times my false pride tells me that I’m doing ‘pretty good’ after I give God just a half-hour of prayer time in the morning or at Eucharistic Adoration.  Moses’ tireless prayer also gives another angle to anyone who gets frustrated if Mass goes over an hour...as if there is a time limit for praising God?

I’ve always struggled with this Gospel passage that says to “pray always...without becoming weary.” I don’t think it means to be like Moses and stand all day with one’s arms in the air.  Rather, I think Jesus’ parable about being persistent in prayer is also about being CONSISTENT…in our quiet prayer time with God.  Following up on my homily last week, prayer is about deepening our TRUST in God.  Prayer, like a sport or dance, takes 'training' and disciplining our self to sit still and quiet enough to really be in the Presence of God.  Prayer helps us turn over to God our worries...as we let God calmly guide us when dealing with an issue or person that is difficult.  A prayer life must go beyond short prayers at meals and bedtime and an hour on Sunday.  Prayer…like faith…must become a “way of life.”

I remember one woman who taught me about prayer by describing how she wove prayer into her whole day.  Without any boastful attitude, she gave simple and creative examples of when she prayed as she said, “I pray on the way to pick up my children from school...for their teachers and any child going home in fear; I pray while I’m waiting in line at the grocery store for the needs of the persons waiting on me; I pray while I’m exercising and I pray the person next to me while waiting at a stop light.”  Without a sense of bragging, she was simply naming how to weave conversations with God into every moment of our day.  She told me that all those little prayers did not make her problems go away...but made her more aware of other people’s needs…and she felt less stressful and anxious… and was more joyful to be around.

But offering little prayers to God throughout our day must never replace the more meaningful times of sitting down and specifically dedicating 20-30 minutes to God in meditation.  Jesus himself models this for us as we learn in the Gospels that often times he went off by himself to spend time in prayer.

It is almost embarrassing to think that from the 24 hours that God gives us each day, we find it hard to give him ONE hour in prayer.  Even if 8 are used for sleeping, what do I choose to do with the other 16 hours?  I've said this many times before: the best way to start a more regular prayer life is by sticking to a specific time and place each day.  Start with committing 10, 20, or 30 minutes for prayer into your daily calendar for 40 days… and you will definitely notice a change in yourself!  Whether we use our prayer time to meditate on the Scriptures for the day, the Mysteries of Christ’ life through the Rosary, or simply sitting silently with Jesus and breathing in his love, God will always use those 30 minutes to massage our heart and make it more like Jesus’ heart of love.

Coming back to the image of Moses needing help to hold up his arms in prayer, and I say this especially to our young people, what is powerful about belonging to a parish is that we gather here weekly to help one another pray when it may feel like we are worn out or don’t know what to say to God. 

Here in the Eucharist, the Holy Spirit UNITES us in our common prayer for God's help and to give God thanks.  Around the Altar, we support one another and hold up each other’s prayers as a community…as we are united in our persistence and consistence in seeking God’s help…and praising him for all we have.  Let us take a quiet moment and think about what we want to do differently in our daily schedule to give greater priority to our prayer life... planning…quality time with our God who simply wants to sit with us and love us.

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Twenty Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Jim Deiters

Here at St. Clare Parish, we are proud of our parishioners who serve in the military and make up more than 25% of our parish.  With the blessing of TRANSCOM at our Scott Air Force Base, we have people serving in all branches of the military who are dedicating their lives for the safety of our country and helping deliver aid to countries around the world.  I continue to be inspired by the sense of service that our military women and men have toward helping others, even on a global level.

I was especially thinking of some of our officer leaders when reflecting on our first reading from the Book of Kings that highlights a man called Naaman, who himself was a commander in the Assyrian Army in the 3^rd Century BC. The commander had great power and authority, but also suffered from the disease of leprosy, a terrible illness that attacks the flesh.  Naaman came from the Assyrian territory, which today makes up mostly the countries of Iraq, Syria, and Turkey; Assyrians at that time had no use for the Israelites and their God.  But Naaman had heard about the healing power of this “Israelite God,” the Lord, through this prophet Elisha. Naaman’s heroism in the story comes not from his powerful accomplishments on the field, but because he humbled himself enough to admit he needed God’s help to heal him.

