July 14, 2019: 15th Sunday C
July 14, 2019: 15th Sunday C
Audio Homily: https://oembed.libsyn.com/embed?item_id=10524098
Someone made a comment to me recently that Fr. Mike Schatzle came to St. George as the new pastor with Hurricane Katrina. The person said to me, ‘What a coincidence that you’re coming to us as the new pastor with Hurricane Barry’. Let us pray for the safety of all in the path of the storm. Many of you have memorable hurricane experiences. The most memorable hurricane experience for me was Gustav in 2008. I was just newly ordained and assigned as associate pastor for Fr. Gerald Burns at St. Aloysius. The morning after Gustav left Baton Rouge, there was immense silence in the whole neighborhood, except for the humming of the gas generators. By 9 o’clock in the morning, everyone in the neighborhood was out with their loud blowers cleaning up debris. I wanted to be useful, so I too grabbed a blower out of storage, plugged in the extension cord, and pointed the blower on a large pile of twigs and leaves on our driveway. I pushed the button, and nothing happened. Is this thing broken, I asked myself. I unplugged it from the wall and plugged it to another outlet. Still nothing. I unplugged it again and plugged it in on the other side of the building, and still, nothing happened. Fr. Burns said, looking at me with a puzzled frown, "Paul, what are you doing?" Then, my common sense came back--the power was out in the whole neighborhood and I wasn’t using a gas-powered blower! (Did I mention I used to be an engineer helping to run a big chemical plant!)
Something I noticed after major power outages in the aftermath of storms is that the neighborhood comes alive. Without regular power in their homes with no cable TV nor internet to distract them, people came out of their homes, checked on their neighbors, helped each other with cleanup, and had cookouts with food from their refrigerators. Some who still had power housed extended family members, friends, and even strangers (including furry friends) in their homes. On one hand, tragedies like hurricanes can tempt us to think that we should only care about ourselves because there are not enough resources to go around for everyone. We have all seen empty bread aisles and water aisles in grocery stores immediately before storms. On the other hand, tragedies like hurricanes can challenge us to rise up to the occasion to be better neighbors by being more generous, self-sacrificing, and patient.
Our Lord reminds us in the Gospel that the most direct way to love God is to be better neighbors. A religious man well versed in the scripture asked Jesus, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" He already knew intellectually the most important commandment in the scriptures, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." But this scholar of God’s laws assumed a narrow definition of who was his “neighbor.” Was my neighbor only those who were familiar to me or kind to me?
We will be tempted, just as the priest and the Levite in Jesus’ parable, to ignore a suffering stranger because we may be preoccupied with only our business. The aftermath of this current storm will undoubtedly affect everyone; the rain, wind, and power outage will not discriminate. Will we expand our generosity, like the Samaritan traveler, to consider everyone as our neighbor? To love your neighbor as yourself is not a matter of geography, ethnicity or status; to love your neighbor as yourself is a matter of the heart. Our call to love is not about a feeling; our call to love is about action. Just as Christ made the greatest sacrifice of love for all who are not worthy, we are to love without judging whether someone is worthy of our love. We are all called to have the same merciful love as Christ has for us.
We may not know what this storm will do to us, but it may have a significant impact on our area. We may be stuck on the road where the signal light isn’t working; we may have to drive our car in a slow crawl in flooded neighborhoods; stores in our area may be closed for a while because their employees cannot get to work. Everyone is in this together, so being patient and understanding with one another will be critical. Remember that when we do an act of kindness, patience, and compassion for someone, we are doing it with love to Jesus.
Audio Homily: https://oembed.libsyn.com/embed?item_id=10524098
Something I noticed after major power outages in the aftermath of storms is that the neighborhood comes alive. Without regular power in their homes with no cable TV nor internet to distract them, people came out of their homes, checked on their neighbors, helped each other with cleanup, and had cookouts with food from their refrigerators. Some who still had power housed extended family members, friends, and even strangers (including furry friends) in their homes. On one hand, tragedies like hurricanes can tempt us to think that we should only care about ourselves because there are not enough resources to go around for everyone. We have all seen empty bread aisles and water aisles in grocery stores immediately before storms. On the other hand, tragedies like hurricanes can challenge us to rise up to the occasion to be better neighbors by being more generous, self-sacrificing, and patient.
Our Lord reminds us in the Gospel that the most direct way to love God is to be better neighbors. A religious man well versed in the scripture asked Jesus, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" He already knew intellectually the most important commandment in the scriptures, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." But this scholar of God’s laws assumed a narrow definition of who was his “neighbor.” Was my neighbor only those who were familiar to me or kind to me?
We will be tempted, just as the priest and the Levite in Jesus’ parable, to ignore a suffering stranger because we may be preoccupied with only our business. The aftermath of this current storm will undoubtedly affect everyone; the rain, wind, and power outage will not discriminate. Will we expand our generosity, like the Samaritan traveler, to consider everyone as our neighbor? To love your neighbor as yourself is not a matter of geography, ethnicity or status; to love your neighbor as yourself is a matter of the heart. Our call to love is not about a feeling; our call to love is about action. Just as Christ made the greatest sacrifice of love for all who are not worthy, we are to love without judging whether someone is worthy of our love. We are all called to have the same merciful love as Christ has for us.
We may not know what this storm will do to us, but it may have a significant impact on our area. We may be stuck on the road where the signal light isn’t working; we may have to drive our car in a slow crawl in flooded neighborhoods; stores in our area may be closed for a while because their employees cannot get to work. Everyone is in this together, so being patient and understanding with one another will be critical. Remember that when we do an act of kindness, patience, and compassion for someone, we are doing it with love to Jesus.
