Bulletins on Sunday Bulletins (Page 10)

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus presents the Reign of God in terms of a treasure buried in a field and a pearl of great price. People are willing to sell everything to possess the treasure and the pearl. As in recent previous weekends, Jesus was not teaching about searching and finding things that are of monetary value any more than He was teaching farmers how to plant their crops or to pull weeds. He was using images familiar to his hearers; in so many ways these images continue to resonate with us 2000 years later. In another place (Matthew 6:21), Jesus taught that “wherever your treasure is, there will your heart be.” It is for us to discern what is so important in our lives that we would be willing to do anything to pursue it, no matter the cost. Perhaps, the way to God’s Reign is to discover for ourselves what things are most important in our lives, for which we would be willing to give up everything else. So a question for each of us is this: “Where is your heart on this last weekend of July?

In the parables of this Sunday’s gospel reading from the thirteenth chapter of Saint Matthew (Weeds among the Wheat, Mustard Seed, and Yeast and Dough), Jesus teaches about the coming Reign of God and about God’s patience with what it takes to bring about that Reign. The Kingdom of Heaven will not be imposed on humanity from above. Rather, its coming is a slow and gradual process, the work in which we are engaged, according to the gifts given to each of us. And God remains patient with our efforts. Some people have declared that God’s Reign is here on earth. I do not think so! While the seeds of the Reign of God have been planted here, there is still much to be done to foster the values of justice, love, peace and life, but it must begin in our lives, in the ways we treat one another, the ways we vote, the ways we allow our beliefs to influence the direction of the common life we share as members of society.

A sower went out to sow [some seed]. That is what sowers did, as found in the dictionary: “One who scatters seed on the ground to be grown for food.” And it was the seed that germinated, extended its roots and grew. The sower in Jesus’ parable is indiscriminate. Some seed falls on the path, or on rocky ground, or among the thorns. Some, though, fell on rich soil. It is this that produced abundant fruit. Relating this parable about God’s word to the first reading from the prophet Isaiah, we hear that the word of the Lord is like the rain and snow that make the earth fertile: “So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; my word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). God is as indiscriminate as the sower of the seed, broadcasting His word to all of creation, “groaning in labor pains even until now” (Romans 8:22). It is for us to be that fertile soil that accepts and nurtures the word we have heard. We do so in the lives we lead, lives of love and care for one another and for all creation

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” Some might think that being “meek and humble of heart” is the same as being weak. Jesus did not. Meekness and humility are demonstrations of love and gentleness, of the care God has for us through Jesus. The easy yoke and light burden refer to the rigid demands of the former law, which, in Jesus, gave way to the law that is characterized primarily by love. Meekness/gentleness and humility of heart do make us prone to vulnerability, but that is one of the marks of Christians who are willing to follow a crucified Savior. Should we not emulate the Lord in the ways we relate to one another?

Hospitality can be underrated. Being welcoming is a virtue that is often overlooked. At the same time, when we are recipients of hospitality, we feel valued and inspired to be just as welcoming of others. When asked what makes for good liturgy, Catholics repeatedly mention these three qualities: Good Music, Good Preaching and Real Hospitality. Perhaps hospitality should be first on the list, because it is what we experience the moment we arrive at church for Mass, or even when we drive into the parking lot. Whether we are visitors or long-time parishioners, are we ever greeted or made to feel welcome? The ministry of hospitality was a victim of the pandemic, but it is time for a renewal at Saint Clare. In this way, we can respond to the words of the Lord in today’s gospel reading: “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”

“Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.” Using imagery of God’s love and care for all creation (“Yet not one [sparrow] falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.”), Jesus urges his listen-ers to have faith in the God whose love has no limits. It is difficult for us to live without fear. In fact, fear is an important compo-nent in steering us away from dangerous or reckless behavior. Fear of failure encourages preparation and study; we try to avoid accidents by following the rules of safe driving or walking. But Jesus’ instruction to His followers, “Fear no one,” is an encouragement of irrational fear, the fear that is not founded in reality or logic. This the paralyz-ing fear that makes our normal functioning impossible. It is the kind of fear we encounter when we awake in the middle of the night, the kind that, thank-fully, evaporates with the light of day. So many times in the gospels, Jesus announces that “Fear is useless; what is needed is trust.” These words should not be wasted on us. To paraphrase Václav Havel, former President of the Czech Republic, our faith is not the conviction that everything will turn out right, but that however things turn out, it will be alright. His words are a call to all to trust in God, the only One Who makes all things right. Perhaps these words will aid us as we journey through Summer 2023.

“Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.” It was with this instruction that Jesus sent the Apostles to continue the work that he had begun. The “gift” that is so freely given is a reminder that God’s own life in us, which we call “grace,” is given to us so that we can just as freely share with others. We remember that every gift and blessing that comes our way is destined for another, that we are stewards of all that is ours. Jesus continues to summon us, to gather us as His very own: “The harvest is rich, but the laborers are few.” By virtue of our Baptism, each is commis-sioned by the Lord to share His work, whatever we do and wherever we go.

The Eucharist is God’s greatest gift to humanity, “the Lord’s presence in His absence.” In this year of Eucharistic Renewal, Catholics are invited to focus and pray over the words, “My flesh is true food, my blood is true drink.” The “living bread that came down from heaven” pledges eternal life. . . “unlike your ancestors who ate [manna] in the desert, whoever eats this bread and drinks this cup will live forever.” In the Sacrament of His Body and Blood, Jesus is really present. The Church has long described this in terms of the ancient term, “transubstantiation,” which is not easily grasped by most of us. When we ask our young people who have been well-prepared to receive Holy Communion whether or not the Eucharist is the real Body and Blood of the Lord, the responses are generally split right down the middle. A number of years, a survey of American Catholics came upon some ambivalence regarding the “Real Presence” of Christ in the Eucharist. Some decried this as a lack of faith on our part; it is probably fairer to state that there is a misunderstanding about how the consecrated Bread and Wine are signs and symbols of what they truly are and what the truly signify. To put it in the words of a class on liturgy that I took long ago at SCU, a symbol embodies that for which it is a symbol. It is not merely a sign that points to another reality. The symbol is the other reality. As such, the bread and wine of the Eucharist are not only signs of the Body and Blood of Christ; through the power of the Holy Spirit and the prayer of the Church, they truly become what they signify. They become the Body and Blood of the Lord. That is how and why the consecrated Bread and Wine are in actuality the very realities of which they are signs: the Body and Blood of the Lord. When we say our “Amen” to the minister who distributes the Host, our Amen is our assent to two dual realities: that which we receive into our hands and, at the very same time, the Body and Blood of Christ, which we are called to be-come! Finally, it has been said often that “the Eucharist makes the Church.” A corollary of this is that if there is no Eucharist, so goes the Church. That is why we are invited and challenged to celebrate the Eucharist every Sunday, or at least as often as our health allows.