One Day in the Vineyard of the Lord

What God is greater than our God? 

Who has greater love for his people than our God?

What can surpass the promise of salvation our God makes to us?

The Apostle Paul reminds us that:

“No eye has seen

Nor ear heard

Nor human heart conceived,

What God has prepared for those who love him”

What greater gift can we expect from God than Eternal Life in Heaven with Him?

God’s gift is for all his children, not just for a select few.  God shares his gift of Eternal Life with all; it’s not first come – first served in the kingdom of heaven.

He does not abide by “winner take all or the “race goes to the swift and strong.”

God says:

-       “The first shall be last and the last shall be first.”

And,

-       “Only the righteous shall inherit the kingdom of heaven.”

Whether we’re a life-long “cradle Catholic” or a newly initiated member of the flock – we each have an equal measure of God’s love and equal share in His Kingdom.

God’s love and God’s justice are revealed in today’s Gospel.  Matthew uses the workers in the vineyard to demonstrate God’s equal love and justice for all his children.

Those who are called last to work in the vineyard are like those among us who are the least of His children. 

When the master asked those workers why they stood idle all day, they replied, “Because no one has hired us.” 

Those workers are like the ones who are always picked last to be on the team.

They are the un-chosen – the unwanted, - the disenfranchised, - the weak, - the voiceless, - those without power or influence – they are the least of God’s children:

Our brothers and sisters among us who lack opportunity or access – these last

But they, like we, - are children of the one loving God.  They too are equal inheritors in the promise of God’s Kingdom.

God’s justice is not man’s sense of justice.  God’s justice is equal shares to all who love Him.  He says to all his people:

-       “Come into the land of milk and honey.”

-       “Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.”

God’s love is infinite – unending - , there is enough for all.  There is no need of jealousy or fear, - no competition for resources, - no need to push and shove for a place in line.

All will be served, - all will receive; - all will be filled with the good things God promises to His people who love Him.

Through the prophet Isaiah God reminds us:

“All you who are thirsty,

Come to the waters and drink!

You who have no money,

Come, receive grain and eat;

Come without paying and without cost,

Drink wine and milk!

As we are made in the image and likeness of God, we are all called to love God – and neighbor - as we love ourselves. This is God’s love.  A complete love – a love for the other, - that puts their needs with our own, - that works for the common good of all and shares God’s gifts with all his children.

God’s justice – is a Redistributive Justice: – a Justice that cares for and shares with - all His children, His gifts of this world.

Catholic Social Justice teaches a “Preferential Option for the Poor.” This preferential option for the poor calls us:

• To consider first the least of our brothers and sister in Christ in all things, especially in the gifts of His creation,
• To set a place at the table and invite the least to the common meal of brotherhood,
• To give the least a voice in decisions affecting their destiny for the common good of all people
• To treat our least brothers and sisters with dignity and respect - as we would treat ourselves

For our Lord Jesus, - in whom we all profess our faith and belief, - does not suggest that we care for the poor, - but preaches and teaches us God’s love for the poor, - the outcast, - the disenfranchised, - the weak and – the helpless – the widow and orphan.

And - that we are measured on how we treat these least of God’s children - in how well we love God.

He calls all his children to come into his Kingdom of heaven through gates of love. 

God’s justice is his love for each of us

-       those who are called to work in his vineyard first and

-       those who are called last. 

We are each His beloved children – equal inheritors in His Kingdom of Eternal Life.       


Peace,
Deacon Don
(c) 2011

"I am offended!"

During last night's GOP debate a question was asked of Rep. Ron Paul, - what do you tell a guy who is sick, goes into a coma and doesn't have health insurance? Who pays for his coverage? "Are you saying society should just let him die?" "Yeah!" shouted several members of the audience.

Rep. Ron Paul responded that this was more-or-less the root choice of a free society.

As a Catholic, as a Christian - I AM OFFENDED!

Is this the point to which our Christian society has sunk?
Is this the reaction of a people made in the image of a loving God?
Are we not a people of a loving God - living the two greatest commandments Jesus gave us - To love God above all things and to love one another as we love ourselves?
Is this how we (and especially those who shouted "Yeah!") would want to be treated (or untreated, in this case)!
I think not! I think if the question had been posited, "If your (mother, father, wife, child) had no insurance and was in a coma, what would you want done for them?" The answer would have been a lot different.

