Samuel Johnson, an 18th century author, once visited a friend’s estate in the English countryside. After seeing all the rooms, rugs, and paintings on the wall, he said:
“These are the things which make it difficult to die.”
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Jesus never says it’s impossible for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Riches are not a sin.
But they are a danger, because we can easily become attached to them.
Think about how we’d feel if we woke up tomorrow and our house were downsized; our closet cut in half; our bookshelves emptied; and our car another ten years old.
It’d be shocking! Many of us would be saddened by it.
I know I would be. I love the two rooms I live in.
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Meanwhile, there are vets living on our streets; families who cannot make ends meet; children who haven’t eaten since yesterday.
Or even the day before.
This doesn’t mean that we have to turn our lives upside down or sell everything we have. But we are obligated to help them.
We do this constantly here at Saint Catherine’s. Just last week, for example, we collected 1,800 personal care items and $1,300 for homeless teenagers living just miles from here.
This is what matters to God, having hearts that are generous. As Saint Paul says, “God loves a cheerful giver.”
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Riches are not a sin.
But they are a danger.
If we find ourselves feeling a little too attached, perhaps it’s time to share.
We pray in thanksgiving, to praise God, and in contrition for our faults. But mostly, we pray in petition – asking for God’s help in our lives.
So, what are you praying for right now? Where are you waiting for the Lord to act?
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I think God’s response to our prayers mirrors a stoplight – it’s either green, yellow, or red.
At times, we ask God for something and we get it right away. That’s a green light.
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Other times, the answer is, “No.” A red light.
Even Jesus heard “no” from his Father.
Remember what happened on the last night of his life on earth. Overwhelmed by the knowledge that he will be crucified, Jesus prays to his Father, saying. “Let this cup pass from me.”
But hours later, he’s dead.
A red light.
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I’m sure we’ve all heard, “no,” before.
For example, when my mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer seven years ago I prayed my heart out, begging the Lord to heal her.
I knew the Lord had the power to heal her, but for whatever reason, he didn’t.
Another red light.
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Then I asked the Lord for peace and acceptance, which he’s given me. A green light.
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The majority of our prayers receive yellow lights. We ask God for something, but it takes time before it’s granted.
Consider what happens in today’s Gospel.
A woman’s daughter has been tormented by a demon. Knowing that Jesus has the power to cast that evil spirit out, she begs Jesus for help.
While Jesus could have answered her immediately, he waited.
A yellow light.
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First, Jesus ignores her.
Then he tries to exclude her by saying he only came to help the children of Israel.
It’s like Jesus is playing hard to get, pushing this woman to the brink of desperation.
Why does he make her wait? Why does he make us wait?
Somehow this period of waiting produced even deeper faith in her, so much so that Jesus exclaims, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.”
That’s a level of praise Jesus rarely offers in the Gospels.
Herein lies a reason behind those yellow lights. Sometimes God makes us wait so that our faith might grow.
Faith cannot survive in our minds alone; it must seep into our bones.
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This strange encounter between Jesus and a desperate mother teaches us another lesson about prayer.
She only encounters Jesus because her daughter is suffering. If her child were well, then she never would’ve run to Jesus.
This doesn’t solve the mystery of suffering, but it reveals a purpose behind it. Like this desperate mother, suffering can lead us to an encounter with the living God.
This isn’t always the case.
Sometimes suffering leads people to despair; sometimes it dries up their faith. But it’s meant to drive us to our knees, inspiring us to ask God for help…and wait until he responds.
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Think of the many ways the world is being driven to its knees.
Everyone is praying for a vaccine – and an end to the Coronavirus.
Some of us are praying for a job, for economic security, or for a safe return to school.
Others are asking for help in their marriage, for strength to remain sober, or for healing from an illness.
We beg Jesus for help. But until he answers, we’re stuck on a yellow light.
This period of waiting is intended to strengthen our faith. Think of faith like a muscle; it must be exercised in order to become stronger.
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So, what are you praying for? Where’s the “yellow light” in your life?
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While waiting for an answer, I often recite the words of Psalm 20:
“May the Lord answer you in time of trial; may he send you help from the sanctuary…May he grant what is in your heart and fulfill every one of your plans.”
We might add, may he turn that yellow light, green.
There’s an old Swedish proverb, “Those who wish to sing always find a song.”
In good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, those who wish to sing always find a song.
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Today is the Feast of Saint Maximillian Kolbe, priest and martyr.
Some of us remember his story. He was one of the millions of prisoners sent to Auschwitz, the most infamous death camp in history.
One day while working in the camp, another prisoner tried to escape. Furious over the attempt, the camp guards selected ten other men to be put to death.
Before they were shot, one of the men pleaded for mercy, telling the guards he was a father and a husband.
Maximillian stepped forward and said, “I am a Catholic priest. Let me take his place.”
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He and the nine other men were thrown into a hole, condemned to a slow death by starvation.
Maximillian led those men in prayer for nearly two weeks. Personal accounts told how singing could be heard rising from the ground, making it sound like a church hidden inside Auschwitz.
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“Those who wish to sing always find a song.”
Maximilian lifted those men from the pit of despair showing us that, like St. Paul, “we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.”
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No matter where we find ourselves today – in good times or in bad, in sickness or in health – we have a reason to sing.
Jesus Christ has died for us and has been raised from the dead.
