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Sign & sacrament

11 Nov 2012 - Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

In praising the widow who gave her last two coins to the temple treasury, Jesus is not suggesting that you and I need to give away our last penny. Rather, Jesus acknowledges that it is often the poorest of the poor who show the greatest charity, who risk the most to be loving. Jesus criticized the scribes and priests not only because of their apparent stinginess in donating to the Temple, but also because people such as the widow were often made poor by those in power who laid religious taxes and excessive expectations upon them. It is the responsibility of governments, churches, and individuals not only to come to the relief of the poor but to prevent them from being crushed in the first place.

widows Charity relief of the poor

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Exploring the word

14 Aug 2011 - Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

There’s never been a good time to be an outsider. Social systems are designed to benefit members, and the welfare of outlying parties is not a consideration—normally, that is. Good governments make pacts with their citizens, clubs offer membership privileges, and most religions worth their salt promise salvation of some kind to constituents. Charity begins at home: The needs of those outside the spiritual home are not necessarily shouldered by those within. That is why I would never knock on the door of the very fine Methodist church on my block when I need assistance of any kind; they don’t owe me anything. In the same sense I would not hesitate to run across town to the church office of my parish for moral counsel or even a hot meal if I were in dire need of one. As a lifelong, dues-paying, churchgoing Catholic, I expect the church to “be there for me.” Stories of alienated Catholics often begin, in fact, with the discovery that a representative of the local church did not share that ideal. All of today’s readings overturn our presumptions about the relationship between insiders and outsiders and show us God’s perspective on the matter. Trito-Isaiah, writing after the return from exile, frowned on the dismissal of foreign wives and children embraced during captivity. Jewish identity couldn’t be squeezed from the lemon of ethnic purity. He encouraged a broad view of social unity that transcended narrow-hearted nationalism. As a prophet, he dared to claim that God did, too. As apostle to the Gentiles, Saint Paul dedicated his life to the salvation of outsiders. He even refused to insist that Gentiles become de facto Jews in order to merit the rewards of Christianity. Christ was too big and salvation too precious to be stingy with the gospel, in his mind. We may never know what really happened at the Council of Jerusalem, but we do know that Paul was determined to pursue his established course and cast the net wide. Jesus apparently reexamined his mission to the lost sheep of Israel when he encountered an outsider whose faith in him was stronger than the trust he got from his own disciples. This woman didn’t know the doctrinal details of Judaism or whatever it was Jesus and his gang may have been selling. She clung to the basics: Her daughter was in torment, this man was a healer, and his God compelled him to show mercy. Perhaps it wasn’t a matter of throwing the children’s food to the dogs but recognizing previously overlooked children. At Vatican II the church proposed to do just that with the pioneering document Nostra Aetate (“In this age of ours”). All of us, it says, form one community in God’s eyes. Related scripture links Isaiah's universal vision: Isa. 2:2-4, 11:9-10, 12:3-5, 40:3-5, 45:22-24, 60:1-7 Reconciling Jews and Gentiles: Rom. 1:14, 16-17, 2:28-29, 3:29-30, 10:12-13; Gal. 3:28; Eph. 2:11-3:6; Col. 3:11 Apostle to the Gentiles: Acts 9:15; Rom. 11:13; Gal. 2:8 Acts and the synagogue: Acts 9:20, 13:5, 14, 14:1, 17:1, 10, 18:4, 19:8 Healing of the centurion's servant: Matt. 8:5-13 Catechism links The response of faith: CCC 439; 448; 2610

Authors Alice Camille

outsider nostra aetate Charity trito-isaiah

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Homily stories

16 Dec 2012 - Third Sunday of Advent, Cycle C

In an unusual moment of foresight and planning, I ordered a $10 blonde wig online well in advance of Halloween for a costume my young daughter was planning to wear. When the wig arrived, I handed the package to my daughter to open. She was so surprised to see this essential piece to her trick-or-treat ensemble in hand ahead of schedule, she cried out: “Congratulations, Mommy! Congratulations! I am so proud of you!” I chose not to dwell on what that response had to say about my prior competencies as a parent or costume procurer, but I was confident that, at that moment, I had definitely done something right. The rejoicing was sincere. I had made my daughter’s day. The cause for true rejoicing often comes in these small moments of giving and receiving. Judgments of past shortcomings are set aside and we embrace one another in charity and thanksgiving. No anxiety—just simple joy: That is the peace of God that surpasses all understanding.

