Here at St. Catherine Laboure we are committed to a genuine welcoming spirit, cultivating the love of God through Word and Sacrament. We are blessed with much activity and accomplishment over the past several months as we witness many new faces around the parish, especially as people have returned from long absences from the Catholic Faith and are discovering and rediscovering the beauty of the Sacramental Life.

Ordinary Time gives us perspective on Jesus' motives and mission. We reflect on his miracles, parables, and encounters in order to gain such perspective. Today we contemplate the meaning behind the parable of the rich man and the steward. On the surface logically that it is about considering what we are using our wealth to achieve. If we have been blessed with material wealth, we must manage such wealth in account of how we utilize such a gift for building the kingdom of God. That which much is given, much is expected. We are not called to be stingy or greedy, but we are called to recognize how God has blessed us, materially, spiritually, or by way of our talents and gifts, that cost nothing, but by us utilizing them in a magnified way to serve the Lord.

The Exaltation of the Cross is a special commemoration for the Diocese of Phoenix as it marks the anniversary of the Papal Visit of St. Pope John Paul II in 1987. Phoenix welcomed the Pontiff, and was blessed to host such a visit, especially welcoming the would-be saint! The Exaltation of the Cross is important because we contemplate more profoundly the meaning of the Cross from which Christ has been lifted up. We are confident in the triumphant victory won by Christ’s embrace of the Cross and are affirmed in our salvific heritage.

Wow, really are we up for the task? Today’s gospel is asking do we have skin in this game or do we not? Jesus says come after me and be my disciple! In doing so are we going to tally up the cost before all hands are in? After all we really need to know what we’re getting into first, in order to make a substantial commitment. Are we going to leave all behind and follow him? Will he be our everything? The stakes are high in this invitation that we receive from the Lord. It’s all or nothing, we’re either in or we’re out! We must discern distinctively because there’s no turning back. We know Jesus is not asking for our response in a half-hearted way either, or in a way that we are lukewarm, but he wants us entirely.

Humility is not such a popular practice in the world. We can bear witness to this fact anytime we go to the grocery store, Walmart, or are driving through the roundabouts of Chino Valley. Life hands us opportunities all the time, it’s just a matter of if and how we pay attention to them. One might say man Oh man, what has gotten into people today? They rush through those things without skipping a beat, or without concern for who might be in the way. They fail to practice the yield. Jesus challenges us to think about practicing the yield.

Today’s Gospel affirms us on the road in which we find ourselves in union with the Lord. Luke is determined to show us what matters most in keeping our eyes on the prize of eternity with God. His disciples ask him, “Lord will only a few be saved”…then Jesus proceeds to speak of the narrow gate, which conveys that the road to heaven is narrow because we must deliberately strive for it in or daily lives. Heaven is not an automatic guarantee. This points to our Catholic understanding, unlike the teaching of a televangelist who explains once saved always saved, we realize too that salvation is something to be gained everyday otherwise there is the potential risk of losing it. Yes, it is possible to be a believer in Jesus, it’s even possible to say we love Jesus, but if we are not living up to what that really means, then the possibility of paradise lost becomes real. How do we manage to put our soul in jeopardy? How might we be in danger of losing our salvation? We do so by lacking authentic conversation.

I have come to set the earth ablaze! We are to be set apart and to be purified. Every Christian must be pure to enter heaven, if we are not then heaven is not an option, maybe Purgatory is, but the purity of heaven means just that, it is the purest sense of our being. Purity speaks of the holiness we are called to live, being holy means, we are saints now, called to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect. We are no longer slaves to sin, but rather we have put aside our childish ways. There is no such thing as putting on false pretense as Christians because God sees right through us. We know we are who we say we are by our fruits, our behavior, the words we speak, all being a reflection of Christ. It means we do not seek to get even, or to set the record straight, but we stand firm in the truth of Christ and forgive and move on.

Today’s gospel is a continuation of the message Jesus addressed to the various people he encountered including the rich man. Jesus consistently says do not be afraid and get your priorities straight and your affairs in order sooner than later, for you know not the hour when the bridegroom shall return. He also says to keep our priorities straight, and not to be too consumed with the things of the world, do not seek to fulfill one’s happiness with temporal things but seek the Lord always in the things of heaven.

One of the biggest gestures for us as humans is to think in terms of eternal things and the promise of our eternal salvation. Redemption is real and everyone is worthy to be redeemed, all that is needed is our desire. How do we desire the Lord every day, and is He our heart’s true desire? The urgency and message of preparedness and awakening is not a suggestion, but a mandate from the Lord to be vigilant and ready for we do not know the hour of his return, but he is coming. How does knowing this cause us to respond to Jesus?

The gospel today challenges us to think about where our priorities belong. In scripture, Jesus often uses the relationship the rich man has with his stuff. Today is no different as he tells the parable that brings to life the dismay of the rich man who chooses to focus on things like greed, or acquiring things, and storing them up for a later day. Why do we obsess with so many worldly things as believers? It becomes easy to become firmly planted and become consumed by possessing things. It is a sad truth that we become skewed in our priorities. People attach themselves to people, places, and things, when at any given moment these aspects of life yes can become a source of joy, but are with us for only a brief time. We know this because people hold-on and struggle with change, even when the change involves death.

The Our Father, given to us by Jesus himself, is a profound reminder as to how we are to understand our relationship with God. We are called to be perfect like our Heavenly Father is perfect. MT 5:48 Jesus when asked by the apostles to teach us how to pray, is a response enveloped principally in the love of God. Remember God is love, God is all about relationship and an encounter that by its very dynamic changes us to desire and to seek God at all times. This prayerful relationship also challenges us to become mature in the spiritual life, which many a churchgoer struggles with because of ego, or conjured up ideas of what is perceived as holy but is not.

The story of Martha and Mary is a story ripened with time, that moves us to contemplate the depths and dimensions of our relationship with God.

Jesus in his public ministry is all about connection and choosing the better part of things. We find ourselves also caught in the balance of being aware of our choices and what consumes us. What draws us closer to God and what are the things that take us from God. People often spend time doing a lot of stuff being busy for the sake of busy.

You must love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your mind, and with all of your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.

These are the words to everlasting life. Jesus amazingly makes it clear when asked what is necessary, what is the basic requirement to get to heaven. Jesus never said one must be pious but said one must be perfect like the Heavenly Father is perfect. Jesus never said one must put on external practices of perceived holiness in order to look holy, instead he said take care to not be concerned with the outside of the cup, but clean first what is within (Mt 23).