I am also offended that none of the persons on the podium was outraged by the audience's response. That there was no moral courage among them to protest this outburst and stand up for Life. As an after thought Gov. Perry did say that his party was the party of life, but it was too little, too late - hollow in its sincerity.

I pity those persons and pray that the Spirit comes upon them to change their stony hearts into hearts filled with the love of God and that they heed the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Christ.

"I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." 
                                                                                      - John 10:10b


Peace,
Deacon Don

Catholic Social Justice - God's Creation

This is the day the Lord has made

Let us rejoice and be glad.

                                                                         Psalm 118:24

We are stewards of God’s creation, the earth.  We are given dominion over the land and the beasts to care for and use, maintaining it for future generations.  The earth is not ours to keep, but to care for.  It is where God placed his children out of love for us all.  He provided the earth for our needs and asks us to keep it for all His children.

Wisely using the resources of the earth and keeping them renewable for future generations is our charge from God.  He gave us this place to live, to raise our families and to greet each other in love and friendship as brothers and sisters.  This is our awesome responsibility, one where we humans everywhere must work together to accomplish.  If we fail to act to save our resources and restore our environment we fail the future of the human race.  What good is it to profit today just to lose it all tomorrow?

Exploitation and waste of our resources in any one place on the earth harms the whole balance of nature and has long-range effects on the earth’s environment.  If we are to be good stewards of the earth we must act in cooperation with our brothers and sisters to ensure the vitality and longevity of God’s creation.  We are called to act both locally and globally to protect the earth’s resources and the living environment of all people.  It is our task to ensure that we wisely use the resources available to us today and discover ways of maintaining those resources for future generations.

1In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth—2 and the earth was without form or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters—

3Then God said: Let there be light, and there was light.4God saw that the light was good. God then separated the light from the darkness.5God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” Evening came, and morning followed—the first day.^*

6Then God said: Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters, to separate one body of water from the other.7God made the dome, and it separated the water below the dome from the water above the dome. And so it happened.8God called the dome “sky.” Evening came, and morning followed—the second day.

9Then God said: Let the water under the sky be gathered into a single basin, so that the dry land may appear. And so it happened: the water under the sky was gathered into its basin, and the dry land appeared.10God called the dry land “earth,” and the basin of water he called “sea.” God saw that it was good.11Then God said: Let the earth bring forth vegetation: every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree on earth that bears fruit with its seed in it. And so it happened:12the earth brought forth vegetation: every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree that bears fruit with its seed in it. God saw that it was good.13Evening came, and morning followed—the third day.

14Then God said: Let there be lights in the dome of the sky, to separate day from night. Let them mark the seasons, the days and the years,15and serve as lights in the dome of the sky, to illuminate the earth. And so it happened:16God made the two great lights, the greater one to govern the day, and the lesser one to govern the night, and the stars.17God set them in the dome of the sky, to illuminate the earth,18to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good.19Evening came, and morning followed—the fourth day.

20ⁱ Then God said: Let the water teem with an abundance of living creatures, and on the earth let birds fly beneath the dome of the sky.21God created the great sea monsters and all kinds of crawling living creatures with which the water teems, and all kinds of winged birds. God saw that it was good,22and God blessed them, saying: Be fertile, multiply, and fill the water of the seas; and let the birds multiply on the earth.23Evening came, and morning followed—the fifth day.

24 Then God said: Let the earth bring forth every kind of living creature: tame animals, crawling things, and every kind of wild animal. And so it happened:25God made every kind of wild animal, every kind of tame animal, and every kind of thing that crawls on the ground. God saw that it was good.26^l Then God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame animals, all the wild animals, and all the creatures that crawl on the earth.

Peace,

Deacon Don

Catholic Social Justice - Preferential Option for the Poor

Then Jesus went from that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.22And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.”23But he did not say a word in answer to her. His disciples came and asked him, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.” He said in reply, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”24 But the woman came and did him homage, saying, “Lord, help me.”2526He said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.”27She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.”28 Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.

