A Daily Dose of God

 

 

Homily Cycle A 11/15/2020

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/111520.cfm

 

On Wednesday evening I watched some of the CMA [Country Music Association]

Awards show: Thomas Rhett, Reba McEntire and Chris Tomlin were singing, “Be A Light.”  This verse stood out to me, “In a world full of hate, be a light.”

I don’t think we live in a world full of hate, but there is a lot of hate in our world & we are called be a light in the world.

 

Today’s parable is not about economics, or about accumulating wealth; the people in Jesus time believed that if your wealth increased, you either stole it or cheated.  .  [Additional background on the culture during Jesus time and its impact on understanding today’s parable is available here: https://liturgy.slu.edu/33OrdA111520/theword_cultural.html].   

Today’s parable is about basing our lives on Jesus Christ, bringing His light to the world.  A parable is “… an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.” [William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, vol.2, p.55]

We are the proclaimers of God’s Kingdom; we are light in today’s darkness. Today’s Responsorial Psalm refrain is “Blessed are those who fear the Lord.”

Sometimes when my parents corrected me, they said: “Son, I will put the fear of God in you.”  Our responsorial psalm is more accurately translated, “stand in awe”, “in reverence”, not in dread or in terror.  Reverence for God and for each other is essential for Christians.

This Fr. Henri Nouwen story can help us discover “awe” or “reverence” for God and each other.  It is about Trevor, a man who was dealing with such severe mental and emotional challenges that he had to be sent to a psychiatric facility for an evaluation.  One day Henri called the hospital to arrange for a visit.  When the people in charge found out that it was Fr. Henri Nouwen [renowned author and teacher] … they asked if he would give a talk at a luncheon they would sponsor for doctors, clergy and staff.  It would be held in a special meeting room [the Golden Room].

 

When he arrived, they took him there, but Trevor wasn’t there.  Nouwen asked about Trevor.   An administrator at the hospital said, “Trevor cannot come to lunch.  Patients and staff can’t have lunch together….”  Henri … said, “But the whole purpose of my coming was to have lunch with Trevor.  If Trevor is not allowed to attend the lunch, I will not attend either … they quickly found a way for Trevor to attend … during the lunch … Trevor stood up and lifted his glass of Coca-Cola and said, “A toast. I will now offer a toast ….”

The room went absolutely quiet.   

 

Trevor … started to sing, “If you’re happy and you know it, raise your glass.  If you’re happy and you know it, raise your glass…”  No one knew what to do, Trevor was a man with a level of challenge and brokenness they could not begin to understand, yet he was beaming.  He was thrilled to be there, and everybody started to sing.

Softly at first and then louder and louder until everybody was practically shouting, “If you’re happy and you know it, raise your glass.”  Henri went on to give a talk at the luncheon, but the moment everyone remembered, the God moment came through Trevor. [https://jarrettbanks.wordpress.com/2014/02/02/actin-a-fool/]

Our Gospel is about servants, about God moments, we are servants of God, so were Trevor and Henri Nouwen.  Henri might a servant who received five talents and doubled them and Trevor might be the servant who buried his talent.  Both servants found their meaning in letting the light; Nouwen was a priest, a teacher and writer; Trevor shared God’s joy/happiness.

Spend some time this week reflecting on your call to be a servant of God, charged with bring His light to the world.  And offer a toast, “If you’re happy and you know it raise your glass ….”

 

May God Be Praised!

 

 

            A Prayer for Our Nation

Loving God help us to serve those who are shunned or eschewed; guide our civic leaders; bless our nation; and bestow Your grace upon our elected officials and anoint them with the desire to foster the common good.  Amen.     Dcn. George Kelly]

 

COVID 19 Pandemic Prayer

 

Hear my cry!  “Lord, listen to my prayer: turn your ear to my appeal.”  You are my refuge and my hope, I turn to you during this COVID 19 Pandemic and plead for Your intercession.  In Your mercy and Your compassion “… grant eternal rest to the dead, comfort to mourners, healing to the sick ….”

[Psalm 143 and Collect from Mass Time in Pandemic]

 

Provide strength to the first responders, compassion to the medical personnel, and wisdom to government leaders.  End this coronavirus scourge.  Send Your light to me as I wander in the darkness of this pandemic and give me hope in Your eternal love today and every day.  Amen.  [Dcn. George Kelly]