26th Sunday of Ordinary Time 

Do you know who your god is?  Who is your god?  Are you sure who your god is? 

In today’s gospel Jesus tells us about a very, very rich man.  He dressed in the finest purple garments and linen.  Purple dye was extremely rare and expensive.  It was obtained from the shellfish murex.  A purple mantle was very costly as well. Finely-woven linen was considered the height of luxury in his day.  

And he must have been a very rich man who apparently didn’t need to work because he was able to feast sumptuously every day.  We could say this rich man was a connoisseur of threads and cuisine.  He prided himself in wearing the finest clothes and feasting on the finest cuisine.  We can imagine him carrying himself with grace and standing aloof among his friends, as if to say notice my fine threads. 

And when he dined, I suspect he was extremely aware of those who watched as he presented each morsel of food before consuming it with great drama.  What would we say is his sin? 

Being rich in it self is not a sin!!  Even being so rich one does not have to work is in itself not a sin!  Enjoying a sumptuous feast in itself is not a sin!  So if it isn’t his fine threads or the fine cuisine that were the source of his sin – what is the underlying source of his sin?  Can we name the fundamental sin of the rich man? 

Could the rich man’s sin have something to do with the poor man, covered with sores, who was lying at his door step every day?  Lazarus was his name.  Lazarus is short for Eleazar. A name that means “He (whom) God helps,”  Every day this poor man was lying at the rich mans door begging for sustenance.   The poor man was not a pretty sight to behold with open sores covering his body.  The rich managed to ignore Lazarus yet the local dogs came to the poor man to lick his sores. 

Lazarus was not a pretty sight to behold.  We could conclude the rich man be that he suffered from severe spiritual blindness and deafness?  The poor man Lazarus was there everyday at his doorway.  The rich man had to almost step over and walk past this pitiful Lazarus lying at his door step.  He acted like he did not exist.  He did not see or hear him even though Lazarus surely begged for food?  

Laser Focus on Stealth Blindness

The rich man invented the first laser and stealth technology.  He was so focused on himself there was no room for the poor man to exist.  The rich man was focused like a laser on his fine threads and anticipating satisfying his taste buds on the fine cuisine he would enjoy each day. 

Lazarus was mealy a minor distraction.   I suspect in the rich man’s mind, no one was looking at Lazarus because the world was looking at him, dressed in the finest linen.  In the rich man’s mind, even Lazarus yearned to emulate the rich mans dress and one day hoped to dine on the crumbs from the sumptuous meal he would enjoy.  

I ask again, what is the rich mans sin that lies below the surface that blinds and deafens the rich mans spirit?  This rich man has a severe spiritual handicap – what is it?  We hear both men died.  The rich man is known as the one “Who Never Noticed” Lazarus was at his door every day. 

The rich man, locked him out! 

Listen again to the beauty of the death of Lazarus.  Jesus describes angels lifting and carrying Lazarus to the bosom of Abraham.   The poor man then rested in the bosom of Abraham.  What is described would have been clearly understood by the people of Jesus day.  It was an ancient banqueting practice, were the honored quest would recline one’s head on renowned figures breast at the banquet table.  

The picture painted by Jesus puts Lazarus in the place of honor at the right hand of Abraham at the banquet in the next world.  The rich man and the poor man’s fortunes are reversed after death.  Simultaneously the rich man is suffering, his lips are parched with thirst, his tongue is hot and dry, and he is in great discomfort. 

The Greek verb used here is odunao, “to undergo physical torment, ‘suffer pain.’  “The source of the suffering is fire.  Then he sees the above scenario – at last he has eyes and can see and ears to hear.  The rich man cries out to Abraham, have Lazarus dip his finger in water and come over and touch my tongue. 

The rich finally confesses he was aware of Lazarus existence and calls him by name.  Abraham responds to the rich man.  “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” (Luke 16:31) 

Again, I ask what was the rich mans sin?  What was the sin that earned him eternal damnation?  The rich man turned his threads and cuisine into god and he worship at there table.  Tough they were without life and could not save him, he worshiped them. 

Do not have false gods before me.  I am the Lord thy and there is no other.  The question we are called to examine today is who is our god and who is the Lazarus standing in our door way? 

I have discovered in my life, I have many gods.  So many gods in fact it can be scary.  Those who know me, know I have my deer hunting god, my racing pigeon god, my ham radio god, my gym god – I benched pressed 225 pounds the day I died, my jogging god who lead to run a marathon, my software development work god – installing the program I created in all of the busiest airports in the nation. 