From a historical and geographical perspective, this scripture passage from II Kings as well as our Gospel story, takes us to the Middle East, where we know there has been political and religious battles for many centuries. Naaman becomes an historical hero for his willingness to cross cultural and religious boundaries…and submit his life to the Hebrew God’s healing power.

The timing of this scripture this weekend, comes at a critical period in our own history as this same area of our world is at a critical juncture of seeking resolution between political and religious battle lines between Turkey and Syria; and at the same time very near there, just across the Jordan River, the very place that Jesus healed the leper, is at this moment in the middle of its own battle over land and religion.

What I find intriguing for reflection and dialogue, is that in both stories, God ironically uses the terrible illness of leprosy…to bring people together…as a healing link between religions and territorial attitudes.  Naaman’s leprosy led him to cross borders and accept the healing power of another country’s God.  And in the Gospel, Jesus crosses the southern border into Samaria to spend time with and heal lepers who had been outcast from the Galilee area north of them. 

From a medical perspective, leprosy slowly destroys one’s flesh; on a symbolic level there is another kind of ‘leprosy’ called hatred, self-centered power and pride that gradually disintegrates our shared common humanity.  In both of our scripture stories we learn of God’s miraculous healing for the disease of the flesh.  But I think there is a deeper message that encourages us to realize that only with God’s help will we ever be able to be healed from the other leprosy of hateful words, lies, corruption, and disregard for human life…that continues to run counter to God’s plan for a unified human race.

In a sense, we ALL have some form of leprosy or disability, something askew in our thinking, words, or actions that is debilitating and keeps us from living in the full Divine goodness and love we were created to be.  And like the medical condition…, it is contagious.  If we choose to listen to and be around others who put people down or don’t recognize the dignity of each person, it creeps into our own thinking and starts to eat away at our vocation to be Jesus’ disciples of peace, love, and justice.

The Good News is that this Holy Eucharist is for the sick and sinner, for all of us who have some form of disability.  Here, the Lord expands our thinking and our hearts…to recognize our unity with every person of every race…all of us in need of the healing touch of Jesus Christ.

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Twenty Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Jim Deiters

While most people think of St. Francis simply as a lover of animals, his real fame comes from his radical lifestyle of choosing poverty over material things as he felt called to live as poor as Jesus, born in a barn and owning nothing.  Francis and Clare both lived with illnesses and much suffering.  While most of us have a fear of suffering, Francis and Clare, like Jesus himself, went ‘into’ their suffering as a path into the full joy of being human.  Most of us can only hope for such spirituality…as we usually do the opposite and find ways to run away from or resist the parts of our life that are painful or require a dying to self. 

I thought of Francis, in how he was rejected by his family and others, when reflecting on our first reading from Habakkuk who cries out a prayer to God expressing the feeling of despair that one can sometimes feel when life gets really hard.   The prophet speaks on behalf of anyone who goes through a difficult illness or loss, when he cries out to God, “How long O Lord?  I cry for help but you do not listen! Why all this strife, discord, and misery?”  Many in this room have prayed a version of this plea and know the anguish of questioning God in times of despair.  The prophet Habakkuk demonstrates for us how to talk honestly to God in prayer about our personal sufferings and the injustices and unfairness of life.  Then notice how God responds by promising a hopeful vision of what will come after the difficult time.  Not that God ever wants suffering; but when God sees our troubles, out of the mess he begins to create some new possibility for our future.

But it is very difficult to hold on to FAITH, real trust in God, when life doesn’t make sense.  This is such an important lesson for us to teach our youth and young adults who often turn away from God or religion when they have questions about all the suffering in the world.  We need to help them turn their questions and doubts into prayers to God. While Habakkuk is addressing the political turmoil of his time in 6th Century B.C., his is a timeless prayer to God as we still long for peace in our world.  When we can feel overwhelmed with global issues of injustice or our own struggles, we must turn to God in prayer, holding on to our faith… that God always his hand of mercy upholding us and our fragile world.

