27th Sunday of Ordinary Time, B October 3, 2021
Fr. Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette
“It is not good for the man to be alone.” God knows this, he isn’t just figuring it out. Neither is he surprised that none of the animals prove “to be a suitable partner for the man.” He is not showing the animals to Adam as part of an experiment, he is doing it as a lesson for Adam, for all mankind. He is teaching us that we are not meant to be alone… that we are meant to be in communion with other human beings and ultimately, with God himself. That word “partner” is also translated as “helpmate” and in some places as “savior.” In fact, other than Eve, the only other thing described as a “helpmate” in the bible is God himself.
This is the point: marriage is not man-made. It is written into our nature from the beginning. Society only recognizes it and honors it… or chooses to twist and corrupt it… as ours has. This is why, as Jesus tells us himself, marriage – made by God – is not to be broken by any man or woman. Divorce is a sin. Remarriage is adultery. Even the legalistic and judgmental pharisees are surprised at Jesus’ hard line. But Jesus teaches this for a reason. We are made in God’s image, male and female. The unique relationship between the two – marriage – is capable of producing life and revealing something about God that is otherwise hidden when you look at one person alone. Marriage is a sign, a visible reminder of the transcendent truth that God loves us, that God gives life, that God will always be faithful to us.
This is why the Church will not and cannot change her teaching on divorce and remarriage… or her teaching on receiving communion in that situation. To divorce is to contradict the reflection of God’s own love. To remarry is, as Jesus says himself, to commit adultery, which is often compared to idolatry and worshipping false gods.
Of course, life is complicated. I can’t and won’t try to go over the many complications of abuse, abandonment, invalid marriages, annulments, and other nuances. The short story is this: there is a way forward. One of my greatest joys as a priest is to reconcile people to the Church, to complete annulments, to convalidate marriages. If you are in a complicated marital situation, please see me. I can’t offer you the compassionate guidance needed from up here, but I have the time and will make the time to do so in person. Please, allow me to help.
Married, complicated, or neither, all of us have to heed Genesis. We are not meant to be alone, even if we are not married. The general principle of communion with other persons is part of our human nature. When Eve was placed in the garden with Adam, it’s not like she was only allowed to cook and make babies. Adam and Eve shared a common mission. Besides their marriage and children, they also have the common mission of the garden. Eve is a “helpmate” in everything; to till and protect the garden, guiding it’s development according to God’s design.
We need to share a common mission with other people. Not just shared hobbies or topics of conversation… an abiding, ongoing effort to work towards the same goal in collaboration with another. Just as father and mother raise the same children and work on the same marriage, so should all human beings seek out companions, partners, collaborators on some common mission.
Artists and musicians inspire and support other artists and musicians. The splendor of many churches, the beauty of an orchestra, and so many other things would be impossible for one working alone. The very idea of a corporation is a common mission to produce. We can and often have to work alone, but that is always less than ideal. Over and above every career or hobby, there is the common mission of the Church, of every Christian: the glory of God and the salvation of souls.
If you want to go to heaven, you can’t work alone. Besides Jesus Christ the head, you need his body, the Church. If you do not collaborate with the Church in her mission, in our mission of saving souls, you will likely not make it. But here is the good news! You. Are. Not. Alone! Still, our experience does not always match our abstract principles.
This is why I continually come back to small groups and getting involved. It’s why I try to start bible studies, book groups, the youth group, the men’s group. We need to experience our common mission in order to be spiritually healthy, to be open to the joy and holiness that belongs to us in Christ Jesus.
And this isn’t abstract for me. As a priest, I am still a human being. I too must not be alone. I need a “suitable partner” or “helpmate” as all human beings do. Listen carefully. I am not saying I want to be married or that I need the physical aspects of married life. Celibacy is a gift, but it does not change the fact that we priests are human beings. I am also not talking about just having friends – I have good friends and I’m close to my family, thanks be to God. But, as human beings, we ought not to be alone in our mission. It is about a shared responsibility. It is the reason that Jesus sends the disciples two-by-two in the gospels. Even Jesus on the cross had his mother and John the Evangelist. The Acts of the Apostles are full of partnerships in mission. Paul has Barnabas. Peter has Mark. And both had many lay collaborators as well.
In an ideal world, every parish would have more than 1 priest. Still, even if that were the case, every parish should also have lay leadership and involvement. As parents collaborate together in raising their child, so a priest should have collaborators in raising up spiritual children. It’s too easy to think I’m here to serve you. That is true, but it’s not the whole truth. The whole Church is missionary by nature. Scripture emphasizes that my job is to equip you for service to the world. You and I together share the task of handing on the faith.
I need help. Not because I’m too busy – you might be surprised at how much time I end up wasting. I am not a good lone wolf. If this parish is to have a future, If you want me to have a healthy and fruitful ministry here, we need to take seriously that shared mission. Next week, I will offer some specific practical steps. For now, I am speaking not only as your pastor, but as your brother baptized in Christ, as a fellow human being, as a man when I ask you to reflect seriously on your spiritual mission and ask you to pray for me and yourselves to genuinely embrace our common mission of saving souls.
“It is not good for the man to be alone.” For this reason, God wrote companionship into our very nature. For many, this means marriage until death. Please speak with me if you fall outside that paradigm and want to find a way forward. For all of us, however, it means taking seriously our communion in the Church and our shared mission of evangelization. For this parish and for me as your pastor, this means a willingness to stretch, to change, to adapt to that primordial call from the God to tend his garden here in Jeanerette to make it a “fruitful vine” blessed by the Lord.