Matthew 15: 21-28

“The principle of the universal destination of goods requires that the poor, marginalized and in all cases those whose living conditions interfere with their proper growth should be the focus of particular concern.”  “This is an option, or a special form of primacy in the exercise of Christian charity, to which the whole tradition of the Church bears witness. It affects the life of each Christian inasmuch as he or she seeks to imitate the life of Christ, but it applies equally to our social responsibilities and hence to our manner of living, and to the logical decisions to be made concerning the ownership of goods.”*

A society is measured by how it treats its most vulnerable members.  How does the community share it bounty with those in most urgent need?  Do the poor get preferential treatment and access or do they receive the  “leavings of the table” of the more fortunate?

The poor have an urgent moral need that exceeds the needs of the rest of the community because of their desperate situation.  For example, it is more urgent to zone and build good, safe and affordable housing for the homeless, poor and disaffected who live in squalor -- unable to realize their dignity and potential than it is zone and build more shopping malls.  Their need is more urgent and exceeds the need for convenient access to shopping.

The plight of the poor should reside in the conscience of the community.  The community must work to not only satisfy the immediate needs of the poor, but also alleviate the root causes of their poverty and allow them a true voice in the decisions of the community.

Decisions of public policy should be viewed from the perspective of the poor and how it affects their plight.  It is the community’s responsibility to work for the poor, thereby working for the common good of all the community.

Peace,

Deacon Don

48th Anniversary of "I have a dream." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me and do not stop them; for it is to such as these  that the kingdom of heaven belongs."


                                                                                                                             Matthew 19: 14-15


This weekend a new statue dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech will be opened on the mall in Washington DC. It is the 48th anniversary of this famous speech that spoke to the hearts of all Americans, painting a picture of a future in America of equal opportunity in education, housing, work and access to resources that creates a social complex where all are lifted up and no one is left behind.


Sadly, that dream has yet to be realized and in fact, it is further from the reach of more Americans than it was 48 years ago.  More children live in poverty, more people are homeless, more people are economically poorer, socially isolated and/or politically marginalized and more people have less access to opportunity today than ever in this 'the greatest' country.


Instead of people coming together, caring and sharing the love of Christ, we are more divisive. The gap between rich and poor widens, the divide between people broadens, our isolation from the suffering of our brothers and sisters in Christ deepens; we are a people who have lost the dream and now wander in the desert, alone and broken.


We need to rekindle the vision of a better and brighter future, to re-dream a dream where all live in hope and harmony working for the common good. We need to open our hearts to the love of God, a love like no other love, that gives, that shares, that puts others before ourselves. We need to conquer the fears that keep us from loving as we are loved, in the love of Christ Jesus.


It is in embracing the cross of Christ where we can find the courage to realize Dr. King's dream. It is in making a commitment to love, where we will find our way back to the dream of a future where all people can live, survive and thrive together.


Newark Mayor Cory Booker summed up our present dream status and the need for all of us to take up Dr. King's dream and "dream a dream that is strong, stubborn and relentless":


Still in America, one's destiny is not determined by merit alone; by how hard one is willing to work, by one's innate acumen or by how much one is willing to sacrifice for their dreams and ambitions. Instead, destinies in America are strongly and even savagely influenced by the zip code one is born in, how much money one's parents have, or put simply, whether one is fortunate enough -- lucky enough -- to have access to decent, safe housing, adequate health care and a thorough education. Frustratingly, decades after some of the most compelling and articulate dreamers gifted our nation progress, we still live in a country where race and socio-economic status are stubbornly, strongly and undeniably correlated with the quality of one's life outcomes.


Together, in the love of Christ, we can re-dream a better and brighter future for all people. Let the re-dreaming begin on this anniversary, with this statue dedication and with love and solidarity in our hearts that embraces all God's beloved children.


Peace,
Deacon Don

Catholic Social Justice - Solidarity

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

   ³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’


   ⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’


   ⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’


   ⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’


   ⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’


   ⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

                                                                                                            Matthew 25: 34-46

We are all God’s children, not just Catholics or Christians, but all humans, everywhere.  We are one human family, children of God and brothers and sisters to each other.  When there is suffering in one part of the human family, the whole family is affected.  When we contribute to that suffering we in effect are hurting ourselves.

We have seen the good effect of global solidarity in the defeat of communism, in the aid and support for the tsunami victims and awareness concerts for economic relief for African nations.  These actions have helped our suffering brothers and sisters, but we have also seen the disasters in our failure to act globally to relieve the suffering of others.  We have witnessed and continue to witness genocides in many parts of the world, the abject poverty in third-world nations, the torture and confinements by oppressive dictatorships, the lack of access to clean water, food, healthcare, education and opportunity by people around the world.  What are we to do about these and other conditions that take away the rights and dignity of humans?

