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What is Homilies From St. Patrick Catholic Community?
A collection of homilies and liturgies from St Patrick Catholic Community in Scottsdale, Arizona. We are Christian disciples in mission.
Simon Simak is, someone who I follow. He is an author. He is a motivational speaker, and an organization consultant. And he once talked about friendship. And this is what he said, there are a lot of books being written about dating and how to date.
Speaker 2:How to be in a loving relationship. How to stay married. But he says when it comes to friendship and how to be a friend, there are not many books written. And this is what he said. That we have people that we would consider friends that we can cry on their shoulder.
Speaker 2:That we can share our burdens, anger, our sadness, our frustration. When things are at a low point, we can think of many people who would be willing to listen to us. Or at least we would get some comfort and understanding. But he says, if we are to share our victories and successes, he says that number really shrinks. Because people feel like, oh, they'll think I'm boasting.
Speaker 2:They'll think I'm arrogant and ego driven and full of pride. Or they may think that those who are listening will become envious and jealous of my success. Isn't that interesting? That many times we won't share our success and victories with people because we're not sure how they will take it and respond. And this is what's happening in today's gospel.
Speaker 2:And Saint Francis of Assisi, a saint that we're focusing on this year has a number of things to talk about today's gospel. We told you last week that Pope Leo in January has made this for Catholics the year of Saint Francis of Assisi. This is the eight hundredth anniversary of his death. And he thought about it and saying, what does the world need now? But peace and be an instrument of peace and the spirituality of the Franciscan mindset and of Saint Francis of Assisi is so much needed when there's division, when there's anger, when there's separation, when there's war and violence going on.
Speaker 2:And he thought that would be a great theme. Our staff leadership got together in spring and said, what will be our theme from September until June? And for some reason we came up with a similar theme. And our theme this year at Saint Patrick's is, Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. One of the first words of the prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi that all of you might remember that.
Speaker 2:And so we mentioned last week some of the things that through this year we're gonna learn about being transformed into the mindset of Saint Francis of Assisi. That he taught humility. That in order to follow Christ to be humble, but also not to be afraid to embrace the cross. He teaches us about poverty and simplicity. Now, no one here I don't think is called to give everything away and just live on the streets, but he talks to an affluent area including us here in Scottsdale that many times we are possessed by our possession.
Speaker 2:That it's hard to draw close to God because so much distracts us and gets in the way. He talks about proper joy that is rooted in God not in circumstances. Well, things go well. My teams win. I'm happy.
Speaker 2:If not, I'm not joyful. But a deep joy. He invites us to human fraternity because he talks all the time about seeing each other as brothers and sisters and we're part of the human family. He talks about care for creation, for peace, and service to the poor. This is where we'll find Christ.
Speaker 2:And in today's gospel, Saint Francis has three major things that we can share with you at this time. That this gospel then is about the landowner who hires people at different hours of the day. And this is probably the most difficult one for us because you and I live in a world based on merit, on being deserving. And is it really fair that those who only worked an hour get full benefits? I think that really disturbs us and this is the one gospel that I hear quite often including myself saying, what is the Lord thinking?
Speaker 2:Here's the first thing that Saint Francis challenges us to do. To move from comparison to gratitude. Jesus says, the message of the kingdom of God of salvation and love are gifts not wages earned. Salvation and love are gifts that come from God not wages that we earn. Religion does a disservice to people when you and I think we can earn heaven.
Speaker 2:I've been good. I haven't broken any laws. I've been really faithful. I haven't missed a mass or I've said my morning and evening prayers, so God owes me. And if God doesn't do what we think he should or reward us, then we get mad.
Speaker 2:And we make our faith trans transactional. I've done good God, you should do good to me. Workers in today's gospel think, I worked more. I deserve more. I'm better than they are.
Speaker 2:My goodness, isn't that us? And Francis says, everything we have is a gift from God that none of us here today can say, I've done it all myself. I'm the one that did it all. And Saint Francis would say, that's not true. Everything we have whether we work for it or is a gift, it is a gift from God.