And new gods are being born every day.  I now have my face book and web page god to boot!   I believe there are now more gods than ever before in the history of man. 

Think about all the gods families deal with every day.  Moms, dads, children have their technology battery draining gods.  We call them a computer, igames, xbox, iphone, ipod, ipad, blackberry, texting – phew! 

And we still have the good old reliable TV with awful reality programs no child should watch.  Think about it, all these technology monsters without life that have no power to save us from damnation are consuming our time. 

People have begun to enter and live in cyber space and often do not come up for real air.  Any wonder our nation is growing obese so fast?  Who is the Lazarus standing in our doorway?  In our day many Lazarus’s live inside of homes of active families.  They are moms, dads and children, even grandparents have been taken hostage. 

Are we like the rich man and traded in living breathing people for inanimate technology that can not save us?  Children today are growing up without learning social skills and how to play or deal with real live people. 

Do we have the courage to ask?  What story are we entering into?  The story of salvation history where we encounter the one true God who sent His Son to save us from our sin or are we willing to step into cyber space where real people are replaced with lifeless indulgence? 

How many gods do you have?  Which of those gods can save you?

The word parable means to use one situation to examine a second.

Oh Lord it’s hard to humble, when your perfect in every way
I can’t wait to look in the mirror; cause I get better looking each day.
To know me is to love me, I must be a heck of a man.
Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble, when you’re perfect in every way.

Can we see the irony in the lyric’s of Mac Davis’s hit song being played out in the Gospel today?  What is the lesson Jesus Christ is trying to teach?  Is it about humility?  Is it about honor?  Or is it about salvation?

Luke tells us, everyone there was watching everyone else, including Jesus closely.  Why were they were watching so closely?  They were trying to figure out the pecking order.  They were trying to figure, the highest place of honor they could claim, without running the risk of being embarrassed by being asked to move.   

In the midst of this tension, while everyone was on alert, Jesus took advantage of this teachable moment.  Jesus came to save everyone!  Jesus knew the way one acquired honor was critical to passage through the narrow gate.

So how does our definition of honor measure up against Jesus standard?

Well what was that standard?  Did anyone catch it?    

Jesus used the word “Rather” twice in the Gospel?  Rather is a transition word that contrasts for us what he noticed people doing versus what he calls us to do following the same principle found in the reading from Sirach.  My child conduct your affairs with humility and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts.

Go to the lowest place! That’s easy enough is that it?  Nope there is one more rather!  Invite the poor, the cripple, the lame, the blind, all who are unable to repay into our lives.

Let me share a some food for thought. When I was in basic training at Kessler AFB, Mississippi in 1964, I lived in a barracks full of men.  No real walls, just bunk beds and men.  There I encountered a roommate, who I soon realized was inviting every soldier in our barracks to join his group each time we were allowed to go to Biloxi. 

He had an open charming manner and made everyone he invited feel like an old welcomed friend who was essential to the group.  What he did was infectious, and many joined in going around from bunk to bunk to make sure no one got left out without an invitation.   I am ashamed at admit I do not recall his name.  But I would bet, he would be seated at the place of honor where ever he might go. 

In 1989, the Franciscan Order accepted an invitation from the Archbishop to take over the St. Philip Benizi Parish along with the St. Gabriel mission.  At the time, St. Philip Benizi Parish had just finished building a new church, during which the community had become divided and consequently was in a serious financial situation.  One of the first actions the Franciscans took was to hold town home meetings with parishioners. 

They left their place of power and went into the homes of the lowest churches.  Almost the first question out their mouth at those meetings was to ask the people, what do you want from your church?  It was the first time in my catholic life to be asked what I needed from my church, as if I might know something.  It still served as a most refreshing moment and a renewal of Baptism in faith.  They turned things upside down.  They lowered themselves into the shoes of the people.  Almost over night, those Franciscan priests set that parish and mission on fire.  The financial troubles began to evaporate.

Today at a banquet, whom might a host invite to sit at the highest place and table of honor?  Would it be Mother Theresa who lived and worked in the streets of the slums or the local bishop who lives in a mansion?

Honor comes to the one who lower themselves to serving those who can not repay.  Humility comes to those, who take the risk to get out of their comfort zone and step into the world of the hungry, the poor, the lame, the crippled and the blind.  It is while walking in their shoes we learn humility for every talent we have is pure gift from God. 