“God intended the earth and all it contains for the use of everyone and all peoples, so that the good things of creation should be available equally to all.”* We need to think globally, that the sufferings of people in other countries are our sufferings too.  As humans, members of the same family, children of the same God, we need to identify with their suffering and see that as they are diminished, so are we.  We are called to speak out for those who cannot, fight against all that diminishes our basic human dignity, and takes away our basic rights and denies justice to us all.  We are called to share the resources and wealth of the world with all.  

For as one suffers, so do we all

Peace,

Deacon Don

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time - Gospel - Matthew 16: 13-30

The unique sign of the Catholic Church is our ability to trace our origin all the way back to the first Apostle, Peter.  Through this apostolic progression, the head of today’s Church, Pope Benedict, XVI, is directly in line with Jesus’ choice to lead his church.

Peter, originally called Simon bar-Jonah was chosen by Jesus to be the first of his disciples.  He was just an ordinary fisherman working on the Sea of Galilee; tending his nets, working day in and day out to feed his family; making a life for them.  He was a hard working family man; going about his daily business of life when he was called to a life he was completely unprepared for – a life in God’s plan for humanity.   

There seemed to be nothing out-of-the-ordinary about this man and his life, yet he is the one Jesus chose to be first among his followers.  In his imperfection and his humanness he became the rock of the Church.

Peter is a wonderful example for the Church, the people of God.  He is one of us - in his humanness and imperfections.  Peter had many fine qualities.  He was noble, hardworking, loyal and faithful.  He was also strong-willed, impetuous, outspoken and very self-confident. 

He didn’t hesitate to speak his mind or take action.  In many ways Peter was first among Jesus’ disciples:

·         Peter was the first to climb out of the boat to meet Jesus on the turbulent waters of the lake

·         Peter was the first to recognize Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God

·         Peter was the first to rebuke Jesus when He revealed that he must go to Jerusalem to suffer and die

·         Peter was the first to want to build a memorial to Jesus, along with Moses and Elijah on the mountain

·         Peter was the first to proclaim that he loved Jesus

·         And Peter was the first to deny Jesus

But in these firsts - he was also first in his failures.  In this way he was also very much like us in our journey of discipleship in Christ Jesus.

·         Peter’s faith failed him as he was overcome by the doubts of this world in his attempt to meet Jesus on the water

·         While Peter was the first to recognize Jesus as the Son of God, he failed to see the ‘big picture’ in recognizing the mission of Jesus that would lead to the Cross

·         Peter, overcome by human fear, desiring to keep Jesus safe tried to turn him away from Jerusalem and the will of God, the Father

·         Peter failed to understand the Transfiguration, that it was the Person of Jesus and his mission that was central to God’s plan and not Moses or Elijah who were important

·         Peter loses his patience when Jesus asks him for the third time, if he loved him and to feed his sheep

·         And Peter denies Jesus three times as his love of Jesus is overwhelmed by the evil that led to the crucifixion

See, Peter is very much like us. 

·         While his spirit strengthened him, his humanness weakened him through fear and doubt

·         While he had the greatest of intentions to do good, he trembled at the worries of this world

·         While his love for Jesus was strong, he cowered under the evils of this world

Yet, despite all Peter’s weaknesses,

·         Jesus recognized the strengths of Peter to be the Rock upon which his Church would rise. 

·         He saw the Spirit alive in Peter - that would be the strength needed to bring this scattered band of outcasts together to continue Jesus’ mission on earth

·         Jesus understood Peter’s humbleness – a humbleness that would be needed to bring unity to the early Church; setting the groundwork upon which it stands today

·         Jesus realized the courage within Peter, - those noble qualities; that would build His Church so that the “Word made Flesh” - would spread throughout the world; bringing the Good News of Salvation for all people

In our everyday life, as followers of Jesus, let us recognize our own strengths and weaknesses – our own humanness and imperfections - and know that God works in mysterious ways.  He chooses us, - like Jesus chose Peter, - to do his will – to continue Jesus’ mission - not because we are powerful or perfect, - but because we, like Peter, are ordinary people – beloved children of God.

Peace,

Deacon Don