27th Sunday in Ordinary Time – 6 October 2019

by SFXparish | Oct 3, 2019 | BLOG

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” The Lord replied… “When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’” (Luke 17: 5-6; 10)

A servant in ancient times owned no property and was not free in the way we understand freedom today.  The servant attached to an estate or household was wholly dependent upon his master who owned property.  In the evolving feudal system property was paramount; it was the large country estate that fed the economic system. Before the factory worker, there was the servant who was tied to the land and beholden to the master of the estate.

Understanding this master & servant relationship is necessary for evaluating the quotation above taken from one of Jesus’ parables in today’s gospel reading at Holy Mass.  The obligation of the servant to his or her master was not solely one of labor contracted and duty performed; it was also one of gratitude owed.  Before the world advanced on the notions of universal freedom and private property there were masters who possessed and retained, and servants who relied and obeyed.

In our time it is difficult to grasp these types of relationships – the patrician and plebe or the nobleman and commoner – which was as cultural as it was economic.  The ancient and medieval master/servant relationship usually existed for defense and in the absence of central government.  At its finest the good master commanded respect yet also cultivated the well-being of his tenants who came to trust his direction and virtue.  Noblesse oblige was once a way of life in which those privileged to have wealth were expected to act with generosity and care to those without privilege.  However, it was not a system based on our notions of freedom, education, and occupational mobility, nor did it fail in becoming oppressive, but at its best it rested upon authority and gratitude forming bonds of trust.  Thus to follow the instruction of Jesus and say that we are “unprofitable servants” under obligation means to say that we are grateful to build up the divine estate from which we receive its fruits.  The request of the Apostles –  “increase our faith” – is thus our common hope of being bound to God to gain all his graces.

For this 27^th Sunday in Ordinary Time we have placed on our bulletin cover a work by the Neapolitan master Franceso Solimena entitled Rebecca and the Servant of Abraham (1710). Solimena was a well-established baroque master in Naples (Italy) where he relied and built upon the baroque of Rome.

In this painting we catch the servant as he approaches Rebecca to become the wife to Isaac, Abraham’s son.  We see the servant as the true representative of his master dressed in the fruits of his master’s prosperity.  He carries gold in his left hand and offers a bracelet to Rebecca with his right so as to tie this around her wrist and bind her in betrothal to Isaac.

This servant is not oppressed and weak.  He is himself noble and he holds in his hands great wealth.  But as these are symbols of grace he claims these not for himself but as the possession of his master.  He has great trust in his master; he loves Abraham just as we should love God for all his mighty and gracious gifts.

–Steve Guillotte, Director of Pastoral Services

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time – 29 September 2019

by SFXparish | Sep 26, 2019 | BLOG

Thus says the LORD the God of hosts: Woe to the complacent in Zion! Lying upon beds of ivory, stretched comfortably on their couches (Amos 6:1; 4)

With Mass attendance suffering, parishes closing, and Catholic belief in doctrine such as the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist dropping off, we must admit that besides a damaging wave of secularism there has been a red tide of complacency in the Church that has brought us to this state.  True, we face challenges as great as in any pagan era; however we also bear the blame of being too slow to respond to these challenges and perhaps even too polite in our approach to an aggressive culture intent on stamping out Christ in the world.

This is not to suggest that the Church should become a counter-puncher or a bellicose adversary.  It should simply begin to do what it does best when it is at its best: proclaim the word of God clearly and distinctly, without reservations or hesitations, in love, but in perfect truth, without fear or doubt.

Doubt about speaking the truth will always leave a Churchman resting on a couch of complacency.  First he avoids speaking the truths of the faith because he does not want to offend or to appear negative or “mean”. He may even come to fear to speak the truth.  By avoiding church teaching on “controversial” subjects he may become more accepted by society.  This comforts him.  He finally rests in this comfort without realizing the he has put the Church and himself in danger; for in the end religious complacency is false consolation, a lack of awareness that the peril one avoids continues to grow in the absence of diligence and true devotion.

To further make this point, our bulletin cover for this 26^th Sunday in Ordinary Time dons the image entitled The Missionary’s Adventures painted in 1883 by the French Academician, Jehan Georges Vibert.

