26th Sunday, September 26, 2010 -Clarify our Christian Character!
As Mr. Bill was approaching mid-life, not only was he going bald, but he also had a large pot belly. The last straw came when he asked a woman co-worker out on a date, and she all but laughed at him. Determined to change his life, he joined a gym, started eating right, and got an expensive hair transplant and new clothes. Six months later he asked his female co-worker out, and this time she accepted.
All dressed up for the date, looking better than he ever had. He stood poised to ring the woman’s doorbell, when a bolt of lightning struck him and knocked him off his feet. As he lay there dying, he turned his eyes towards the heavens and said, “Why, God, why now? After all I’ve been through, how could you do this to me?”
From up above, there came a voice, “Bill? Is that you? I didn’t recognize you.”
Mr. Bill was trying to be different in dress and style, God did not recognize him, but God wants us to be different in our deeds, attitude and heart. That is called the Christian character. The readings explain how can we posses christen character?
What is the Christian character?
In the second reading, Paul writes to Timothy, “But you, man of God pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and gentleness” (1 Tim 6:11). In other words, St. Paul is encouraging Timothy and his community to be a certain kind of people. St. Paul is urging them to strive at developing a Christian character. And for sure, a person with a Christian character is unlike the people in the time of the prophet Amos who, “…lying upon beds of ivory, stretched comfortable on their couches, they eat lambs taken from the flock, and calves from the stall!” (Amos 6:4). Amos criticizes the rich of his times because these unrighteous people were consuming the lambs kept for sacrifice. A person with Christian character is also not like the rich man in today’s gospel reading, who “dined sumptuously each day,” (Luke 16:19) and did not even think of giving the poor man at his gates the scraps from the table (Luke 16:2—21).
So let us talk about Christian Character. What is a Christian supposed to look like? A Christian strives for righteousness (righteousness means right relationship with God, with others, and with himself/herself), devotion (translated as fidelity to God, to our relationships), faith (above all in God), love (for God and the poor), patience (allowing God to work in God’s time), and gentleness (treating the world and all in it with care).
How does one go about developing this Christian character?
The answer to that question forms the three practical challenges for us.
1. Our first resource, St. Paul says, is “the noble confession that Christ made before Pilate” (1 Tim 6:13). Jesus stood before Pilate and confessed that his life will be in accordance with the will of his Father. In the confession that Christ made before Pilate we see Christ’s character. In that confession we see righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and gentleness.
a) Righteousness – Jesus stood before Pilate and bore witness to the truth. He did that so that human beings might be made right before God and we live rightly with each other.
b) Devotion – Jesus bore witness to the truth in fidelity to God and to humanity.
c) Faith – Jesus made his confession knowing that it would lead him to his death. But in faith he abandoned himself into the hands of his Father.
d) Love – Jesus made that confession because “God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son… (John 3:16).
e) Patience – Jesus made that confession in patience, waiting upon God to accomplish his plan through him. His patience led to the resurrection.
f) Gentleness – Jesus made his confession in gentleness, meekness and humility. And that is why he was able to forgive his enemies from the cross even when they did not seek forgiveness.
The first way to develop a Christian character, then, is to identify ourselves with that “noble confession” of Christ.
2. If we know to count on God, we know how to count. It's interesting to note that our gospels for last week and this week talk about the impact that our possessions have on our eternal life in heaven and that we all need to wake up before we die. We need money, wealth and possessions. Everything we have has come from God. God even gave us our ability to earn it all. Now manage what you have; share some of what you have. It's a divine art to help others; to help others to live, to work, and to have dignity. Why? Because everything we have has come from God and really doesn't belong to any single person. It all belongs to God.
The rich man thought he was a good guy until he was faced with eternal damnation, because he had built a chasm between himself and others, "They can manage on their own," the rich man said. But God had asked him to help manage for others too.
Lazarus is a name which means "God is my help." There was no help given by the rich man to Lazarus. Lazarus was the most abject of men who simply stood in need of help. None was given. Only God was his help. Hence his name; "God is my help”.
3. We need to be just and sensitive. Both the first reading and the Gospel talk about complacency and the consequences of being both unjust and insensitive to the needs of the poor. The first reading says, “Woe to the complacent in Zion.” When I prepare a homily, I generally read what lies before and after the reading for the day. It is amazing that this part was not included in the reading for today. For this is what St. Paul says to Timothy: “For the love of money is the root of all evils and some people in their desire for it have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains” (1 Tim 6:10). And then he continues, “But you man of God, avoid all this. Instead pursue righteousness…” (1 Tim 6:11). Now the story of the rich man in the Gospel reading becomes even clearer. It was his love for money that blinded him to the poor man, Lazarus. He did not see the poor man; he did not see the dog lick his wounds; he did not see the need for righteousness, fidelity, faith, love, patience and, gentleness for he could only see money.
My dear friends, people do not have to drop dead right in front of us to be a Christian in this world. And money need not be only thing that makes us complacent. In the world today,
820 million people are undernourished
1 billion people live on less than a $1/day
146 million children under age 5 are underweight
10 million children under age 5 die every year, over half of hunger-related causes
1 in 6 people is hungry
1 in 6 people lacks safe drinking water. (Data from Catholic Relief Services)
What makes us complacent? What stops us from acting? What does it mean for us to be a Christian? What is the meaning of this Eucharist? What is our “noble confession?” What is the character of a Christian?
As we participate in the Eucharist we will assume the heart and mind of Jesus to live as a good Christian. Amen
