17th Sunday of Ordinary Time


17TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME [B]


As a church, we’re committed to telling the world about Jesus. There are those who end up saying yes to Jesus. And then there are those who end up saying no. Why do they beg off? Why do they decline? Typically it has to do with some aspect of church life. They don’t want to be associated with “all those hypocrites.”  Or they disagree with a particular church teaching. Or there might be lingering anger relating to the clergy sex abuse scandal. Or they will point to the fact that the Christian movement remains a seriously divided movement. Isn’t it supposed to be “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Eph. 4:5)? 


On the surface, these sound like valid reasons. But you can’t help wondering about the level of authenticity: Are they being honest with themselves? Is it really about that particular church teaching? Is it really about exposure to hypocrites? Is it really about the scandal of division or the scandal of abuse? In some cases, we’ll be able to answer in the affirmative. However, for the most part, it’s about the issue of time. It sounds better when you reference a church teaching or a prominent scandal. It sounds rather pathetic when you’re obsessing about the subject of your valuable time. 


You’re suspecting that a relationship with the Lord will involve some expenditure of time. The Lord will expect you to spend time in prayer. He will expect you to spend time in worship. And he will expect you to spend time reading the Bible. You insist: I CAN’T AFFORD TO GIVE UP ANY OF MY TIME! I’M A BUSY PERSON! I CAN HARDLY KEEP UP AS IT IS! NOW I’M SUPPOSED TO SET ASIDE TIME FOR THE LORD? And so you count yourself as “excused.” You don’t want to hear about the Lord. It’s fine if your neighbor wants to establish a relationship with the Lord. As for yourself, you simply can’t spare the time. 


That’s what you keep telling yourself. Benjamin Franklin observed that “time is money.”  If time is money, then you’re extended to the brink of bankruptcy. Giving time to the Lord will plunge you all the way into the state of bankruptcy. And yet, imagine for a moment what it might mean if you actually gave the Lord a legitimate chance. How would that work? The prophet Elisha would nod in approval. He gives the Lord a chance by stepping forward in faith, trusting that twenty barley loaves will be enough to feed one hundred pilgrims (2nd Kings 4:42-44). Similarly, the apostle Andrew gives the Lord a chance by presenting five barley loaves and two fish. The task at hand involves the feeding of 5000 pilgrims. Andrew acknowledges that it’s going to be a longshot at best. But he nevertheless presents what there is to present (John 6:9). In each case, the pilgrims have more than enough to eat. The seemingly meager resources end up going a very long way. Andrew’s longshot pays off. 


How does this apply to the question of time? An apparent scarcity of time explains why you have chosen to keep distance between yourself and the Lord. There just isn’t enough available time! You’re absolutely certain about this. The Lord responds to this objection in the same way that he responds to Andrew: put into play what you do have available, however meager it may seem. Give me a legitimate chance. You will discover what Andrew discovered: somehow there is enough to go around—more than enough. You were so sure that it wasn’t going to work. By giving time to the Lord, other important priorities would go unattended. Still, having given the Lord a reasonable chance, you’re finding that there is enough time….for everything that truly matters. You don’t have to understand the “how.”  Simply celebrate the fact that, with the Lord, a little can be made to go a long way. 

 

Popular posts from this blog

Welcome

 These are text versions of the sermons I have prepared for the Sundays of the calendar year. I am a Catholic priest of the diocese of Gaylord (Michigan), ordained in 1997. 
Read more

Second Sunday of Easter [B]

Image
  SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER  You will find that some Bible passages have a way of explaining themselves. These verses come across as straight-forward. You don’t need any help forming your interpretation. But then you make your way into the First Letter of St. John. Chapter five outlines a series of witnesses; referred to as the Spirit, the Water, and the Blood (5:6-8). Jesus comes to us by way of the Spirit, by way of the Water, and by way of the Blood. Upon consulting the commentaries you discover that scholarly opinion remains divided, regarding this selection. A definitive interpretation has not yet been reached. Generally, however, speculation has leaned in the direction of the Jordan River, with Jesus stepping forward to be baptized.   If you pray the Rosary, this ranks as the first of the Luminous Mysteries. You know that this mystery centers around the symbol of water. You know also that the Holy Spirit becomes visible in the image of a dove (Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10). Two of the wit
Read more

Passion Sunday [B]

Image
  PASSION SUNDAY Because we are in the “B” cycle, this year’s Passion reading will come from the Gospel of St. Mark. Last year, with cycle “A,” we heard St. Matthew’s account. Next year, observing cycle “C,” we will hear from St. Luke. If you are wondering about St. John, we spend time in his Gospel every year, especially during the seasons of Lent and Easter. As for Mark, his Gospel bears a resemblance to both Matthew and Luke. These are called the “Synoptic Gospels,” because they appear to be synchronized around a common body of source material. We find plenty in the way of similarities, but we also find peculiarities---elements that are unique to each of the Synoptics. For example, with regard to Mark’s version of the Passion, attention is called to a particular young man who panics as the authorities come to arrest Jesus. He, likewise, very nearly gets apprehended, but they manage only to grip the hem of his tunic. The unnamed disciple slips out of his garment and runs off into the
Read more