The subject of this painting is both obvious and chock-full of allegory.  Here we see a missionary just returned from spreading the gospel abroad.  He leans forward on the edge of his seat balancing on the tips of his toes, pointing to a wound he received; mouth open, eyes and head forward, all indicative of one who is steadfast in the faith and spirited in evangelism. He has an audience of three. On the far left is a cardinal holding a cigarette and a cup of tea leaning back with legs crossed and apparently now asleep.  To his left (our right) is another prelate sitting in a casual posture also resting on pillows with a look of skepticism or disapproval. The third person, an elderly priest or religious, wipes his eyes literally bored to tears (or is he wiping a tear in memory of his own missionary days, before he too became comfortable)?  Allegorically, this work should stir the conscience of every Catholic.

Now not every Catholic is called to be a missionary or evangelist; these are special gifts.  Yet all are called to be disciples, that is, to be pupils and followers of Christ.  The priests and the missionary which are here portrayed in Vibert’s incisive painting offer an opportunity for each of us to examine two sides of ourselves: the side that uses the gifts of God for personal gain and the side that uses these gifts for God’s kingdom.

Vibert prompts the disciple inside of you to favor the latter and so he “hangs” above his comfy couch Ribera’s Martyrdom of St. Bartholomew.  This painting-within-a-painting is literally the crux of the matter; for the Church cannot witness successfully in nicety and comfort, but only through the loving zeal of the cross of Jesus Christ.

–Steve Guillotte, Director of Pastoral Services

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time – 22 September 2019

by SFXparish | Sep 19, 2019 | BLOG

“Beloved… I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity.” (1 Tim 2:1-2)

It is not possible live heaven on earth. There are too many solicitors to sin such as the devil, our flesh, and of course the world itself. When the devil isn’t sowing sin in the heart and strife in society and our flesh isn’t leading us toward fear and doubt, the world is busy prodding us to takes sides against each other. Sinister snares, frightful worries and selfish desires all prevent man from being able to replicate the paradisal kingdom.

This does not mean that we should not raise up heaven as a model for life on earth. Citizens of heaven would lift the word of God as a hedge against the devil; would build up the Spirit as a bulwark against the fears of the flesh, and would elevate the virtues of truth and charity against the vices of avarice and jealousy. Most of all as citizens of the eternal kingdom we would be humble in the knowledge that we cannot find perfection and lasting joy on this earth which is still groaning to become a new creation (Rom 8:22). We would recognize suffering as a mystery, alleviate suffering as an evil, and endure suffering as in imitation of Christ.

And we would pray – constantly. This means that our lives would be a continuous response to an awareness of God’s everlasting presence. Every person would work to heighten their wakefulness to the Holy Trinity though the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our first prayer, being always acknowledgment and praise of the Lord, would spill out into prayerful petition for our needs and the needs of others; and in thanksgiving for what we have received and in contrition for having failed to honor our God-given freedom. We would pray particularly for all in authority either placed there by God or by our common decision; and we would expect our leaders to uphold devotion to the good, the right, and the beautiful so that human dignity would be respected at all stages of life and that peace and tranquility would thrive upon the earth.

In consideration of this we place on our bulletin cover for this 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time an image depicting St. Stephen of Hungary and Queen Gisela founding a church at Obuda, which now forms part of Budapest. This work is a colorful illumination contained in the Chronicon Pictum which was completed about 1373 AD, some three hundred and fifty years after the death of Stephen.

Here we see Stephen who united the ancient Magyars into the Hungarian Christian nation, with his Bavarian wife. Both king and queen elevate the church while they themselves are firmly fixed on the earth. They are on their knees, not laying the foundation of the edifice, but presenting an offering to God. As the highest authority of the state Stephen and Gisela are humbling themselves before the authority of heaven. They pray for strength to lead, wisdom to rule, and just judgment to benefit their people. Would that all our earthly leaders learn and practice this same devotion, so we might enjoy a bit of heaven on earth.

–Steve Guillotte, Director of Pastoral Services