Cycle C -- Homily -- 1st Sunday of Lent -- 06 March 2022
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Cycle C – Homily – 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time – 25 September 2022
Also called the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Lectionary I Lectionary II
Amos 6:1, 4-7 Amos 6:1, 4-7 with Psalm 146
Psalm 146:7-10 Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15 with Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16
1 Timothy 6:11-16 1 Timothy 6:6-19
Luke 16:19-31 Luke 16:19-31
Again today, the readings are about social justice. That seems quite clear! And again today, the readings from both Lectionaries are almost identical. (Personally, I wish Lectionary I included 1 Timothy 6:10 – “Love if money is the root of evil” – but alas, we just need to read it and keep it in mind. Lectionary II does include it.)
Although the Old Testament is filled with stories, regulations, mandates, anecdotes, and preachings on the importance of social justice in the lives of the Chosen People, Amos is considered to be the pivotal prophet of social teachings.
In today’s first reading, Amos describes the wining, dining, and self adulations of the rich and famous of his day. The key in this message, however, is not that these people had material possessions but rather that they were oblivious of the collapse of Joseph. In other words, their nation was falling apart and justice did not exist – either from the inside or from the outside – and these people who could have done something about it just plain didn’t.
The Psalm follows this message very nicely because the Psalm lists the social justice issues the Lord works on – feeding the hungry, giving sight to the blind, raising up the downtrodden, protecting strangers and widows and orphans, and so forth. There is hope!
In Timothy we are given our mandate for righteous living and the bottom line of righteousness is justice. Luke then sums up the lesson with the story of the rich man who was oblivious of the beggar Lazarus – a man who would have been happy with the crumbs from the rich man’s table. Again, as in Amos, the problem is not that that rich man had wealth; the problem is that he was totally unaware of the needs of others. Again we see the overriding theme of social justice. The New Testament theme was and is an extension of the Old Testament theme. Christ came to fulfill the law – and that law was the law of love. It was not the law of legalisms. We cannot complete our mandate to love if we do not work for justice. All of the works and deeds that Jesus charged us to do – feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, etc. – are all extensions of love and are all a part of this Christian umbrella called social justice.
We know these things. Perhaps we know them too well. We know, at least in theory, that Christianity is a religion of social justice. Of course, we don’t always like that. Sometimes we are so smug in our safe and secure isolationistic sense of the gospel that we are oblivious to the ultimate message of social justice, which is the real essence of the whole gospel anyway. We want our private devotions over our neighbor’s pain. It is easier that way. But which did Jesus say was more important?
Maybe part of the problem is that we do not really know how to implement social justice in our daily lives. For most of us, personal work with charitable organizations (whether public or private) is not really possible, at least not on a regular basis. We hear that we are supposed to do something – but we do not know what we can do or how we can do it.
I would like to suggest that social justice does NOT begin with the grandiose plans of church or state. Social justice is NOT just the spending of time visiting prisoners or the working in soup kitchens or the contributing of money to help clothe the needy or the working on political protests with like-minded folks. Of course these things are important! And of course these things are a part of social justice. And of course these things are the calling of some people, though not necessarily all people. But, I suggest that social justice begins much closer to home, much closer to the immediacy of each and every individual in his or her dealings with each and every other individual. I suggest that social justice is exactly what Amos and Luke both say it is – AWARENESS. And that awareness must necessarily be followed by action.
Social justice is not condemning the multi-millionaire because that person has wealth. To do so is both envy and self-righteousness. Rather, in keeping with the message of today’s scripture, social justice becomes what I can do in my immediate environment to fulfill that law that Christ spoke of. It is not about what the millionaire can do with his or her money. It is what I can do with my money. Social justice is how I can reach out – one person, one act at a time. This is the true righteousness brought out in Timothy.
Maybe I am not able to go to the jail to visit prisoners. But, how many people do I know who are prisoners in their own minds? Maybe just momentarily, maybe permanently – but they are still prisoners. Maybe the prisoners I can visit are those who present me with a problem they are struggling with. How can I be of maximum service? That is social justice.
Maybe I cannot work in a soup kitchen. But, how many people do I know who are hungry for knowledge and understanding? Maybe the hungry I can feed are those who need help just on a personal level. Maybe I can feed the hearts of people by listening to them. Maybe I can clothe people in understanding and respect. And how many people today, right in our own back yards, need that kind of food and clothing far more than they need physical bread? Again, social justice.
Maybe I cannot march in a peace protest. But, how often am I presented with a situation where I can bring peace on an interpersonal level? Maybe I can make a point of knowing – really knowing – where the other person is coming from. Maybe I can work on understanding all sides of issues instead of assuming I am right and lashing out at anyone who disagrees with me. That is working for peace and that, too, is social justice.
Social justice is not just a big theory out there in an ideal world. Social justice is a process that begins with each and every one of us in our dealings with each and every human being with whom we come in contact.
My own awareness of what I can and cannot do and my honest decisions regarding the carrying out of social justice in my own life are the real foundations of the social justice of the gospel. It is only when I can act with awareness and justice in my dealings with others that I can be a person who is involved in social justice. Then, if my calling is to work on a larger social project, so be it. I can do that. If my calling is not in that direction (and I will know this if only I listen), I am still a part of the social justice scheme because I am practicing what I believe and I am a part of the ongoing process of making the world a better place for all people. And my actions will be an example to others. And social justice will become a reality.
Dr Roberta M Meehan
