Bulletins by St. Clare Parish (Page 16)

In today’s passage from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, we hear a simple summary of both the Old Testament and the Gospel readings for this Sunday: “Think of what is above, not of what is on earth” (Col. 3:2). Otherwise, we will find it impossible to follow Jesus’ teaching: “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions” (Luke 12:15). And in another place, we read that “the love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). It is very important that we keep all of this in mind and in the proper perspective. Money, possessions and “things” are not evil in themselves. It is, rather, what importance we give to them. If our goal is, in biblical terms, “piled up wealth,” then we will come to no good end. Because we live in this world, we cannot do without money and the things that money can buy. We need to tend to the proper upkeep of our homes, our church, our school and other buildings that house the work that we do. Our recent parish expenditure on a new roof for the church is not an end in itself, but to foster our gatherings for worship. The same is true of any upkeep and improvements that we make, including the upcoming project to air condition our school buildings. But our buildings are not an end in themselves and neither are very modest savings that the parish has after paying off the new roof. As we consider our personal and family relationships with our material possessions, may we see them, too, as means to good ends, allowing each and all of us to “think of what is above” and to be good stewards of the gifts that we share.

It has been said that “prayer is conversation with God.” If this was our experience, it is likely that many of us would pray more often and more heartfelt. Our Catholic Tradition has handed on to us many formal prayers; one could fill a library with compilations of prayers and litanies. While these may all be helpful to us when we cannot give voice to our own prayers, reliance on formal prayer can also become a crutch, serving as a buffer between our minds and our hearts. The story of Abraham’s bargaining with God (“What if there are no more than twenty [innocent people]?) and Jesus’ instruction to “ask, seek and knock” give us the pattern for the prayer of our lives. The Lord’s Prayer, on the other hand, gives us the broad outline for our prayer: It is directed to the Father of Jesus, tries to align our will with God’s and seeks forgiveness that is rooted in our willingness to forgive others. Sometimes, our prayer might express frustration and sadness; and at other times, joy and thanksgiving. But isn’t this the way between friends? Yet that is what God, in Jesus, has become for us: “I shall no longer call you servants”. . .but friends (John 15:15). Let us speak to our friend, the Lord and, like Mary in last week’s gospel reading, listen to the words He speaks to us.

So often, this Sunday’s gospel passage has been seen as Jesus expressing His preference for prayer over action, Mary over Martha, since Mary had “chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” Based upon this, many believers have striven to be Mary, instead of Martha. Yet if we consider this passage in light of our reading this weekend from the Book of Genesis, we hear of the value of hospitality, as shown by Abraham when the Lord appeared to him. It seems that we should choose to be either Martha, the doer, or Mary, the listener; we must strive to be both, as we read in the Letter of Saint James: “Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works” (James 2:18). Prayer, contemplation and listening to the Lord’s word must be accompanied by action, as inspired by Luke 11:28: “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.” May these weeks of summer give us opportunities to do both.

“And who is my neighbor?” This question was posed to Jesus by the legal expert who “wished to justify himself.” I am certain that the man did not go away feeling good about himself, because he had wanted to use the law to narrow the definition of who had to be counted as his neighbor. Instead, Jesus shows the foreigner, the Samaritan, to be neighbor to the man who was robbed on the road to Jerusalem. In the end, one’s neighbor is the person in need and, at the same time, the person who has the ability to address the other’s situation. Truly loving one’s neighbor as oneself opens to us a sense of relationship, belonging and connection with all people. Jesus’s words to the scholar of the law are also spoken to each of us: “Go and do likewise [treat others with mercy].”

Please join me in welcoming Father Victor Trinidad to our parish. He officially began his ministry here this past Friday, July 1. I know that you will welcome him as warmly as you did me this weekend, two years ago, and that he will be enriched by the life of our parish, just as we will all be enriched by his presence among us. The gospel reading this Sunday makes me smile, falling as it usually does on the first weekend of July, warning Jesus’ disciples: “Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.” This has never been my experience as I took up a new assignment over the years, and I know that it will not be Father Victor’s experience at Saint Clare. The instruction given by Jesus to the seventy-two disciples is worth repeating today: “Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way.” In other words, travel light and do not get distracted from your mission. In this busy world, we can all learn the simplicity of such discipline, mindful that the Lord who sends us will always be with us.

We resume the Sunday readings of Ordinary Time, which will continue this year until November 20. “Ordinary” does not imply “regular” or “usual,” but an “ordered” presentation of the weeks, apart from the major seasons (Advent/ Christmas and Lent/Easter). That is why the Sundays are known by a number, for example today is the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. During the 33 or 34 Sundays of Ordinary Time, we read the gospel (this year from Saint Luke) in order, chapter by chapter; we do the same with the second reading, which usually comes from one of the letters of Saint Paul. The Old Testament reading, however, is chosen for its connection with the gospel reading each Sunday. Often it is from the first reading that one can get a sense of what can be emphasized in the gospel reading. Today’s readings tell of the cost of discipleship: Elisha’s request that Elijah allow him to kiss his father and mother goodbye before he followed him is rejected. And Jesus declares that “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). We, who want to be disciples of the same Lord, need to consider its cost in our lives: what are we willing to give up? How committed are we to go where He leads us? As we walk with the Lord these next five months, let us, as the song says, “see Him more clearly, love Him more dearly, follow Him more nearly. . .Day by Day” (from Godspell).

Today, we celebrate Jesus, as the “Living Bread that comes down from heaven.” Which we receive every time we share Holy Communion. On this feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ Catholics across the United States are invited to join in a three-year process of renewal in one of our foundational beliefs: that Jesus Christ is totally and actually present in the Eucharist and that those who receive Holy Communion are sharers of His Body and His Blood. As part of this renewal, each of us can reflect upon the importance of the Eucharist in our lives. What we believe about the Lord’s presence “under the forms” of bread and wine guides us and encourages us, in the words of Saint Augustine, “to see what you are and become what you receive: the living Body and Blood of the Lord.