Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 8:18-25; Luke 13:18-21)

The car window opened, and an object flew out – perhaps a plastic cup – littering the road.  It was a small act of defiance of both law and public decency indicative of a careless person.  But little things add up.  An estimated fifty-one billion articles of litter are deposited on the roads of the United States alone every year! 

Yet litter is hardly the biggest environmental problem.  Other worries far outsize trash on roads.  The way humans consume fossil fuels causes pollution that likely contributes to global warming.  Their cutting down rain forests results in the destruction of animal habitats which, in turn, causes land to dry up.  St. Paul describes the situation well in today’s first reading.  Creation groans in anticipation of a redeemed humanity so that the environment may be saved.

Paul is far from being desperate about the situation.  He perceives creation already being liberated by the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit is changing our hearts to value the environment as a common patrimony.  Good people have begun to cooperate in protecting natural resources.  We want future generations to know the wonder of otters, octopuses, and owls.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 8:18-25; Luke 13:18-21)

The window of the car on the highway opened and out went an object – perhaps a plastic cup – littering the road.  It was a small act of defiance of both law and public decency indicative of a careless people.  But little things add up.  An estimated fifty-one billion articles of litter are deposited on the roads of the United States alone every year. 

Nevertheless, would it be that litter were today’s biggest environmental problem!  In truth there are many greater worries.  The burning of fossil fuels creates pollution and likely contributes to global warming.  The depletion of forests ruins the habitats of most of earth’s animals and causes the land to dry up.  What St. Paul writes to the Romans in the first reading today about the creation groaning makes perfect sense to environmentalists.

Yet Paul also extends a signal of hope.  He says that creation will be set free by a redeemed humanity fully in the grasp of the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit will change our hearts to value the environment as a common patrimony.  All good people will cooperate to protect natural resources so that future generations may know the wonder of otters, ocelots,  and owls. 

Homilette for Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Memorial of St. Martin de Porres, religious

(Romans 12:5-16a; Luke 14:15-24)

God does seem to lift up the lowly as Mary proclaims in her great song The Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55). Last week we celebrated the feast of the most obscure yet most popular of apostles, St. Jude. Certainly St. Therese, the Little Flower, seems to have eclipsed in fame her patroness, St. Theresa of Avila. Perhaps no saint is more broadly known than St. Francis who is thought of as il poverello, the little poor one. Today we celebrate a humble Dominican saint who has come to shine in more people’s heavens than any of his illustrious confreres, Martin de Porres.

Martin was the son of a Spanish nobleman and a former slave Black woman. It is said that he might have become a street urchin had his mother not taught him kindness and generosity. Martin evidently did not take advantage of anyone because he thought of himself as lowlier than everyone. As St. Paul urges the Romans in the first reading today, Martin anticipated everyone in showing honor. Martin also followed Paul’s advice to not lack zeal for doing good.

In our age of increasing awareness of the environment we can again look to Martin de Porres for patronage. He was trained as a physician, which in his day meant as much an herbalist who grew his own medicines as a diagnostician or therapist. He also befriended animals. Indeed, he is often pictured with a rat at his side because he was a person who could readily thank God for all creation.

Homilette for Monday, June 2, 2008

Monday of the Ninth Week of Ordinary Time

(Mark 12:1-12)

Philosophers debate the existence of God by telling the story of two men who come to a clearing in the jungle with many beautiful flowers. One of the men says that a gardener must have planted the flowers. The other disagrees saying that they are wild flowers. So they decide to experiment by waiting around to see if a gardener appears. After a couple of days without anyone coming to tend the garden, the man who proposed that a gardener planted the flowers says that the gardener must be invisible.

God, for those of us who believe, is the invisible gardener who created the world and all its contents. Atheists say “no,” there is no invisible gardener but only an imaginary one existing in the minds of believers. In the gospel Jesus tells us that there is indeed a gardener. The vineyard Jesus mentions is like a garden, and God is the one who planted it. Therefore, God has a right to demand that the vineyard’s caretakers produce fruit for Him. Of course, generally we understand Jesus’ vineyard as the earth and the fruit which God expects as justice and peace. But we might see the vineyard as the physical environment which we are to care for. We must not pollute it, wantonly kill its creatures, or wastefully deplete its resources. The Book of Genesis underlines this responsibility by saying, “God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden to cultivate and care for it” (Genesis 2:15).

Obviously, one does not have to believe that God is the invisible gardener to care for the environment. But we who do so believe should become environmentalists. We might also question how people arguing that God is but an imaginary gardener would defend the universal need to care for the earth which is felt so strongly today.

Homilette for Monday, June 4, 2007

Monday, IX Week

(Mark 12)

Philosophers debate the existence of God by telling the story of two men who come to a clearing in the jungle where there are many beautiful flowers. One says that there must be a gardener who planted the flowers. The other disagrees. So they decide to experiment by waiting around to see if a gardener appears. After a couple of days without anyone coming to tend the garden, the man who proposed that a gardener planted the garden says that the gardener must be invisible.

God, for those who choose to believe in Him, is the “invisible gardener” who created the world and all its contents. Atheists will say “no” there is no “invisible gardener” but only an imaginary one existing in the minds of believers. In the gospel Jesus certainly accepts the proposition of an invisible gardener. The vineyard he mentions is like a garden, and God is the one who planted it. Therefore, God has a right to demand that the vineyard’s caretakers produce fruit for Him. Of course, generally we understand Jesus’ vineyard as the earth and the fruit which God expects as justice for all people. But we might see the earth as simply the environment. God wants us humans to care for it wisely. We must not pollute it, wantonly kill the creatures that inhabit it or wastefully deplete its resources. The Book of Genesis underlines this duty by telling us “God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden to cultivate and care for it” (Genesis 2:15).

Obviously, one does not have to believe that God is an imaginary gardener to care for the environment. But we who do so believe should be environmentalists. We might also question how people who argue that God is but an imaginary gardener would defend the universal need to care for the earth which is felt so strongly today.