October 2023

We have so much to be grateful for.  Family.  Friends.  Folks we meet here and there.  Our faith.  Building community within God’s kingdom is what life is all about.

The following homily, delivered at St. John the Evangelist Church in Greenfield, WI by Fr. Alex on September 18, 2023, was recorded, transcribed, and edited (Lanoux, October 14, 2023).

I wonder what Jesus would do in these times of VIP (Very Important Person) treatment.  If you have the money, you simply pay for what you want.  And, if you’re well-connected, you have others do your bidding, as in today’s gospel.  The centurion wanted healing for a valued slave who was dying, so he sent some Jewish elders to urge Jesus to comply.

Many times I’ve heard someone say, “I’ve done this, this, and this for the church,” to which I say, “Very good.  Thank you.”  Other times, my big mouth says something else:   “It’s good that you’ve done that.  So what!”  This doesn’t go well, but what motivates us?  Are my works helping others to encounter God?  Am I growing in my desire to thank God for all the gifts he’s granted me?  Is what I do self-serving?  On the other hand, I’m amazed when people have no expectations.  I wonder, Could I do the same?  Am I fine without the recognition?  We have to be comfortable with doing what we must for the sake of others because, good intentions aside, people will either appreciate us or hate us.

In the gospel passage, the elders approached Jesus because their commander was deserving of the request.  The centurion loved the nation and had built a synagogue for them, and he was pleading on behalf of a community member (Luke 7:1-10).  So, is your reason for helping a must of your faith— not because you’re inheriting heaven, not because God will write it down, but because you recognize that God has been so generous that you have an obligation to help others?

Many times, I’ve wanted to disappear when the telephone rings, especially when callers feel a little more entitled than the rest.  I want to say, “I’m not here!”  But, instead, I tell my assistant, “I can’t choose.  Whomever calls, even if you know I don’t like the person, just say ‘yes’ and make the appointment.”  I have to do it!  There’s no other way.

Do you recall yesterday’s second reading?  Whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.  We’re all brothers and sisters and, if we don’t care for each other, we can’t communicate at the same table.  So, hopefully, we can learn to do what we must.

October mailing (English & Spanish)

   

   

Prayerful thoughts

Brothers and sisters: None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself.  For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.  For this is why Christ died and came to life, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living (Romans 14:7-9).

Lord Jesus, come and stay with me.  Fill my life with your peace, my home with your presence, and my heart with your praise.  Help me to show kindness, mercy, and goodness to all, even to those who cause me ill will or harm (Don Schwager).

We set forth our petitions before God not in order to make known to him our needs and desires, but rather so that we ourselves may realize that in these things it is necessary to turn to God for help (St. Thomas Aquinas).

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