Amos 6:1-7 First Timothy 6:11-16 Luke 16:19-31
Even with the dismal weather, the recently retired summer was nonetheless a time for rest, ferocious outdoor living and an embrace of all things ‘summery.’ At the parish rectory, while June and early July were filled with assorted bustle and meeting/entertaining events, August was a time of languish.
Indeed, since there were minimal events…the usual scrupulous cleaning and pride-of-presentation was allowed to slip. Nothing unseemly or hugely messy but dusting was put off, vacuuming was diminished and the overall tight regimen to which FKB holds himself was relaxed. Then September hit…with fresh meetings and by rectory standards…the house was a mess! Windows needed cleaning, every corner needed vacuuming, cob webs needed to be snatched from all the nooks and crannies and counter-tops and window ledge needed heavier than usual wiping to remove settled dust and dead bugs.
In the midst of it all the thought occurred to FKB…the cleaning would not have been as invasive if I had done it regularly throughout the summer…but leaving it all to the end was a royal pain! Which brings us to the Gospel passage of Luke for this weekend, which has Jesus presenting another parable of someone who is in danger of not having a relationship with him (Jesus) until it is too late. The imagery is pretty unsettling: the poor fellow with nothing is embraced and comforted by God while the rich man, who seemingly did little to help the unfortunate poor gentleman, is consigned to the ‘netherworld’ in torment.
With eight weeks remaining before the close of this Liturgical Year, the Scripture passages take on an urgent tone…do not wait until it is too late to develop a close and satisfying relationship with Jesus. How many times have any of us wished we had not put off studying for a final, having the car engine checked or repaired or bitten the bullet and had the electrical wiring checked because of flickering lights?
Who wants to guess what the homeowners in San Bruno are wishing in regards to the PGE repair schedule of old pipelines? Now that school has resumed and we have set out sights on the defined schedules of achievement, business and education…where in all of that are our effort to develop, deepen and broaden a relationship with Jesus? Are we promising ourselves that ‘we will get to it’…eventually. Are we waiting for a crisis to force us to face our helplessness and then run the risk of having to play catch-up and build something that takes a lot of time? Yes, Jesus is always ready to welcome us and begin to build a conversation between us and him…but the depth of that conversation, our willingness to develop trust and insight takes time…and even the Son of God cannot rush that (the whole thing about free will.) Thus, on this lovely Autumn weekend…if a crisis struck today…would you simply reach out your hand for the hand of Jesus who is by your side…or would you feel alone and distant?
On this first weekend of Autumn, thank you for joining with our Corpus Christi Community in prayer and worship. We accept a special second offering for Catholic Charities here in Orange County, this collection staying right here within Orange County to assist Catholic Charities in their outreach to children in need. As always the basket is on the altar and your generosity is encouraged. The Bulletin has news of other events rising on the horizon so please take a copy with you as you depart…and as the seasons change, remember, you are loved. FKB
