TWENTY SECOND SUNDAY

  1.      A shy and young man from Canada was an engineer invited by an African Country to help with Town Planning. When he was there, he was treated like royalty. Wherever he went he had four policemen as outriders. He had servants to answer his every beck and call. There was someone to get him a glass of water, someone to make his bed in the morning. When he went to church, the priest would order those who sat in the front row, to move out, so that he could have the pew to himself.  He was not very comfortable. He even told the parish priest, he was just another catholic and he would like to sit quietly among the parishioners. But the priest would have none of it. The front row was exclusively his. And soon, he got used to this prestige and honour. It tends to grow on you. When he returned back to Canada, he got a rude surprise. The first day at work, one of his colleagues said to him, “Hey, Joe could you get me a cup of coffee, while you are getting one for yourself.” He was about to turn around and say, “Don’t call me Joe, I am Mr... and as for coffee tell the servant..”

2.       It is so easy to be caught up in the world’s values and standards. In our society one’s prestige and status depends so much on in what high company and what high society you are seen. We live in a culture that gives attention to honour and one that avoids shame at all cost.

However, in Guyana, we have a saying, “it is not whom you know, but rather who knows you that matters.” I know Prime Minister Paul Martin, I know President George Bush, I know Prime Minister Tony Blair. But unfortunately, they do not know me, and they do not even know that I exist. But we still like to be seen in high society. How often we have boasted, I have a friend of a friend, of a friend who lives in the village next to the village where the Prime Minister lives!

3.       Jesus turns these values and society’s protocol on its head. For Jesus it is not the hierarchy but humanity that is important. This was much to the dismay of the Scribes and Pharisees who had a very definite “pecking order” in their dealings in high society. It was the outcasts in society that Jesus insisted were in God’s favour. It was the poor and the humble, the lame and the weak, the widow and the orphan. However, as I look at our church this morning, you might say what is the problem with that? This church is filled with precisely the poor and the humble, the lame and the weak, the widow and the orphan. The outcasts of the society in the time of the Pharisees is the description of our church today.

There are still outcasts today, but they have different profiles.  The other day, I was invited to the house of the parishioner. I cannot come since I have a meeting with some guys in the parish. Oh, bring them along, any friend of yours is sure to be welcome in our home.  So I took along four of them, I introduced them. Here is Peter, he is just been released from jail for petty theft, this is Philip who was a prostitute, but is working for a degree in the University of Toronto, John here is on drug rehab programme. Simon is HIV positive and can only make our meetings when he is feeling well. Needless to say, I was never invited again. We have today our drug addict and HIV patient, our prostitute and parolee who have taken the place of the poor and the humble, the weak and the lame, the widow and the orphan of the time of Jesus.

If you feel uncomfortable in this company then you will realise how the Scribes and the Pharisees were feeling in the time of Jesus.

4.       Christianity is not an easy way of life. Many of us think that all it has to do is with cute babies being baptised, being married in the church, and having Fr. A or B. do my funeral. The Sacraments are only the icing on the cake, the celebration of a way of life that is Christian. And if it is not for the day to day living of our Christian values, a day to day acceptance of the teaching of Christ, then the whole beautiful covering of the Sacraments will have no substance and will collapse.

The shame of today is a small price to pay to avoid the Shame when it really will count, ie. When we stand before the Throne of God on the last day. If we pay the price today, if we welcome the poor and the humble, the weak and the lame, the widow and the orphan - on in today’s lingo: the prostitute and the parolee - we will hear the words: “well done good and faithful servant, enter into God’s Kingdom” rather than “depart from me, because I do not know where you come from” as we heard last Sunday.

5.       So how can we in practical terms be humble enough to accept God’s people? We often think that the opposite of humble is proud. And we have enough of experience of a person who is proud. These think that they are the best, they are #1. The world would not exist without them. But that is only a part of the picture. Humility comes from the Latin word HUMUS which means the earth. A humble person is one who has both feet on the earth. He or she knows their weakness and their limitations, but they also know their talents, their qualities, their resources. They accept the praise and honour for their achievements. But they give glory where glory is due: they know that their gifts come from God.

Hence when we are praised for things well done, we should not shy away from it, thinking that it is pride. In fact it is pride not to accept the acclamation that is justly yours for the effort and energy you have poured into your work. Humility says thanks for your praise - and thanks to God who had done marvellous things through me. Mary, the Blessed mother said precisely that in the brilliant poem: the Magnificat.

“The Almighty has done great things for me,

Holy is his name. From now all generations will call me blessed.”

6.       Jesus invites all of us to come to him, because as he says, “I am meek and humble of heart”. But with that goes his other invitation and description of himself, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life”. Humility means not lying to others, but more especially not lying to oneself. As we accept our faults and short comings, we also accept our talents and gifts God has given us in Christ Jesus. Amen