Homily Notes 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time
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19th Sunday of Ordinary Time/ “Are We Called to Something More”
Parables are a unique way of preaching. When we hear a parable, we usually two realities set side by side. The comparison between the two can cause us to look at our faith life in a whole new way.
We could be reminded of the Magic Eye pictures that we all have seen. We have two pictures blended together. We are told something is hidden that we need to see. We hold the picture next to our nose. We slowly move it away concentrating on it, trying to focus, when suddenly, a three-dimensional picture appears. A lot of us may struggle to see what the hidden picture is. Some people can never see it.
What does Jesus place side by side for comparison? He usually paints a picture of common ordinary things; aspects of farming, common household chores, interactions between people. He uses images that can be meaningful in any generation. He then uses that as a metaphor for a spiritual truth. The things we’re supposed to see for the first time reveal what life in the Kingdom of God is like.
In the parables we shared from the Gospels today Jesus paints a picture of the interaction between servants and masters. We have the wealthy, politically connected, master. We a have the servant who works for him. In the ancient world, if you could ingratiate yourself to an influential person that was a wonderful way to have security in life. A poor individual could always have a roof over their head with food to eat for themselves and their family. Some of these servants were slaves. Others were indentured servants who had sold part of their lives to escape debt. A few were free men and women.
What is the reality we are supposed to see in relationship to the Kingdom of God as we reflect on the interaction of servants and masters? Perhaps, I say perhaps, because a parable is often left to personal interpretation. Perhaps, the key words are steward and stewardship. The servants mentioned are stewards of the master’s goods. What is a good steward to do? Are they simply to protect the owner’s goods while they are away? Or, are they to do something more? A good steward does take care of things. We don’t want to see things deteriorate, but a topflight steward wants things to be in better shape when the master returns. A good steward never takes their position for granted.
What does that mean for an individual’s spiritual life? Fulton Sheen put it well once. He said, “Look at where you are in your spiritual life today. Look at where you were a year ago. If you are in the same place you have gone backwards.” With organizations it is often stated that if an organization is just maintaining itself it probably is dying. An organization needs to be trying new, different things to grow.
We could ask what we are doing as individuals. As disciples of Jesus Christ we look at different ways to serve Jesus. Do we ever get out of our comfort zone or are we just serving in the same way repeatedly? Today is a stewardship Sunday. We are asking people to volunteer for several of our ministries. We need people to be trained as Eucharistic ministers. We need people to be greeters at Mass. We also have two ministries that we have not asked people to volunteer for lately. We need people to work in the Blessing Gift Shop. If you always dreamed of working in retail this is your chance. We want people to also volunteer to serve funeral diners. This is a very important ministry to grieving families. You will hear more about these things later.
As a parish we also could ask if we are good stewards. We have spent a lot of money on maintenance this summer. The TTT funds are being used as the money comes in. We see that our precious windows are being repaired. But we need to ask if we can take the next steps so our parish can evolve. We have many challenges that we face.
We are reminded today that we are to be good stewards. Which means we not only be caretakers of the church, but that we are to build up the Kingdom. When the master returns, we want to be spreading the good news to all who hunger for the message of Jesus. If that is the case the Lord will be most pleased.