The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd. He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you.” He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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The history of Catholicism in Korea is fascinating, almost miraculous.
When the first priest arrived on Korean shores in the 18th century, there were already an estimated 4,000 Catholic converts present.
“But how is that possible?” You may wonder. “How did Christianity arrive Korea without a Catholic missionary?”
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During the 17th century, Korean scholars imported literature from China, including Christian literature. Although they were intrigued, ultimately these scholars denounced Christianity because of its belief in human equality.
Korean society was built upon Confucianism, which is a caste-based system; the wealthy and the scholarly are on the top and the poor are progressively on the bottom.
When a Chinese priest managed to secretly enter Korea years later, he found a community of 4,000 Catholics who had never met a priest. They were being taught by a few of those scholars who first encountered Christianity in a book.
Slowly, missionaries were sent, where they ministered to the Korean Catholic community under the cover of darkness.
Finally, the first Korean Catholic priest, Andrew Kim Taegon, was ordained in the 1840’s, but he was put to death by the sword at the tender age of 26.
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More than 10,000 Koreans died as martyrs over the span of 100 years.
But today there are an estimated 6 million Catholics in Korea, a sign that nothing – not even death – can stop the spread of the Gospel.
May the Korean Martyrs pray for us.
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Image credits: (1) Knights of Columbus (2) Vatican News, Vatican.va (3) Wall Street Journal
Jesus said to the crowd: “No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light. Take care, then, how you hear. To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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When the power goes out, everything is dark.
When you open the fridge, you can’t find the milk.
When you wake up in the middle of the night, you run into a wall, stub your toe… or both.
When you walk outside, the streets are dark and eerily quiet.
We need light.
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But, have you ever thought about the fact that different size light bulbs are needed for different purposes?
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You don’t need a 1000-watt bulb to illumine your fridge; that’d be blinding! A 40-watt bulb will do.
But you do need a 1000-watt bulb to light up a parking lot at night.
Different size bulbs are needed for different spaces, all with the same purpose: casting out the darkness.
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In a similar way, God has given each of us different roles to play – in the Church, in our families, and in the world. Some are given smaller responsibilities, while others monumental tasks.
For example, one child sings in the choir on Sunday, while another person is the pope. Both must do their part. Both must shine.
Otherwise, there’s no music… or no shepherd.
This is why Jesus says in the Gospel today, “No one who lights a lamp conceals it. Rather, it’s placed on a lampstand.”
Each Christian must play his or her role. It’s how we build up the kingdom and brighten the world.
So, what role do I play? How is the Lord inviting me to shine today?
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Image credits: (1) iStock, Parts of a Whole (2) Cummins (3) Pinterest, NYC
Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. He summoned him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.’ The steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me? I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.’ He called in his master’s debtors one by one. To the first he said, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note. Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.’ Then to another the steward said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘One hundred kors of wheat.’ The steward said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty.’ And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently. “For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones. If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours? No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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The American Dream.
Kids growing up are encouraged to “dream BIG,” aspiring to become the best and brightest among us: the astronaut being launched in a rocket into space, the scientist seeking a cure for cancer, the next best athlete, the thriving entrepreneur.
We instill this belief into our children, that in America, you can succeed if you dream BIG and work hard, because it’s true.
I think of several parishioners in our community who’ve built businesses from scratch. One started with a single food truck. Another sold devices out of his garage. Another towed freight one truck at a time.
Now they’re all large-scale, successful companies.
Or think of Jeff Bezos and what he’s done with Amazon. If you heard the word, “Amazon,” 25 years ago, people would’ve thought, “It’s a river in South America or the world’s largest rainforest.” Now Amazon is one of the largest companies in the world!
People work hard for the American dream – and many achieve it.
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This is the type of innovative spirit that Jesus blesses in today’s Gospel.
There’s a man who realizes that he’s going to be fired from his job because he’s been dishonest. So, he devises a plan, not only to repay his master, but also to forge new business relationships, securing his future.
And he succeeds.
While Jesus doesn’t praise his dishonesty, Jesus does praise this man’s willingness to pivot; to work hard; to take risks; and to pull himself up by his bootstraps.
He’s creative, intelligent, and hard working.
You might say he has an, “American spirit.”
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We can all relate to him.
We know that if we are going to be successful at anything in life – whether it’s advancing our career, raising a family, leading a parish, or saving for our future – then we must be efficient and organized.
Children also know this. Think of how many young people achieve their goals in sports, music, or academics. They work tirelessly… and that’s a good thing.
The challenge in today’s Gospel is to take that same drive and apply it to our spiritual lives.
While we never take first place or the American Dream for granted, what about Jesus and his promises? Do we work as hard at loving the Lord as we do at being successful in life?
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Think of the energy it takes to be a parent today. You have to manage your own schedule, be aware of your spouse’s schedule, and your children’s schedules, which are often packed with school, sports, and a social life.
Everything is organized by date, time, and event.
Jesus might ask you to consider, “Are you equally as organized in scheduling time for the Lord?”
Certainly those of us here today can say, “yes, Lord. There’s a number of other places we could be, but we made the effort and are here today.”
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Some dads pride themselves on being handy – they’ll spend an entire weekend building something, landscaping, or tinkering in the garage.
Jesus might ask you, “Do you apply the same diligence to fixing the wounds in your family as you do to fixing the dishwasher?”
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Many young people play sports – and some more than one. They’ll practice two, three, or four hours a day! But are you as disciplined in learning about your faith?
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The Lord might say to me, “Kevin, you love to golf. You’re often practicing. But are you putting that same effort – or more – into being a shepherd of this parish?”
The Lord wants me – and, I believe we all want me – to be better than par as a pastor. (And, yes, I do my best!)
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The American Dream is built on the belief that those who work hard will be rewarded.
Being a Christian is no different.
So, “Keep striving,” Jesus says, “keep reaching, pushing, laboring to enter through the narrow gate.” It leads to far more than what the world can offer.
It leads to eternal life.
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Image credits: (1) King’s Church, Conroe (2) TV Tropes (3) Cogito