28th Sunday of Ordinary Time, B October 10, 2021
Fr. Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette
“Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.” Jesus doesn’t ask this question to deny his goodness, but to invite this young man to a deeper realization. He knows where this conversation ends; he knows this man will need to see him as more than a teacher if he is going to be able to accept the truth. If Jesus is good but only God is good, then Jesus must be God.
That conclusion, that statement of Jesus’ divinity is precisely what the Jews struggle with and why they kill him later on. But it is True and it is necessary that we see him not just as teacher, but as Lord and savior. Perhaps even more amazing than Jesus as God-made-flesh is the fact that Jesus is also God-working-with-us. I spoke last week of our call to communion, the reality that Man needs a helpmate. I also pointed out that, other than Eve, the only other “helpmate” is Scripture is God. Jesus is the truest helpmate of mankind, God-with-us, Emmanuel.
“Keep the commandments.” That’s the first answer he gives. That is the minimum… it is necessary, but it is not enough. It doesn’t say Jesus “loves” him when he teaches that. When we tell others to keep the commandments, it is a good thing, but it is not yet the fullness of love. This is a foreshadowing of the New Commandment Jesus will give at the last supper, that St. John the Evangelist repeats in his letters: “love one another as I have loved you.”
It is too easy to tell someone the right thing to do. It is much more to do it with them. It is one thing to point out the right way. It is much more to invite someone to walk it with you. Jesus looks at this man, loves him, then tells him to get rid of all his wealth and follow him. I tell you often to avoid sin – and I mean that – but I strive to love you more than that. To love as Christ did. So, give up what you have and follow me.
When the Apostles ask who can be saved, Jesus emphasizes that it is impossible for us… only with God can we be saved. When I say give up what you have, I don’t mean to literally zero out your bank account. I mean for you to see everything you have as what it truly is. As I wrote in this week’s bulletin article, what we have isn’t really ours. It ultimately belongs to God. You are only a steward of it. Your wealth is entrusted to you so that you can use it to love. Strive to see it that way. And the best way to do that is to actually give it away freely and often.
It is not about the bottom line or big numbers, but about the deliberate, love-filled decision to use your possessions in a loving way… in a way that demonstrates you choose God over them every time. What I want is your spiritual well-being, not your money. But the reality is that what you do with your money affects your spiritual well-being. So, please read what I’ve written in the bulletin and look at different ways to financially support the Church.
I’ve also invited you to follow me… to share with me the mission of Jesus Christ, which is the salvation of souls. I said last week that I would have specific practical steps to make us better collaborators in the mission of the Church. Well, here they are.
Closest to the heart of what I said last week is this: I want to create a position for a full-time or nearly full-time director of discipleship. A trained and qualified person to share with me the daily work of evangelization. Someone to be an example of lay leadership and lay missionary work, especially in those situations when me being a priest makes it harder for people to engage with the faith or believe that they can do what I’m doing. They could provide opportunities for faith and be there when I can’t. This director would also help with consistency across pastors. Think of it as a way for the parish as a whole to manifest the right response to Jesus’ invitation. You sacrifice wealth and time enough to follow him through the person you are supporting.
As you’ll see on the back of the financial report, I have a plan for how we could afford this position and what it will do for us. It’s mostly yard work. We have the tools. With enough volunteers – myself included – we could shift resources from cutting grass to harvesting souls. Come cut grass with me – probably Thursdays or Saturdays. That way, even if you can’t teach or do other evangelism, your generous physical and financial effort contributes to the salvation of souls.
Of course, that doesn’t absolve you from your own spiritual responsibilities. Nor does it mean there aren’t others able to be leaders here. Besides the very real call to financial support, we each must form personal connections with the Church community to grow in our faith. Catechism, bible and books studies, watching videos together, rosary groups, men’s groups, women’s groups, intercessory committee, school aftercare. I’m looking to form a group to call parishioners on occasion to check in, get prayer intentions, that sort of thing. We need more sacristans and lectors if we want to keep having 3 Masses every weekend and I always want more altar servers.
In your pews, you will find slips to indicate the ways in which you are interested in being involved. It’s not exhaustive and I really do look forward to what some of you write in “other.” Perhaps something for young parents. After the homily, you will have a few moments to fill them out. Then, fold them and place them in the collection basket or feel free to take them and bring them next week or to the office directly.
In Baptism and Confirmation, you solemnly swore to share the Church’s work of saving souls, to leave everything and follow Christ. Whatever form that takes, it is a mission done in communion. It is also something that we continue to receive – we need to be evangelized ourselves. To that end, I’m telling you now of two things to keep in mind. First is the Advent mission we are planning for December 1 at 6pm in the Church. Grammy-nominated musician and Catholic evangelist Marty Rotella will come and share his story with us. The other one is the Lenten Parish Retreat. The first weekend of Lent, March 4-7, we will have the Light of the World retreat for our parish. It will be here, so no overnight stays or distance travel necessary. They’re already on the calendar on the website and I’ll have these in the bulletin next week. Details will be made known as we have them, but for now, please put it on your calendar.
“The Word of God is living and effective.” Hear the word Christ speaks to us today, see the love with which he gazes upon us, and heed his call to follow him. See it not just as work and sacrifice – though that is an unavoidable part of all this – but as a chance to invest, to receive more… a hundred times more not just in the next life, but even in this present life where the kingdom of God is already among us.