uncomfortable

Uncomfortable

Feeling Uncomfortable?

Uncomfortable

31st Sunday Ordinary Time

Fr. Mark Gatto

Preached: November 5, 2023

Are you feeling comfortable right now? I am not speaking about being comfortable in the new pews! After listening to these passages from the Scriptures, especially the words of Jesus in the Gospel, we should probably be feeling uncomfortable. We often think of the Bible as something that brings us comfort, but if we are reading it properly then sometimes it should be something that makes us uncomfortable.

As a priest, the words of Jesus about the Scribes and Pharisees make me uncomfortable. Jesus says, “do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.” “They do all their deeds to be seen by others.” “They love… places of honour at banquets,… to be greeted with respect…”Do these words apply to me as a priest?

Pope Francis has spoken often about the harm to the church of clericalism. What is that? When one sees himself as superior to the people, sees himself as being over them. When he speaks down at the people, putting burdens on others. The priesthood must be rooted in a servant and humble mentality. Jesus says, “the greatest among you will be your servant.” “Whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” This must be the vision of any Catholic priest.

But, these words of Jesus do not apply just to priests today. They should make many of you uncomfortable. It is a vision of authority and leadership. Anyone in a position of authority should be challenged by these words of Jesus.

Who might this apply to? Teachers, parents, Police officers, CEO’s, politicians. Anyone in any position of authority needs to see themselves not as being over others, but as servants. Anyone in any position of authority needs not to desire to be exalted, but rather to serve others with humility.

– Teachers are not over their students, they are servants of their students.
– Parents are not over their children, they are servants of their children.
– Police officers are not over people in the community, they are servants of the people.
– CEO’s are not over the employees in their company, they are servants of the employees.
– Politicians are not over the citizens, they are servants of the citizens.

This Gospel vision of authority is completely different from what we often see in our world.

We are living in a dark moment of history. We see great divisions, we see destructive wars. Whether Russia in Ukraine or now the war in the Middle East, in Israel and Gaza.

In all of these situations, the problem is with the vision of authority. Authority as being over others, power over others, domination of others. Authority that relies on guns, bombs, military spending. Of course, none of this will ever bring true peace.

The only hope for peace is found in the Gospel vision of authority. We need political leadership that embraces a humble, servant leadership. Leaders who do not see themselves over others but as true servants.

We want the Word of God to bring us comfort. But, it is probably more valuable and important when the Word of God make us uncomfortable. Today’s Gospel offers us a vision of authority and leadership rooted in service and humility. It is a vision of authority needed in our world, in our church, in our families, in our communities. Do not desire to be over others, but to serve others.

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Lazarus and the Rich Man

Are You Creating A Great Chasm?

26th Sunday Ordinary Time

Fr. Mark Gatto

Preached: Sept. 25, 2022

Are you feeling a bit uncomfortable after listening to this parable of Jesus?  Most of us should be feeling uncomfortable.  This might be one of the most frightening parables of Jesus.  The divisions and separations that exist in this life will continue into the next.

Abraham tells the rich man that “a great chasm has been fixed” and no one can cross from one side to the other.  Have we created any chasms, any separations from others in this life?  Do I even notice those who are poor, homeless, desperate in this life?  Have my riches and comfort blinded me to the reality of so many in our world and in our own community?

The inequality between the rich and poor within our world today is not much different than at the time of Jesus.  There is no contact between the two sides.  In fact, the poor are not even seen at all.  During my recent trip to Italy, I noticed so many homeless people in the streets of Rome.  Something new I saw were little tents placed up around St. Peters and other locations near the Vatican.  Pope Francis asked that they be put there for the homeless.  Most often our cities want to hide the poor, get them out of the way.  We want to pretend that they do not exist or at least make sure that they do not disturb the rest of us.

But, if we ignore the poor in such a way that we do not even care that they exist, that we do not even want any contact with them, then we will be creating that great chasm which will continue into the next life.

We need to examine our own lives.  Do I create any chasms between myself and others?

