Word to the Wise
Sunday, October 2, 2022 - 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time - C
[Habb 1:2-3; 2:2-4; 2 Tim 1:6-8, 13-14; Luke 17:5-10]For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord....but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God. [2 Timothy] "When you have done all you have been commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.'" [Luke]
Every pastor is familiar with parishioners who seem to do everything they can possibly do and parishioners who will only do what is "commanded." In preaching parish missions over the years, I have spoken about the difference between being an "intentional Catholic" and an "accidental" Catholic. The "accidental Catholic" is one who has been born into a Catholic family, receives baptism, confirmation and First Communion, but for various reasons becomes more of an "occasional" Catholic - Christmas, Easter, weddings, funerals, etc. The "intentional Catholic" embraces the incredibly rich Catholic tradition of faith, learns about it and lives it openly and joyfully in good times and in bad. These are obviously caricatures but pastors will recognize the difference, and there are plenty of Catholics who fall in between the two. Nevertheless, the gospel and second scripture from 2 Timothy remind us of the gift of faith we have received and the importance of going beyond what is simply "commanded."
I remember my surprise when a very good Catholic student once asked me, "Is it true that Catholics HAVE TO go to church on Sunday?" This student was a faithful and intentional Catholic but was surprised that there was a divine mandate in the Ten Commandments about keeping holy the Lord's day! Humans, from the beginning, have resented being told they must or must not do anything! When faith is reduced to obligation it becomes merely formal and the gift is merely one of many rules and regulations. The "profitable servant" is one that goes beyond what is merely "commanded" and embraces the gift of "power, love and self control" that enables a Catholic person to bear "hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God." AMEN