It really does come down to the gift of faith; which is what the Apostles ask of Jesus in our Gospel today. Faith is hard to explain; as we often get stuck in our analytical minds, thinking that everything in life can be solved through a mathematic or scientific formula.  Not everything in life can be proven with hard data.  And the bible was not written to have the answers to life’s questions.  Faith doesn’t deny reason...but requires what I call a “higher level of living.”  Basically, faith can be defined as: an attitude of trust …that God never leaves our side…even in the middle of suffering.  Faith is about believing that God will create some kind of new possibility…out of something that seems terrible for us in the moment.  Faith is having an openness to what God is inviting us to become…THROUGH whatever suffering we face!

And here is where faith gets really difficult for some to accept; faith requires a turning over of one’s life to God, really believing and trusting that God is and will take care of me and our world...no matter what happens.  Do I really TRUST that God is still actively engaged in the world with his love and grace...even with so much violence and division all around?  Do I really trust that God forever holds me in the palm of his hand...even when it feels like parts of my life are falling apart?

Faith is an attitude of trust in God...which can be hard to hold on to when we are faced with difficulties.  This is why the apostles in today’s Gospel teach us one of the most important things to ask God for...an increase of faith!  The good news is that once you have even the tiniest “mustard seed” of faith, it will keep growing...with each new challenge we face...that exercises our faith!  Just like our body muscle grows when it is challenged and used regularly, so too does faith increase each time we exercise our faith and trust in God with each new challenge life gives us.

The gift of the Eucharist is that through it, Jesus comes INTO our minds and bodies to help us have a deeper FAITH...to trust that God remains our loving parent...is still the Creator active in the universe...still the One who shows us each day his great love and care for us.  Let us take a minute and each think about some fear, worry, suffering, or difficulty we are facing…and place them before God at the Altar…and pray with the Apostles, “Lord, increase our faith!”

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Twenty Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Jim Deiters

Our history with our Sister Parish in Guatemala goes all the way back to the 1960’s when our bishop of Belleville at the time, Bishop Zuroweste, met the bishop of Guatemala City at the Second Vatican Council in Rome and together they set up a relationship of “Sister Parishes” between Christians here and there.  It sprang from the Vatican Council’s new vision to build bridges between poor and wealthy nations.  Based on Jesus’ Gospel, the Church’s bishops spoke of a new path of dismantling walls between skin color, gender, Christian denominations, nations, and inequities between the rich and the poor.  Our Bishop Zuroweste at that time, got energized by this vision and wanted to be a ‘front-runner’ in connecting our diocesan people with our sisters and brothers of Guatemala.  Not that we don’t have poor people right here in our own neighborhoods to care for, but the Second Vatican Council wanted all Catholics to expand their thinking beyond Europe and North America… and see our close relationship with the rest of the world, especially connecting us to Asia, Africa, and Central and South America.    Our Catholic vision of building close relationships between people of different countries is certainly being tested by the divisive climate in which we live.

In the Gospel, Jesus is always trying to break down walls and prejudices.  But in today’s passage he especially addresses the plight of the poor… by telling a parable about the tragic ending of someone who is indifferent to the needs of the poor.  It was not the man’s wealth that was the problem, but that he did not even notice or help the poor person at his doorstep!  The person in the story with money and power became so caught up in the accumulation of things for himself that he became blind and deaf to the needs of the less fortunate.  The word in the story that struck me the most that highlights Jesus’ point in the tragic scene is the word “chasm.”  It says that after the rich person was in hell for not sharing his wealth, he cried out to Abraham in heaven asking for help.  Abraham basically responds that once a person chooses hell and selfishness, there is a “great chasm” between there and heaven.

