27th Sunday in Ordinary Time After Mass these days we collect tickets of a sort from some of our younger parishioners. These are meant to document that they have been to Mass regularly, as part of their preparation for their Confirmation. There is, of course, a lot more to that preparation than just showing up; and a lot more to living the life of faith in Christ than just regular mass attendance. The Spirit that we receive in Confirmation is meant to help us lead our lives in this world in preparation for the next. Life in this world is rarely easy, and for a person of true faith there’s bound to be trouble. Let me say that again, especially for you young people who are preparing for Confirmation: Being a person of faith, a faithful member of the Catholic Church is bound --at some point—to get you into trouble. Whether it’s merely the contempt of bigoted people, or the outright persecution of those whose power is threatened by your allegiance to Christ, at some point you will run smack up against it. When that happens –and you’ll know it when it does—that’s when you need to get a firm grip on your faith. In the first reading we see that the prophet’s lack of faith is clouding his vision. “How long, O LORD . . . must I look at misery?” He’s in a panic because he’s become obsessed with the struggle around him and lost sight of the vision God has granted him. But the Lord assures him: “[T]he vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint.” The lesson for us is clear: if you want peace in your heart, then constantly seek that vision. Only by seeing with the eyes of faith, can we keep in sight the promise of God, even as the world tries to intimidate or mislead us with frightening and seductive illusions. Now, frightening and seductive illusions are the stock-in-trade of politicians, and you will see a lot of them on display in an election year, or at any time some political issue is being hotly contested. And while we should all attend to our civic duties, casting a ballot is a bit like casting dice: you hope for a certain outcome, but are sure to be disappointed eventually. We are made for higher things, and the most important events in our lives are those that will mark us for eternity; the most important decisions we will make are those we make in faith, trusting the outcome to God. The disciples in the Gospel today ask Jesus to increase their faith. His answer to them is basically to remind them that faith in God will lead them far beyond their expectations. So even as we involve ourselves in the political process –or in any other mundane activity-- we must always keep perspective, and never allow ourselves to be alarmed or seduced by the threats or promises made by the princes of this world. When I collect those tickets from the young people, documenting their mass attendance, I sometimes joke with their parents, asking them for theirs. But they of course have already been confirmed. So perhaps St. Paul’s remark to Timothy in today’s second reading is meant especially for them, and for all of us who bear the indelible mark of the Spirit: “[Stir] into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.” For with the Spirit we received, we received also a responsibility: to bravely bear witness to Christ in the world.
Posted on: Sun, 06 Oct 2013 08:36:22 +0000
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