Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here is my homily for this Sunday.  It's a little shorter this week because I spent a few minutes talking about stewardship in the parish this weekend.  I hope this shorter homily still gives you some things to think about.

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

A name is much more than just a word people call us by or that we sign with to show ownership of something. A name literally says something about who we are as a person. Throughout Sacred Scripture, especially in the Old Testament, the meaning of each name typically connects with the story of the character. So Abraham literally means “Father of many”, reflecting his role as the father of all Israelite people. The name Moses is meant to sound very similar to the Hebrew word “to draw out” or “I drew him out” because Pharaoh’s daughter drew him out of the Nile when she adopted him. We see that even back to ancient times names were chosen not just to connect a newborn with a relative that shared the same name. The name was meant to show something of what the parents hoped for their child. When God renames a person, it shows what He had planned for him or her as well.

I have mentioned before that I struggle with remembering names. Once or twice when I was teaching at the Catholic School in International Falls, I was having trouble getting names out, so in frustration I announced that from then on all the students would be named “Bob”. Of course there was no one in the class whose name really was Bob or Robert, but that didn’t really matter: I was just doing it to be goofy and the students knew I was just joking around. In all seriousness however, I realize the great importance of knowing names and using them. For many people it can be a great insult if a person doesn't remember another person’s name. A person can be in a crowded room, but if no one knows their name, they will feel like the loneliest person in the world. When someone knows our name and we know theirs, there is suddenly a real connection. We might see the same person every time we go to the grocery store, the gas station, the bank, the post office, etc., but until we learn that person’s name, there won’t be any connection.

I recently heard a homily on the radio that must have been recorded the last time these readings came up in the Sunday Cycle; about three or so years ago. The priest pointed out an interesting fact. Usually when Jesus tells a parable, He describes the characters simply as “a man had two sons” or “a woman losses a coin” or “a man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho”. We are never given a name for these characters. Except with this parable. We hear about Lazarus. And what is even more interesting is that we are told the name of the poor man and not the name of the rich man. This would similar to talking about the biggest fans of a Hollywood actor or actress, and naming those fans but never giving the name of the famous person. We are usually interested in the rich and famous, not the poor and destitute. This rich man was very rich: the fine dining and the purple garments tell us that. But instead of focusing on him, Jesus draws our attention to Lazarus.

I am convinced that the reason for this is so that we identify ourselves with the rich man and not with the poor man. This is not meant to be a feel good story that talks about if we live simply enough we'll get to Heaven. This is meant to shake us and make us consider how we can serve others. Remember last week, I talked about how we are called to use our resources to help others, to find a balance in our lives.

Today our readings are pulling us even deeper. How are we helping others? There are many ways we can do just that. We can certainly help by giving money to the poor, but we can also volunteer at Union Gospel Mission or the Damiano Center or a soup kitchen. We can also help in the Church community as well.

 

Take time today to pray and ask God what He is calling you to.  It might sound scary, but it is well worth it.