Homily for Nov 20, 2011

Feast of Christ the King Nov 20, 2011

We all know that we are called to try to live out the gospel values, to imitate Christ, and to do what He asks of us. But yet I am always amazed how difficult it can be to do just that. It is often extremely difficult to live out the gospel message. For instance, during this past summer we heard Jesus tell us to love our enemies.  I mean, after all, almost by definition, they are our enemies because we don’t love them. But the gospel calls us to do just that, as well as other things that are very counter cultural.

At first glance, doing what Jesus tells us in today’s gospel, namely, providing unconditional assistance for the poor, I didn’t think, would be that difficult for most people. But when I posted some things on facebook about how we Americans treat the poor, the hungry, the homeless, I was shocked by the reposes posted by folks calling themselves “Christian”.

          One quipster suggested that if they are lazy, we don’t have to help them. One said that the poor don’t matter as much as the unborn do.

One friend couldn’t resist replying that “God helps those who help themselves”. I supposed he was shocked when I told him that saying doesn’t appear anywhere in the Bible. It’s an ancient Greek aphorism that has no Biblical basis at all.

But if we look closely at what we just heard,

'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?'
He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones,
you did not do for me.'

The reality is that Jesus puts no pre-conditions, no a prioris, on our obligation to help the needy. In fact, this statement comes as Jesus’ response to the apostles’ question of how we will be judged at the final judgment. Jesus tells us that we will be judged on how we helped our needy brothers & sisters.

I would think this would come as a shock to most folks about how we will be judged on the final day. I mean, when I was growing up, the conventional wisdom was that / the way to get to heaven was to go to church every Sunday, go to confession once a year, and to avoid mortal sin. We didn’t grow up with an awareness of what kind of Catholic our baptism calls us to be. It is from studying and praying the scripture passages such as today’s gospel that we get a different understanding. It is then that we realize that we are called to share in the mission and ministry of Jesus as our way into the kingdom.

 I suppose I really shouldn’t be surprised at all by those facebook responses. Mother Teresa apparently ran into a similar problem. When asked what she thought of American society, her response was that her work in India was easy relative to what she would be tasked with in America. She said “In India, I can help by providing food, clothing & shelter, but the problem in America is much deeper, because America has a poverty of values.” The things and behaviors that we value are often out of synch with what Christ taught us. Sadly, sometimes our greed and overwrought desire for accumulation of wealth overrides the gospel values.

Lest I imply that everyone here has not heeded the specific tasks Jesus asks of us today, I should emphasize that many folks at Mass this morning certainly have worked tirelessly to aid the poor. They have assisted the poor without asking if they deserve it. Ron & Rosie Walling have ministered in Georgia’s prison for years. Ken & Diane Cone and others have worked tirelessly for Interfaith hospitality, providing shelter and food for the homeless. Many parishioners, even our youth, have waited tables at the Masters Soup Kitchen. Some here have pounded nails and hung sheetrock to build houses for Habitat. Many volunteer at Catholic Social Services to serve the needy. Just as Jesus came to serve, and not to be served, so, too, many parishioners have served the poor as an act of Christian charity.

The Last Judgment that Jesus speaks of in today’s gospel is a topic that we seldom hear much reflection on. Today’s feast offers us an opportunity to bring it to bear upon how we live our lives in the present. Resorting to an image of fear and intimidation would only lead one into a fire and brimstone speech. Rather, it is so comforting to speak to someone who has gone out of their way to help someone in need of assistance, and ask how they felt after doing it. I’m sure that in all cases, you’ll hear about how rewarding an experience it was. You’ll hear statements like “If you’re feeling sad and lonely, one cure for that is to do something for someone else.”  Or “Helping others gave me such a warm and good feeling.”

          And we should not forget that we are indeed surrounded by the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the ill, the imprisoned, both physically and emotionally. Nursing homes are filled with people who hunger for a visit from anyone. There are people who thirst for companionship. There are people who are imprisoned by evil thoughts.

The Gospel tells us that on judgment day we won’t be asked if the needy that crossed our path were deserving or undeserving, whether they were Republican or Democrat, but rather, “When you looked into their eyes, did you see the face of Jesus?”  We are asked to clarify what we see in the needy. If we see Jesus in them and extend assistance to them, then we will be judged favorably. If not, then we will be condemned.

God invites us to a very special banquet this morning: the Eucharist.

Eucharist helps us as a community to know that we are all in relationship with one another. We are our brother’s keeper. Practicing our faith is about love, about really loving God & loving our neighbor, whoever he or she may be.

By helping our neighbor, especially the needy, we strengthen our relationship with God & with one another. So together let us all come to the table to Jesus he comes to us. In love.