Oh Lord helps us grow humble and poor in every way
We can’t stand to look in the mirror; cause we see our enemy there.
You know us, yet you love us; You must be an awesome God
Oh Lord helps us grow humble and poor in every way

In 2010 the majority of babies are being born to unwed mothers.  Think about the millions of children who will be growing up without a father.  The real reality is a father figure is required and those children will be spending the rest of their lives looking for that father.  Who is the single mother going to turn to for the help the father Gods created through marriage?  Who are those children going to turn to, when they seek natures call to be loved by their God given father?

Things are getting worse as every years passes.  The western civilization cultures and the black communities are the greatest seekers of abortions.  The fertility rates among them are dropping drastically and their population numbers with them.  Other cultural groups, however are reproduction at a far faster rate and as a result are rapidly changing the demographics of our nation.  Very soon the white population will drop below 50%.  And with that decline, has anyone wondering what will happen to our western culture?

To be continued …..

The Declaration of Independence

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

If the weak, the poor, those unable to speak are not protected, then all mean are not created equal!  The first among these rights is life.  If life is not sacred, then nothing that follows is sacred!  If life is not protected, nothing else will be protected.

 What is the Truth?  Do we seek the truth?  Our creator told us the “truth will set us free”!   

What we demand or compromise on we get.  Is there such a thing as sin?  Is sin selfishness?  Is selfishness wanting to play God at someone else’s expense?  Has a new level of individual selfishness invaded our land and every sector of American society. 

In the 1960’s when I was kid, society began in earnest to take God and prayer out of school.  Not that they could, but that people of faith stopped spiritually prayer and assisted in the creation of a vacuum which began to be filled with idols of the world!. 

In the 1960’s abortion simultaneously stepped into this spiritual vacuum.  Judicial activism and the right to life for the unborn was sacrificed at the altar of an idol that destroys life.  Again Christians in society took their spiritual eyes off the consequences of accepting a lie as the truth and not putting up meaningful fuss.  Self replaced spirit!

People of the Christian faith just stuck thier heads in the sand and did not digest the seriousness of the waging war between the flesh and spirit.  When the life of the most innocent is no longer sacred, it follows life itself is diminished and no longer sacred and with it nothing else is sacred.

The Book of Genesis was written so long ago, it is ancient ancient history.  But if we look around our day, the garden of Eden battle rages on.  Secular progressive humanism is the new name of the flesh’s god.  And the war to knock the Almighty, one true God off the block is for real.

With the removal of prayer from school we accepted the removal of the symbol of God – the Father figure from our schools.  The battle to destroy the father in all forms accelerated.  What is taking place is schools today would have never been tolerated or dreamed of in the 1960’s.  The adult supervision in our schools are shaking in fear of retribution from the secular progressives.

Abortion laws granted the choice and right to the female alone.  The father, parents, family were caste out of the garden and the female left alone to confront the snake.  The spiritual “From the beginning” the creation of life was ignored. 

“From the beginning” – how lone ago was that? Does anyone remember God created them male and female to become one flesh.  Abortion struck a death blow to not only the unborn child but the father as well.  God was defeated  The father was destroyed and the female was p[laced upon the pedestal of the creation of life alone.  The female became God in the eyes of the secular progressive.

Think about it!  A young girl is protected by the government to make the decision to have an abortion and her parents have no rights!  Yet the same girl can not take an aspirin without her parents consent!  Have we gone brain dead? 

What has happened to “Marriage is between a male and a female and the two become one flesh (one spirit).

Hollywood serves as the hierarchy of the secular progressive church.  There is no longer a single TV show where whole family is depicted with a healthy respected father figure.  Think that is an accident?  For the god of the flesh to win this battle, the father figure must be kept pinned to the ground and kept from rising.
 
Today, the Christian Church’s are under continual attack.  Especially the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope.  After all the Roman Catholic Pontiff is the top spiritual Father figure recognized in the world.  The secular progressives must destroy the pope.

Unfortunately, the human failure of the catholic clergy, many Bishops were guilty of protecting the hierarchical order rather than the children and the whole church.  The sin of the fathers of the church is still being used to attack and hold the father figure down even when we now know the incidence of child molestation was far less in the catholic church than in the rest of society.

Where ever God is under attack. the father figure and symbol in every form is to be ripped apart.  God created them male and female to become one flesh and spirit – undivided.  Abortion is a tool of the evil one to divide and conquer.  Abortion doesn’t just end the life of the unborn it threw division and strife into the purpose of marriage and the unity of the church while it attacked the God created the spirit of unity!  Abortion undermines the Declaration of Independence – which it’s founding building block principles which made this nation the greatest in the history of the world.

To be continued …..

With abortion the female replaced God and stands alone with the decision of human life!