Going to a Party. (2022-08-28, Sunday - 22)

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 2022-08-28 – 22^nd Sunday   

Title: Would you trade places with me?

● ● Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29  ● ● Psalm  68  ●●   Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a ● Luke 14:1, 7-14 ● ●

[__01 / 02__]  Would you like to go to a party, to a celebration? If you say, YES, now, you may need a reason later to “back out” or reverse course. I have used some of these excuses myself!

[__03__]      The Gospel writers frequently report Jesus and his disciples at parties, at social engagements. On the one hand, such parties “showcase” Jesus, connect him to people beyond his inner circle and these new folks and followers the opportunity to review or rebut him – thumbs up or thumbs down, kick his tires. Jesus is an invited guest. These celebrations are not just social events but also reminders that God has a banquet – that we are called to prepare for, to schedule ourselves for, and even move other things around so that we can make it.

            And, while many of our own social engagements and lives include a family, a spouse, children, when it comes to God’s banquet, you – I – each of us – is a party of one. Jesus is waiting to be invited into your life, your calendar.

             

[__04__] Are you committed to this Kingdom of God / party with Jesus? Am I committed? Would you, would I really like to attend?

 

[__05__]  I’d like to touch on this festive setting of the Gospel dinner party and the “selection of seating” in light of my own perception of a recent wedding reception, last Saturday in New Jersey where I am from.

            I with a regional accent from down there; I am not from around here.

            Of the festivities, there was [LOCATION]   ..  [PRESENTATION / PREPARATION] …. [PROCLAMATION]

 

[__06__]   [1^st LOCATION – Where is it?]

            My friend’s daughter was married in a Catholic parish last weekend. I was honored to be part of their journey both pre-nuptial and actual nuptials in church.

            Knowing this was my friend’s daughter, I also knew I would be invited to the wedding reception afterwards. Both the church and reception were about 1 hour away from my regular parish GPS, latitude and longitude. I had permission from the pastor to be away; i.e., I gave myself permission.

            Where is it?

            I must have checked and re-checked the location and route from church to the reception at least a dozen times, then a few more times for the rehearsal dinner location which was someplace else.

            After the wedding rehearsal, the night before the wedding, I asked my friend what route and roads he would take to the rehearsal dinner. He told me had not really thought about it much, but would just enter the restaurant address into the WAZE app or GPS and follow the instruction. I thought… what faith! What confidence!

            Of course, if I truly loved with all my heart and mind and soul Almighty God and my neighbor as myself, then, I would have been more concerned with the location of God for this couple and for rather than NJ-NY roads and traffic. I’ve been corrupted by sin and satellite street location. I should invite Jesus to my party of one.

 

 [__07__]      [2^nd  PRESENTATION– How do I look?]

            At this wedding, I’d be the priest celebrant of the Mass in church, for the bride and groom.  And also, several of my oldest friends were there.

            We had been to many weddings before together. I was always in the pew with them. Now I was on the altar, here.

           This led to another question about…

 [__08__]  [3^rd PROCLAMATION – What will I say?]

            Perhaps, more than necessary, I knew these friends also knew my every facial tic and gesture. So, I had better be “real” while also being responsible for the Gospel message.

            While including my own narration and perception, the true “animator” and “illlustrator” is not me but the Holy  Spirit.

             [][]][]

Marriage is a sign of stability, of peace.   The sacrament of matrimony is about stability – even in world that usually will throw every husband and wife, every mother and father, curveballs. When I was about 14 years old, I was one of the 1 altar servers at my NJ where there would regularly be “solemn”, “serious” weddings on a Saturday afternoon.

          At this time, I had truly never been to any wedding of any kind. The solemnity of these very first weddings impressed me.

I was very impressed at such a moment that the bride and groom were so impeccably well dressed yet they could hardly pronounce their own names.

They could hardly say the words of their vows and they might burst into tears at any moment.  Riding home on my bike, I thought, “That was weird.”   Then again I was 14.

I also realized that the solemnity, eagerness, anxiety of the couples – in real life – IRL as we text and say today – was more dramatic than anything on TV. Truth is stranger than fiction. This is the solemnity of marriage.   That is not my word but God’s word presented to me for me to pray about, think about. [][]][]

[][][]

 [__09__]  Jesus gives us something to think about, pray about, in this invitation to a party.

            And, in this party, in his kingdom, there are going to be many guests we might meet along the way.

            Each guest is a party of one, like you, like me.

            At a large gathering, you may see people of whom you have not given a second thought. People may see you or me and realize that they have never given us a second thought.

            Now, the question is – do you want to be at this party? You may be outside your “comfort zone”.

            I am not invited by Jesus into a comfort zone, though I may end up looking for one.

            On my way to the wedding reception, I followed all the GPS instructions – and learned to have at least a technical confidence in these “commandments” .  Arriving at the reception, I immediately sought out my old friends, my people, the people I knew.

            I only had a limited amount of time. I had better make my presentation at this location worthwhile.  But, unfortunately, this also meant being more concerned about my seat than giving up my seat.

 [__10__] Jesus is inviting us to have a new attitude of love. What is love? Augustine’s classic definition is that love = to will, to desire, the good of another.

            The theologian Josef Pieper defined this equating the statement “I love you” with “it is good that you exist.”  And,  God’s love brings us into – holds us in – existence.

            What if the other person – what if another person – is very different from – or difficult to – me?

            Jesus challenges his disciples and you and me to consider what party we are in and what we expect to find there.

What if we encounter someone who is alone.

 [__11__]   There will be people who after this Mass will go home alone and whether you go home alone or not, you are called to pray for those whom you meet here and even for the parishioners of Immaculate who may not come to church.

            Jesus is asking you to give your place your prayer for such a person.

 [__12__]     Now, perhaps, you cannot explicitly trade lives or trade places in the way novels or some Hollywood movies might portray.

            But, are there not opportunities when you visit someone who is ill, or take care of someone who cannot much for himself or herself. In this way, you are trading places.  You are doing what you would you want done for you.

            Also, by fasting and going without food or something enjoyable for some period of time, even fasting for those who are hungry and homeless, you are trading places, taking a lesser seat .

             I am far from perfect in these practices.  Even when I am sacrificing, I may lack commitment and wish to cut out early.

            This why Jesus gave up his life for us.

            The party he is attending is not only a symbol of Easter resurrection and heavenly glory.

            It is also a symbol of Good Friday and our own suffering and difficulty and differences.

            Jesus Himself takes the lower place for our sins. He wants us to join him, sooner rather than later and to recognize that even if we have comforts in this life, even if we have “reserved seats”, we are really the crippled, the poor, the blind, the lame,we need God’s strength to be more like him, to find his location.  [__END__]