If racism and prejudice afflict me so that I want to have no contact with those who are different from me, then I am creating a great chasm that will continue into the next.

Are there certain people that I have chosen to ignore, chosen to keep far away so that I do not have contact with them?  Am I creating a great chasm with any other people, with any other groups?

This parable of Jesus should make us uncomfortable.  It should cause us to reflect carefully on ways that I may have become completely separated from others in the world.

Because the chasms, the separations, that exist in this life will continue into the next.

We should be uncomfortable with the situation that so many human beings face in our world.  Refugees, migrants, homeless, poor, many lonely elderly in our nursing homes.  Is a great chasm being formed between us and so many others in our world?

We pray “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  We should strive to live now as life would be in heaven.  Separations and divisions are not the way of heaven.  Chasms that cut us off from  others is not the way of heaven.  But, are we like the rich man in the parable who did not even notice the chasm that existed while on this earth, who did not even notice the poor Lazarus?

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746px-Hendrick_ter_Brugghen_-_The_Rich_Man_and_the_Poor_Lazarus_-_Google_Art_Project

Are You Uncomfortable? Who Are You Ignoring?

746px-Hendrick_ter_Brugghen_-_The_Rich_Man_and_the_Poor_Lazarus_-_Google_Art_Project

26th Sunday In Ordinary Time – Year C

Fr, Mark Gatto

Preached: September 29, 2019

Are you feeling comfortable right now?  Well, I am not feeling very comfortable.  It seems to me that if we have really listened to these Scripture readings, that they should cause us to be uncomfortable.  There is a saying, I believe it was originally used about journalism, but sometimes I have heard it used with the Bible.  “It is meant to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable.”

Well, when it comes to the Bible, we often look for it to bring us comfort.  We just pass by or ignore it when it makes us uncomfortable.  This parable of Jesus in Luke’s Gospel about the rich man and the poor man Lazarus at his gate, is perhaps the most challenging passage in the Bible for me.

In my life, who is the Lazarus at my gate that I ignore, that I do not notice in my life?  What huge chasm exists between myself and the poor within our world?  When separations are created in this life do they continue into the next?

Our world has an economic and political structure that results in many human beings being forgotten, ignored, sitting outside the gates of wealthy society.

Who is the poor Lazarus within our world today?  So much of the third world sitting at the gates of our rich world.

Within our own community, there are various groups of people that are passed by, including children in poverty, autistic, with special needs.  We could say that the environment itself is like the poor Lazarus at the gate of the rich.  We do not even notice it being destroyed, do not care as long as I am comfortable.

We have a world with extreme rich and extreme poor, with powerful and powerless.

The rich man in the parable did not deliberately try to hurt the poor man Lazarus.  He simply did not even notice him, had no idea he was there.  He was apathetic, without concern for him while he had a nice comfortable life.  He did not hear his suffering.

Question for each of us.  Who do I not notice, who do I not listen to, whose quiet suffering do I not hear?

Right in my own family, your children, your spouse, your parents, do we walk by them each day and not even notice their needs, their hurts, sometimes their quiet anguish.  Within our own community, who do I walk by without paying any attention, without any concern?  How many seniors who are lonely and need some care.

I have been interested watching Greta Thunberg, this 16 year old girl, speaking out with very challenging words for our world about our need to care for our earth, as Pope Francis says, our common home.  She is making some of us very uncomfortable, so she is getting attacked by people who prefer to attack her rather than listen to her message.  She is making many uncomfortable.  Just like the Old Testament Prophets, like Amos in our First Reading.  Like Jesus whose story today would have made his listeners very uncomfortable.

Well, we sometimes do the same thing to the Word of God.  It is fine when it is nice and comforting, but when it confronts us, makes us uncomfortable, then we prefer just to ignore it.  Sometimes we need to allow the Word of God to afflict us.  To take us out of our comfortable apathy and indifference.  The parable of the rich man and poor Lazarus should shake us up.

Who in my life, who in this world, are we ignoring, walking past, not hearing their need?

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