Speaker 2:And here's what he says, that we are to move from to be grateful not having comparison. The parable is about the inability of the first workers to rejoice in the generosity of the landowner.
Speaker 3:The first workers can't rejoice because they're comparison. It is not fair.
Speaker 2:It isn't right. The second thing that Francis talks a lot about is envy. Envy. Francis teaches against that and says, the sin in today's parable of those who come late and those who work all day is envy is that sin in the parable. We are unable to focus on our own blessings because we are so focused on what others are getting.
Speaker 2:Envy, he says, destroys community because it turns our eyes away from God and towards comparison. Saint Francis says, envy is the destroyer of communion and community because it turns our eyes away from God towards comparison. It's not fair. It's not right. Francis is saying, we need to rejoice when God blesses someone else.
Speaker 2:Can we do that? He asked, can we celebrate another success? And can we welcome someone who comes late to the faith? And finally, the human fraternity is constantly what Saint Francis of Assisi talks about. That all are created in the image of God.
Speaker 2:And here's what he's inviting us to do especially in our affluent area. Can we move from rivalry to paternity? And he is saying, stop seeing each other as competition. It is so ingrained in our culture and into this church because what happens is right after mass, all of
Speaker 3:you compete to get out of the parking lot. All of you compete to go out to lunch, breakfast, or dinner.
Speaker 2:People at work are competitors. And the most pushback I have ever received in all my years of priesthood is when I say, preach fraternity not competition. And here's the response, it's American. That's why we're the best country in the world because we compete. And that's not God's plan.
Speaker 2:God never calls us
Speaker 3:to compete in unhealthy ways. You can compete
Speaker 2:in sports, you can compete in being the best. But what he is saying is when we see each other as competition, that's when we envy. That's when we cannot celebrate others victories and success. That's why we don't have many friends that we can call and say, guess what happened good to me? But we have more than enough friends when we're crying, when we're sad, when we're in pain.
Speaker 2:And so Saint Francis then is asking this question, why
Speaker 3:can we not Isn't it wonderful that God is so generous to them too? Rather, many times you and I ask, why did they receive so much? It isn't fair. And Saint Francis and his teaching breaks it open with his prayer which we'll pray tonight. Isn't it wonderful that God is so generous to them too?
Speaker 3:So this week, what kind of friend are you?
Speaker 2:And I want you to go beyond your own children, your own family members.
Speaker 3:I think you do that very well many times where you will be there in their successes because you want them to succeed. But what about other people? So
Speaker 2:often, the news we will see tomorrow is competition. Who is getting away with things? Who is getting freebies? Who is not working hard? Who is taking my stuff and things?
Speaker 2:It's so ingrained that that's why we recoil from this gospel and say, it's not fair. I don't like this parable. So I'd ask you this week, can you celebrate victories of someone
Speaker 3:that is a friend,
Speaker 2:not family, not a close relationship, but someone at work, at school, in your neighborhood, in the
Speaker 3:marketplace? Because that's the invitation of Saint Francis.
Speaker 2:Simon Simic is right. We have many friends that we can cry on their shoulders.
Speaker 3:But what about our victories and our success? Can we really do that, or are we afraid of envy and jealousy?
Speaker 2:The prayer of Saint Francis is going to be prayed here every day or every time we have mass on the weekends at different times. And it's a beautiful prayer that talks about transition. And you'll hear that in just a minute. Last week, we had 10,000 cards available to take with you. And you put them in your purse or your pocket or at work or school.
Speaker 2:And I want you to know, you took all 10,000 cards. That's awesome. And we had to order 10,000 more and they'll be here next Sunday. Okay? But pray that prayer.
Speaker 2:I'm so glad that you took it and you're sharing it with other people. And so I'd ask you now just to pause for a moment. The prayer will be on the screen and we will pray the prayer of Saint Francis in just a moment. Together we pray, Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Speaker 2:Where there is injury, pardon.
Speaker 3:Where there is doubt, bathe. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sadness, joy. Oh, divine master,
Speaker 2:grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we're born into eternal life. Amen.