Through him we have
received the grace of apostleship, to bring about the obedience of faith, for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles, among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ; to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy. Romans 1:5-7A
“At the judgment the
men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.” Luke 11:32
Piety
God
of all creation,
At
the beginning of time
You
placed a single mandate on humankind – to be stewards of creation
To
replenish and nurture through all generations
What
you have made.
We
kneel today amid the same creation
A
world that is – in many ways – more splendid than ever
But,
in too many ways, scarred beyond recognition
Turn
us from our unmindfulness
Help
our touch be light
Help
us renew the world that supports us
So
we may once more know creation
As
it was in the beginning
Amen.
(CRS
Prayer of Stewardship (download a copy at http://www.crs.org/resource-center/prayer-stewardship-0)
Study
The
notes in the New American Bible explain that the “sign of Jonah” in Luke is the
preaching of the need for repentance by a prophet who comes from afar. Such repentance is one of the first steps we
must take in the call to be holy. In the
Gospels, John the Baptist picked up the call for repentance from the
prophets. Then, he directly handed off
the same message to Jesus – truly a prophet from afar (heaven). Christ starts off his public ministry with
the same words as John: Repent! Change!
For the Kingdom of God is upon us.
The
Sunday scripture for this twenty-eighth week in ordinary time set the tone for
change as Peter explained that "We have given up everything and
followed you." Peter
left his boats. Matthew/Levi left his
tax records. To recognize that sacrifice,
Jesus explains that they will reap a greater reward. The promise of something greater also is
echoed today: “there is something
greater than Jonah here.”
What
are we to make of this? In one sense, it
is a classic marketing exchange in which two parties trade value for
value. The grace of apostleship requires
sacrifice of goods, of self, and of the direction in which we seek happiness.
Once we put on that mantle – truly put it on with permanence, not as a dress
rehearsal – once we change, that is when we can expect a greater reward. However, in another sense, the treasure of
discipleship is not a treasure of gold but a treasure of the spirit. We would
err if we thought that the grace of apostleship is a path to riches. In fact, it may be a path through pain or
darkness before we see the ultimate reward.
Action
Helping
the world's poor should be a step along the path of apostleship that we can all
agree upon. Sitting here watching news
reports it is hard to fully grasp the magnitude of the refugee crisis.
Seven and a half million people (more than one-third
of Syria's population) have been displaced, with over four million fleeing into
exile. However, only about 150,000 -- well under 4 percent of the total -- have
attempted to enter Europe. On top of
that, more than 3 million are displaced in Iraq. While this migration is affecting Europe, it
also is affecting countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Pope Francis has called for every parish on the
continent to provide support for at least one refugee family. Indeed, the
outpouring of support throughout Europe has been inspiring.
What are we to make of this? What
are the plans in your parish?
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