The image of a “chasm” between heaven and hell got me thinking about other chasms that we sometimes create in our life that keeps us from living with integrity as disciples of Jesus.  The parable focuses on the sin of the chasm between those who keep their abundance to themselves…with no regard for those with so little.  But other sinful chasms are related… such as the chasm between what we know is the right thing to do…but following instead the path of peer pressure and wanting to win people’s acceptance and approval.  For some there is a chasm between saying they want more prayer time and a relationship with Jesus…but choosing to fill one’s time with other things.  Or the chasm between our true self…as chaste and faithful before God, and a false self of ego, pride, and self-pleasure. 

The salvation that Jesus gives us is that he offers a life IN HIM…where we stop living on the other side of the chasm from who we profess we are as baptized Christians.  I’ve been working on various chasms in my own life and one that continues to be very transformative for me is each time I make a visit to our Sister Parish in Guatemala.  Once you spend a few hours or a week with those who live in such simplicity…but are so happy and peaceful…you can’t help but be changed and start to realize what really matters in the short time we have in this life.

Our relationship with our sisters and brothers in Guatemala is such a privilege since it continues to help US… ‘lessen the space’ between those with so little and our abundance.  Their witness of living so simply with a daily faith in God for basic food, water, and housing…blesses us by opening our eyes, ears, and heart to realize how much richer our live ARE when we share more generously.

In the bigger chasm between our world’s wealth and poverty, we here at St. Clare continue to offer ways for each person to discern how he or she will find their own path of generosity… so that each of us will make some impact on lessening the sinful space between those of us with abundance and those with so little.   Praise God that this gift of the Eucharist is exactly what we need to change any part of our mind or heart that feels content living on one side of the chasm…as the Holy Spirit living inside the voices of the poor calls out to us to come closer.

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Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Jim Deiters

I remember last year when I was in the classroom with some of our junior high students talking about the different kinds of petitions we pray at Mass.  I asked them if they noticed that we always have specific prayers for Church leaders, one for government leaders, and one for the poor.  I turned it into a prayer experience, had them bow their heads, and asked them what kind of things the wanted to pray for in those areas.  One spoke a prayer for the pope’s safety, one for the homeless, and then one girl speaking from her heart prayed, “Jesus, can you just give us a whole new group of leaders for our country?”  She wasn’t taking any political stance, but simply saying, “God, we need help in all areas of government.”

Since I have preached on this challenging Gospel a few times before, I want to look more closely at our first two readings that highlight the importance of praying for those in authority, both civil and religious leaders.  First we heard from the prophet Amos, who is known as the voice of social justice in the Hebrew Scriptures.  Amos minces no words in his strong message against any leader who takes advantage of the poor for their own financial gain.  He goes as far as saying that God will “never forget” the sins of those who misuse their power and wealth. 

Power in itself can be a real blessing when used for the common good.  The Church has always tried to work with those in political authority to influence them to use their political power for justice and the dignity of each human person.  The pope uses his power as a Head of State to travel the world speaking out boldly for human rights and caring for God’s Creation.  There are various kinds of ‘power,’ but those who have power in politics and finances usually have the biggest impact on poor people and our poor ecology.

A scripture passage like this one from Amos we must keep in our pocket when it comes time for voting… since it is God’s very Word that denounces and condemns any political or economic leader who is not using their power to help the poor and those needing help.  This is why the Church speaks out strongly about the importance of voting since it is up to us to elect leaders whose primary concern is using our nation’s privileged wealth and power to help those in need.  Again, economic power can be a very good thing when it is used, not for one’s own gain, but for lifting up the lives the less fortunate.  This is truly a challenging scripture for us…since it asks us to evaluate our assumptions and prejudices about people and power.

On a more personal level, we each have to re-evaluate our own use of power – whether our power is in in the workplace, the power behind our words around others, power over our children, how and where we spend our money is power, and how we use our voting power, where our vote is meant to represent God’s special love of the poor.  We each have more power and influence than we think we do.

Which is why we need the help of the Holy Spirit in the Eucharist… so that we will be effective stewards of the power, time and finances that God has given us; then on our judgement day before our All-Powerful God we will have something to report to Jesus’ main question he said he will ask us about what we did to help those in need.

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Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Deacon John Gomez