The Rambler

  26TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME [C] It goes from bad to worse for the Rich Man. Not only is he stranded in the netherworld, he subsequently hears that his family members are on a trajectory to follow him. As Abraham points out: If your brothers have been tuning out Moses and the prophets, then it stands to reason that they will remain tuned out, even in the event that someone should be brought back from the dead (Luke 16:31). In other words, the pattern of resistance has been reinforced so thoroughly that now it serves as a type of “default” setting. They don’t know how to do anything else. For that matter, they don’t know how to be anything else. The clay has solidified.  By way of illustration, consider Lucy’s method of tormenting Charlie Brown. She offers to steady the football so that he can kick it. He gets an impressive running start. However, she pulls the ball away at the last possible second. He’s kicking nothing but air. His feet go out from under him, and he lands ...

  25TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME [C] Clearly, the God of the Bible is a God who pays attention. He knows when we are trending in a positive direction, and he likewise knows when we are trending in a negative direction. For example, he can recognize that the Israelites have been cutting corners. Their practice of worship can be described as sub-standard. This explains the arrival of Amos, a prophet who is in the process of calling them out  (Amos 8:4-7). Conversely, we hear words of affirmation being spoken in the Gospel of Luke. A steward who was producing absolutely nothing is now producing at least something. No, he’s not producing everything that he was originally called upon to produce. But he’s producing something (16:1-8).  The steward is trending in a positive direction. As for the Israelites, they are trending in a negative direction. In both cases, the Lord is looking on, very closely. He’s that type of a Lord. He pays attention. He monitors our trends and our pat...

  THE TRIUMPH OF THE CROSS You’re staring at the television, and what do you see? You see an ominous black vehicle speeding down the lane. It’s now turning, entering into a dark alley. This alley has the appearance of being a dead-end. The car is rushing straight toward a brick wall. You’re expecting a crash. However, something else happens instead. The brick wall opens up; it’s not a dead-end. It looks like a dead-end. But it’s being revealed as a passageway.  What you’ve just witnessed is the aftermath of a Green Hornet action scene. The Green Hornet and his side-kick Kato are crime-fighters (popular on radio in the 1940’s and on television in the late 1960’s). When they learn about criminal activity, they respond, they neutralize the threat, and then they report back to the Green Hornet lair. The alleyway, with its retracting wall, serves as a secret entry and exit point.  How does this relate to the symbol of the cross? Think of it this way: the cross and the alleyway...

  23RD SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME [C] In our first reading this weekend we hear something about the subject of wisdom. It needs to be understood that authentic wisdom comes from above. You don’t acquire it through a text book or a classroom lecture. Rather, think of it as a gift that’s being sent down to you from above (see Wis. 9:13-18). Or think of it as a special commodity that is being imported from another place. And here’s what else we need to know: authentic wisdom tends to be counter-intuitive . Through listening to the voice of wisdom, you’ll find yourself making any number of unconventional choices. These choices will prove to be both unconventional—and also beneficial.  Note the approach being taken by St. Paul in our second reading. By way of letter, Paul informs Philemon that the runaway slave, Onesimus, has been located. He’s here, in my company. And I’ll have you know that he has become a baptized believer. Soon I will be sending him back to you. When he arrives, h...