March 14, 2010: 4th Sunday of Lent (C)

This week, I was asked to preside over one of more unusual memorial services for the deceased. The request came from Our Lady of Mercy School's second class. I walked in to the class, I noticed a small casket by the teacher's desk. That day, it was dark and raining, and the somber weather reflected the mood of the class. I began the memorial service thanking the Heavenly Father for sending our friend who is deceased now. I thanked the Father for reflecting His goodness in our friend. I then asked if some in the class could offer a prayer to the Heavenly Father for the deceased friend. A girl said, "We will miss you, Stanley." Another said, "I hope to see you in Heaven, Stanley." A boy said, "We're so sorry Stanley for overfeeding you." Another boy said, "We're sorry for shaking your aquarium." A girl said, "We're sorry for being so loud in the class and tapping on your glass." I looked over to what was once Stanley's house, and it was now empty. I walked over to his casket and blessed it. Stanley was wrapped in Bounty paper towel and placed in a weatherproof Ziploc bag. I think the kids finally had their closure in their grief.

As these kids have shown, there is something in us that tells us that our life goes beyond death. But how do we explain to these kids that death is not just about grieving. I was surprised that these kids already knew the answer; they said it matter-of-factly that Stanley the Fish was going to Heaven and that Jesus was going to welcome him. How did these kids have such profound understanding about death? Parents, if you ever wondered  what Catholic education is doing for your child, if you ever wondered where your hard-earned dollar is going to, what happened in that second grade class was a great testament. These kids understood about death because the Passion, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus were preached to them in class. Their Catholic education was preparing them to face bigger death and loss in their future.

What else did they learn from the death of Stanley the Fish? Death reminded the kids all the things they could have done and should not have done for Stanley. They could have treated Stanley better by not harassing him, but it was too late. They learned that time was a gift from God, and it can be squandered. In other words, it taught them what the Prodigal Son learned today in the gospel. Only when he squandered all of his inheritance from his father and ended up working with pigs, did the Prodigal Son come to his senses and say, "How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’

When the kids come inside the church, especially during Lent, they see the crucifix prominently displayed in the sanctuary. They learn that Jesus suffered and died for all of their sins, including the time they didn't treat Stanley the Fish with love. Yet looking at Jesus on the crucifix, they somehow know they have been forgiven for their sins. And there next to the crucifix is the tabernacle with the candle burning next to it. The kids learn that like the Prodigal Son's father, Jesus waits there for us to come back to him. He does not condemn us but waits for us. And how do we know that he'll forgive us? The light at the confessional is on for us. There in the confessional we'll hear what the Prodigal Son heard from his father: "Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found."

The other day I was speaking to a young man from another Christian denomination. He was going through some financial difficulties, and he was ready to give up on his faith in God. "Why," I asked. He said for the past year he has been praying daily and diligently for his finances to improve. Didn't God say in the scriptures, he said, ' Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you?' And God has not answered his request, for his finances has not improved. In someways, I find this kind of teaching at some churches disturbing. They call this the "Prosperity Gospel." We are in an economic downturn and countless faithful moms and dads and brothers and sisters are unemployed, suffering, and going to bed worrying if there will be food on the table for the family. Most of these folks are faithful, they are trusting God, and they are still suffering. The prosperity gospel (or the health and wealth gospel) teaches that God desires the material, spiritual, and physical prosperity of his people. To become prosperous, all one has to do is believe, receive, and act upon God's promises. An image that summarizes this is God as a vending machine. You put in a dollar, and you get a dollar worth of blessing back.

Yet didn't Jesus tell his followers to take up the cross every day and be ready to suffer? The crucifix in the sanctuary is a reminder that Jesus was crucified for us, and we are to follow his footsteps. The model shown to us in the scripture is the human who has died with Christ, died to self, died to everything we want, died to the world, and died to the flesh. On this Stewardship of Finance Sunday, when we ask from the pulpit that all of us give generously to the Church and to its mission, we are not promoting the vending machine model of God. Rather we are asking that we help keep the light on by the tabernacle and by the confessional to welcome any soul who wanders into this church to be welcomed into the Heavenly Father's arms once again. We are asking that we help proclaim Jesus' gospel by singing God's Divine Mercy and to help keep Jesus' heart to shine day and night in the adoration chapel to weary souls seeking some comfort from their suffering. And finally, we are asking us to help teach lessons to our children that even Stanley the Fish was a great gift from God and that death is not the final word.