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The Spirit of God is given to us by Christ to bring us to a relationship with him so intimate that we are identified with Him in all things.  That same Spirit will teach us to SEE what we need to know about ourselves and others, to SPEAK what we need to say, and above all to ACT in a way that demonstrates that we belong to Christ.

Memorial of St. Peter Claver, S.J.

1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22b-27

Psalm 84:3, 4, 5-6, 12

L uke 6:39-42 He also told them a parable: "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? (40) A disciple is not above his teacher, but every one when he is fully taught will be like his teacher. (41) Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? (42) Or how can you say to your brother, `Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.

Meditation by Eileen Burke-Sullivan

S ome years ago I was working with the parents of second graders who were preparing their children for first communion.  One parent was fussing about the necessity of bringing children to the Eucharist and with a touch of defiance said that she really didn’t believe in any of it – God, Jesus or the Eucharist. It was the “good ethics” of the Church that she wanted for her child. She wanted her child to be able to get along in the world. The point she missed, of course, and that we spent the rest of the evening talking about is that the Church is only about ethics as a kind of “by product” of the core relationship of love with and through the Triune God that is granted to us in Baptism.

According to the Constitution on the Church from Vatican II, the Church’s purpose is to bring us into such a complete and intimate relationship with God that we become “holy,” that is, God-like. 

Today’s Gospel puts it succinctly: “when fully trained, every disciple will be like the teacher . .”  If we are disciples of Jesus, being disciplined to a relationship with God that marks us as a disciple, then we must act like Jesus – that is the sum total of our Catholic “ethics” in a nut shell.  This is possible, of course, only because we have received the Spirit of the Son who makes it possible in the instance from today’s Gospel passage, to see at all and to recognize the plank in our own eye as opposed to the splinter in the neighbor’s eye.

Another aspect of receiving this Spirit is that we are compelled by the relationship to share the goodness of it with others. Paul tells us in today’s first reading that an obligation has been imposed on him by his call to preach the good news (gospel) of God’s love and its implications for a life of loving kindness.  Whether he himself can fulfill all the “ethics” of his own call to holiness – he is obliged to preach to others. So it is with every ecclesial minister, whether ordained or lay. Anyone with leadership responsibility in the Church has two “response – abilities”: the first is the same as all other Christians – to BE in Christ – that is to BE holy; the second is to preach to the world, through word and deed, the good news of God’s saving love. 

No Christian is exempt from the first task and no leader is exempted from that second task, however morally imperfect he or she is.  In a world which despises hypocrisy (or at least despises it in everyone else) it is difficult to preach that which you only imperfectly model. So we look at our preachers askance and ask how they can tell us what God desires if they don’t live it themselves.  The fact is, even Paul worried about running the race well enough to win the prize of perfection in his relationship with God – so we should expect the same imperfection from all our ministers. 

There are many messages buried in today’s texts, but I would summarize this rather winding reflection of what I heard with several points:  The Spirit of God is given to us by Christ to bring us to a relationship with him so intimate that we are identified with Him in all things. That same Spirit will teach us to SEE what we need to know about ourselves and others, to SPEAK what we need to say, and above all to ACT in a way that demonstrates that we belong to Christ.

Come Holy Spirit, give us the fire of your love of Christ and the Father, instill in us the discipline to run the race faithfully, and grant the discrimination to recognize our own boards ahead of the splinters of our neighbors.  Amen.

Supplementary Reading

Climb!

Neglect not the gift that is within you. 1 Timothy 5:16

T here is a framed quote hanging in an office here at the Crystal Cathedral that I often notice in passing. On a wall behind Dr. Schuller's desk, in a simple wooden frame, are these words from Walt Disney: "Somehow I can't believe that there are any heights that can't be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true." An inspirational quote from a gifted man who many thought wasn't all that gifted.

Naysayers believed that Walt Disney was building a financial sinkhole in Disneyland that was destined for the annals of history of what not to do. History would soon prove the naysayers wrong and see Walt as a man with an amazing imagination. Every time I see that quote, I immediately think of 1 Timothy 5:16, "Neglect not the gift that is within you."

Don't believe you are gifted? Well, I'm happy to inform you that you are wrong! In the very first chapter of the very first book of the Holy Bible, in verse 26, God said, "Let Us make man in Our image." The "Us" and "Our" in that verse refer to God the Father, Jesus the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Yes, you were made in the image of the Holy Trinity, God almighty! As a result, I've yet to meet someone who is not gifted. Conversely, I've met lots of people who lack faith - faith in God, faith to believe that God has a tremendous future in store for them if they would only turn their lives over to Him!

What are you waiting for? Start climbing that ladder God has placed before you. "Neglect not the gift that is within you." After all, God, by His grace, is the One who put that gift there in the first place!

Almighty God, today I promise not to neglect the gift that You have placed within me. I also need Your help because I cannot do it without You! Give me strength, give me wisdom, and give me courage to climb the ladder set before me! In Jesus' precious name, Amen.

If you don't believe you are gifted, think back to when someone has complemented you on something you have accomplished. What gift did you use to accomplish that goal? How might you use that same gift in the future?

GOD BLESS US ALL!

O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.

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