Oct. 16, 2011: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

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This week priests of our diocese were on retreat together at Manresa Retreat Center, a beautiful 130 acres wooded land next to the Mississippi River Road. It was perfect retreat weather, not too hot, not too cold, and no trace of typical Louisiana mugginess. With a rosary in hand, I set out for the deep woods for a prayerful walk. Only minutes later, I was chased out of woods by tiny mosquitoes and gnats that made a good lunch out of this priest. Back in the conference room, our retreat master told us, "Guys, I know it's going to be tempting to reach for your smart phones or something else that you depend on to distract you. Don't do it. Give God a chance to work through you on this retreat. Give Him a chance to talk to you." The first day, I listened to the retreat master and spent most of my time reading and praying. However, on the second day around evening, a thought came to my mind, 'I wonder what's going on in the world.' Ignoring the precaution from our retreat master, I turned on my iPhone and read the latest news and emails--a big no-no on a silent retreat. One of the diocesan employees replied to one of my emails, "Father, I thought you were supposed to be on a silent retreat? You couldn't keep silent, huh :) ?"

Often we long for a time away from the busy and fast paced world. But why is that when we actually get the peace and quiet, like on a retreat or at our camps, we want to get back into the busy world? We really cannot pry ourselves from the attractions of this world, can we? We all have to work, pay our utility bills and rent, and pay taxes. All of us are intertwined in this world, with many of us working 9 to 5 jobs at companies that provide service to our friends, neighbors, and even us. The local, state, and federal taxes all go into upkeep of our city, interstate highway systems, and essential social programs. Not to pay the bills and taxes, then, is to receive the services that make my life easier but neglect to pay for the work that my neighbor did for me to provide those services. When Jesus was asked, "Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?" he replied, "Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God." So he rightly said the work and services that are performed for us by others need to be paid for with our dollars that has the face of George Washington on them.

What about paying to God what belongs to God? What kind of currency can we use to pay God for all the goods and services that He has rendered us since we were born? Does God have an organization like the IRS where they automatically withhold state, federal, and social security tax? Does it suffice for God that we pay Him at offertory collections during mass? I think the offertory prayers that priest and all of us say give us good insight. After the ordinary bread and wine are brought to the altar, the priest prays the following: "Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this bread to offer, which earth has given and human hands have made. It will become for us the bread of life." The bread and wine represent all of our earthly labor from the past week and we believe that it will somehow become our spiritual food and drink. The priest then prays, "Pray brothers and sisters, that our sacrifice may be acceptable to God the almighty Father." All reply, "May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of His name, for our good, and the good of all His Church."  We are asking God at that moment that all the work we did the past week-- the hours we worked for pay and those that we did for our neighbor without cost--all become something to give praise and glory to Him and for the good of our Church.

Do you get the sense that during Mass everything that we do is about giving glory to God by our sacrifice? After six days of hard work, we use this seventh day to reflect and offer all our works, our prayers, and our desires of the week to give glory to God, for everything belongs to Him. Today's responsorial psalm said, "Give glory and honor to God...For great is the LORD and highly to be praised; awesome is he, beyond all gods." St. Paul reminds us of this also, "We give thanks to God always for all of you, unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father, knowing how you were chosen." God has chosen us to accomplish His will even when we don't realize it. God said in the First Reading, "I have called you by your name, giving you a title, though you knew me not...so that toward the rising and the setting of the sun people may know that there is none besides me. I am the LORD and there is no other."

It is sometimes difficult to give God what He is due, isn't it? He wants to work through each one of us to accomplish His will, but we sometimes fear what He asks of us. In fear we close ourselves off from the Father, from Jesus, and from Blessed Mother. Even in that quiet and beautiful retreat center, I was afraid of what God would ask from me, so I chose instead to distract myself in the world news. But I learned something from this retreat. Heavenly Father waits patiently and lovingly for our fears to subside. And He longs for us to be patient and to wait for Him to work through us. As we grow in our love for Jesus, as we are strengthened by His love for us, then our entire day, each action of our day, will become a prayer. It is then that the Father can work through us, as He desires, not as we desire.