Lord, Increase Our Faith!

“Lord, Increase Our Faith!”

Pastor’s Column

27^th Sunday Ordinary Time

October 3, 2010

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

The Lord answered, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this sycamore, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea and it would obey you.”

                                        Luke 17:1-2

          If the apostles, who witnessed Jesus’ miracles, needed more faith, how much more do we!  Think about it for a moment: only in this brief lifetime, during our short stay on earth, is it possible to have faith.  The moment we die and see the Lord, it will no longer be possible to have faith, because then we will have seen the truth!

          This short lifetime of ours is filled with incredible riches.  According to some mystics, even the angels have a holy envy of our situation.  How can that be possible?  Even the angels do not have the opportunities that we have right now, and faith is the key!  As long as we can’t see the reward God wants to give us or the One whom we am serving (who is very rich though he looks poor), everything we do for God in faith has great merit attached to it.

          God created everything: he is waiting to make his friends children of God and give us eternal life, with wealth and happiness and the excitement of discovering the rest of creation, and living with the angels-- forever!  There’s only one catch: we can’t actually see any of this yet.  In fact, Jesus approaches us now seemingly as a poor man, as if in disguise. Many people reject him, thinking he has nothing of value for them, or that he doesn’t even exist! 

Jesus disguises himself in the Eucharist; in the poor; in tough situations that seem to have no solution.  He is hidden in the joys of life and in “coincidences.”  Every decision we make for God, every act of generosity or service, every time we go to confession, every time we do God’s will increases my glory forever because we are doing these things for a God we cannot yet see.  All of these opportunities will end at death, so we must make the most of this present time, while we still cannot see him.

          How do we increase our faith?  Well, I think the best way to do this is to try to practice thanking God for every single situation that happens in our lives!  It is easy to thank God when things are going well (although we often forget to do this), but learning the art of thanking God is most important when we are facing setbacks and difficulties of all kinds.  Sometimes Jesus seems far away; we may have difficulties in prayer, in health, in employment; we may have been judged harshly by someone or faced an unjust legal setback.  It does not matter:  making a habit of thanksgiving in all circumstances (even when we don’t feel like it) is a tremendous act of faith.  This is what will make it grow and grow.  Each trial is a golden opportunity, if we have faith.

                                                                                                    Father Gary         

The Rich Man and Lazarus

The Rich Man and Lazarus

Pastor’s Column

26^th Sunday Ordinary Time

September 26, 2010

          This Sunday we read one of the more disturbing passages of the New Testament (Luke 16:19-31), a parable of a rich man and a poor one.  The rich man has traditionally been called “Dives” (Latin for “rich”); the poor man is Lazarus.

         

          Look at this description of Lazarus!  He is covered with sores… so he would have been smelly, messy, and ugly.  Most people would not go near him.  He has only street dogs for company.  He is a beggar.  People of that era would have thought him a great sinner, since he had to suffer so much, but how wrong this judgment is!  Then Lazarus dies and goes to judgment.

          Now let’s take a look at “Dives,” the rich guy.  He eats fine foods every day; he dresses in such a way that everyone knows how wealthy he is.  Most importantly, he has a habit of deliberately avoiding the needs of others he could help, even when it is staring him in the face.  He is well thought of in his community, and people no doubt bowed to him when he approached.  When he died, he must have had a fine funeral with many accolades.

          But things are not as they appear to be, either in this world or the next.  Lazarus’ sufferings are actually a blessing from God. Lazarus dies and goes straight to heaven.  And as for Dives, even while they are lauding him at the funeral, he is already in a place of torment and flames.  In one moment, death has changed everything: the selfish man, who did not share or even notice the poor, lost everything.  The poor beggar, who had nothing in this world, in one instant, gained everything!  Why did this happen? What was Dives’ sin?

          The sin was not in being rich per se; the rich man was totally absorbed in his own wealth, his own world.  He didn’t ignore the beggar just once, but habitually.  This man had the means to help others; he had the obligation to help others, and he did not.  We call this in Catholic tradition a sin of omission.

          Obviously, the Lord is not calling us to give to every beggar with a sign at a freeway off ramp, but am I a person of generosity?  God has given me a share of wealth, time, and gifts.  Do I share them with others or am I selfish?  Am I aware of the needs of those god has placed in my path today?

          The real message of this parable is that we are creating our own eternity with every choice we make.  We are not here simply to eat good foods, be entertained, and amass a fortune.  No, all that we have is on loan to us, so that God may observe how we use what we have.  Our choices in this world will determine our place in the next.  Armed with this valuable knowledge, we have a better idea of how to profitably live our lives and make wise choices that will benefit us – and others – forever!

                                                                                          Father Gary