Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time B
I talked to a whole lot of people
at
our Holy Harvest Festival two weeks ago,
but
there’s one conversation among them all
that
stands out in my memory.
It
was with a man who lives out of town,
but
comes here often for work.
He’s
a probation officer—
which
means that what he usually sees
is
the dark underbelly of Malone.
in
and around that tent
behind Holy Family School:
behind Holy Family School:
kids
and young families, prayer and games,
music
and dancing, good food and laughter—
all
on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
As
we spoke,
the
man shared with me his sadness
that
what he encounters on the job
is
rather the opposite
of what we were witnessing at that moment:
of what we were witnessing at that moment:
he sees
young people,
filled with so much potential,
filled with so much potential,
needlessly
squandering it—
with
drugs, or petty crime, or plain ol’ laziness.
You
and I have seen it, too—
right here on the streets of this village.
right here on the streets of this village.
My
conversation with that man turned to our shared conviction
that
how you choose to live your life
depends
on whether or not you think you’re worth something.
It’s
a question of dignity.
No
one’s going to be very good
if
they can’t see anything good in themselves.
You
can’t expect somebody to clean up their act—
or
even clean up their house—
if
they don’t think there’s much value to their existence.
And
if a person can’t recognize his or her own dignity,
then
there’s not much chance
they’re
going to show respect for anybody else’s, either.
What
that visitor and I spoke about
is
more than finding ways
to
improve young people’s self-esteem.
This
issue runs far deeper than how you feel about yourself.
Feelings,
after all, come and go—
and
they’re just that: feelings.
The
remedy I’m talking about here is a matter of faith:
believing
that there is a God;
believing
that God created the whole universe in all its wonder;
believing
that God—in love—
creates
each and every human person;
believing
that you are of infinite worth to God.
As
we read in our second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews,
God’s
own Son, for a little while,
made
himself lower than the angels
that
he might suffer and die
and
so raise us up with him to glory.
Jesus
is not ashamed to call us his “brothers.”
We’re
that precious in God’s eyes!
And
nothing whatsoever can diminish this great dignity,
since
it’s God’s own gift.
There’s
been lots of talk in Catholic circles in recent years
about
“the dignity of the human person.”
We
need to see it as so much more than a catchphrase!
Since
I think the greatest poverty in our community
is not lack of money, nor lack of ambition, nor lack of jobs,
is not lack of money, nor lack of ambition, nor lack of jobs,
but is
far-and-away a spiritual poverty,
I
also think this approach
is
the cure to so much of what ails us.
Even
more: it’s at the very heart of the Gospel.
People
need to discover their true worth,
and
people do that when they come to believe
that
they’ve been created in God’s image and likeness,
and
called to live with him forever.
If we
can deep-down-believe that we matter to God—
matter
more than anything—
it
changes how we live:
the
respect we show for ourselves,
the
respect we show for one another.
The
God-given dignity of every person
is
a way of life each one of needs to embrace,
and
a message we all need to spread around.
Fr.
Scott loaned me
a Lighthouse Catholic Media CD.
a Lighthouse Catholic Media CD.
“It’s
really good,” he said.
And
he was right!
I’ve
listened to it three times already—
and will listen to it again.
and will listen to it again.
It’s
by Fr. Mike Schmitz
and
is called,
Living Life by Design not by Default.
Living Life by Design not by Default.
(There
are copies of it in our CD racks
if
you want to check it out for yourself
after Mass.)
after Mass.)
Fr.
Mike is giving a talk to college students
about
the impact
our modern means of communication
our modern means of communication
have
on our relationships with one another.
Email
and texting, Facebook and Twitter
make
it possible for us to communicate with many people—
—but
to do so on our own terms, and at a safe distance.
When
I see a post or receive a message,
I’m
free to delay my response or ignore it altogether—
making
such communication
in
many ways far easier and less messy
than
speaking with somebody face-to-face.
We’ve
become rather expert at using our many tech devices…
…but
we no longer know how to talk to one another in person.
Have
you ever seen a young couple out on a date—
not
gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes,
but
both looking intently at the glowing screens of their Smartphones?
As
Fr. Mike puts it,
we
sacrifice real connection for mere contact.
Yes,
we’re “in touch” with lots of people,
but
we rarely (if ever) interact on any deep level with them.
We
may be in each other’s space,
but
we’re not really in each other’s lives.
was
much beloved for the way
he’d give high-fives to all the kids
he’d give high-fives to all the kids
as
he processed down the aisle
at the end of Mass.
at the end of Mass.
Just
imagine if I high-fived everybody
on my way out…
on my way out…
…but
then didn’t stick around
to talk with anybody.
to talk with anybody.
That’s
the reality so many people
are living today:
are living today:
contact
with lots and lots of people,
but
connection with almost no one.
We have
more ways
to communicate than ever…
to communicate than ever…
…but
people are also more lonely than ever.
Getting
this disconnected is far from healthy,
because
it goes against the grain
of
how God made us in the first place.
Taken
to the extreme,
it
leads to tragedies like our nation once again experienced
just
the other day in Oregon.
On
that CD, Fr. Mike shares an insight
from
one of the organizers of the Steubenville Youth Conference—
to
which we’ve sent high school students from our own parish
these
last few years.
When
they started the conferences 20-25 years ago,
their
goal was to get teens
to
have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ—
so
what they needed to do was introduce them to Jesus,
and
once they met Jesus, their lives were changed.
Today,
before they can introduce teens to Jesus,
they
have to introduce them to the concept of a relationship;
they
don’t know what a real relationship, what real friendship, is.
“It
is not good for the man to be alone.”
Thus
said the Lord God at the very beginning…
…and
it remains just as true today.
What
Fr. Mike sees in the effect of technology on our friendships,
Jesus was already able to see in so many of our relationships.
Jesus was already able to see in so many of our relationships.
Jesus
doesn’t want to see husbands and wives divided;
even
in his day, divorce was widespread
and
tearing at the fabric of the God-designed connection
between
men and women.
Jesus
doesn’t want to see parents alienated from their children,
or
families broken apart.
How
easily we let overwork, TV, daycare, school, sports,
and
our increasingly independent lifestyles come
between us!
Such
division reaches its extreme
when
children can be eliminated before they’re born,
and
the sick and elderly, as well, if we find them too much a burden.
Nor
does Jesus want to see this sort of disconnection
run
into our most critical relationship of all:
our
relationship with God.
We
pop in, then pop out, once a week for Mass—
maybe
not that often;
our
prayer is sporadic, or maybe just routine.
Sure,
we’re making some contact…but not a very deep connection.
At
every level, in every relationship, it must be repeated:
“What
God has joined, no human being must separate!”
October
is Respect Life Month, and this is Respect Life Sunday.
This
year’s theme is beautiful: “Every Life is Worth Living.”
It’s
not only beautiful; it’s true.
So
let’s make this a time to celebrate and promote
the
immense dignity of every human person.
Don’t
take it for granted!
Many
folks around you have no idea how precious they are.
Tell
them! Show them! But first: believe it yourself!
And
let’s make this a time to foster connections.
Don’t
settle for mere contact!
Develop authentically human relationships
in a world that’s rapidly forgetting how.
in a world that’s rapidly forgetting how.
We have such incredible dignity!
We're made for real connection!
Yes, life—every life—is worth living!
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