Authors Patrice J. Tuohy

Charity rejoice thanksgiving

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The cry of the poor

12 Jul 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The prophet Amos, from whom we hear this Sunday, urged the Jewish people to keep the needs of the poor always in mind. Pope Benedict XVI issued an encyclical Tuesday that calls for a new world financial order guided by ethics and the search for the common good. Caritas In Veritate (Charity in Truth) has been in the works for two years and its publication was delayed to incorporate fallout from the recent economic crisis. In the third encyclical of his pontificate, Benedict denounced a profit-at-all-costs mentality for bringing about the global financial meltdown. He pressed for reform of the United Nations and international economic and financial institutions to give poorer countries more of a say in international policy. "The economy needs ethics in order to function correctly--not any ethics, but an ethics which is people-centered," Benedict wrote. He has spoken out frequently about the impact of the crisis on the poor, particularly in Africa, which he visited earlier this year. But the 144-page encyclical marked a new level of church teaching by linking the Vatican's long-standing social doctrine on caring for the poor with current events. While acknowledging that the globalized economy has "lifted billions of people out of misery," Benedict pinpointed the unbridled growth of recent years as having caused unprecedented problems as well, citing mass migration flows, environmental degradation, and a complete loss of trust in the world market. He urged wealthier countries to increase development aid to poor countries to help eliminate world hunger, saying peace and security depended on it. He specified that aid should go to agricultural development to improve infrastructure, irrigation systems, transport, and sharing of agricultural technology. Father Drew Christiansen, S.J., editor of the Catholic newsweekly America and a leading social ethicist, said he was most intrigued by the pope's call for a new sector of society to work alongside government, market, and civil society: for-profit entities that work for the common good, which Christiansen suggested could include "fair trade" product makers and micro-finance institutions. "I am not sure these enterprises yet constitute a sector of economic life," Christiansen wrote. "But they are harbingers of a different, conscientious kind of economics that would not repeat the mistakes of the last 30 years." Source: An article by the Associated Press

Poor charity in truth encyclicals social teaching social doctrine economy drew christiansen fair trade micro-finance economics benedict xvi united nations caritas in veritate

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Faith communities open doors to Occupiers

04 Dec 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“The Occupy Movement is a current expression of humanity's long struggle for equality and justice. Every generation awaits ‘new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells,’ to use Saint Peter's words,” comments Patrice Tuohy in “Occupy peace,” a Story Starter in this week’s issue of “Exploring the Word.” As Occupy camps nationwide deal with police crackdowns and the onset of winter temperatures, religious communities of all stripes are stepping in with offers of shelter and solidarity. Soon after police forcibly evicted the original Occupy Wall Street camp in New York’s Zuccotti Park on November 15, many of the protesters began sleeping and gathering at local congregations, including Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village. “The eviction . . . really shifts what happens here, and it really boomed the movement, because immediately there was this network in place that we’d developed of communities throughout New York that were willing to open up their doors and house the movement,” said Rev. Michael Ellick, a pastor at Judson Memorial. Ellick and his colleagues got involved early on, marching to Zuccotti Park with a golden calf fashioned to look like the iconic Wall Street bull statue. Ever since phones have been “ringing off the hook” with churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and monasteries wanting to get involved in some way, he said. A recent poll by the Public Religion Research Institute and Religion News Service found that less than a third of Americans say the Occupy movement represents their values, but the police evictions seem to have boosted religious support for the demonstrators. According to Ellick, more than 1,400 faith leaders from around the country have signed a pledge of solidarity with Occupy protesters, many of them jumping in only after police cleared Zuccotti Park. A new interfaith coalition calling itself “Occupy Faith DC” hosted a free Thanksgiving meal at a historic Washington church for about 300 of the protesters, including a small group that had just marched in from New York City. “Churches traditionally do charity pretty well,” Ellick said, “and this is a moment where that charity gets transformed into justice work and they can start to see that there are underlying causes here that we need to address.” Sources: An article by Josef Kuhn for Religion News Serviceand a "Prepare the Word" Story Starter by Patrice J. Tuohy

Justice Charity new york city churches occupy wall street judson memorial church michael ellick

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Generous shopper makes a closing Kmart special

27 May 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Generosity and kindness are among the fruits of the Spirit Saint Paul lists in the reading from the Letter to the Galatians this Pentecost Sunday. A Kentucky man gave admirable expression to those qualities last week when he purchased the entire inventory of a closing Kmart store and gave it to a local charity.Rankin Paynter was buying supplies at the Kmart for his business when an idea hit him. He asked the cashier what they planned to do with the store's inventory when it closed. The cashier responded that it would go to "Kmart power buyers." Paynter became a kind of "power buyer" himself, spending $200,000 to buy the store’s entire inventory—ranging from clothes to office supplies—and decided to give it to local Clark County Community Services charity.Paynter is a successful businessman but had a rough time when he was growing up. "It was hard sometimes," he said. "Tied rags around my feet sometimes, too. I only had summer slippers."Paynter said he has seen a lot of economic suffering at his jewelry exchange. "What I see is people coming in my store, needy people sell their stuff," he said. "It's bad nowadays. I just told [the clerk] let's just give it away to charity." Source: A posting by Mike Krumbolt for The Upshot (Yahoo News)

Charity kmart rankin paynter

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Fewer Americans losing their jobs

12 Apr 2015 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In the early church, “there was no needy person among them,” the reading from the Acts of the Apostles this Sunday informs us, as the first believers cheerfully relinquished “mine” for “ours.” In modern times, those in need due to job loss apply for unemployment benefits. The good news is that the past month has seen the lowest number of such applications in almost 15 years, signaling continued strength in the U.S. labor market and economy. Homily hint: Our “social net” is a set of public programs designed to assist those facing economic challenges as they try to make a better life for themselves and loved ones. In many ways it is based on biblical values of community love and charity. Let’s make sure that this net remains intact—we never know when it might be one of us who needs support. For more on unemployment claims, see: Jobless Claims in U.S. Over Past Month Lowest in 15 Years

Charity christian values joblessness social net

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Homily story of the week

08 Nov 2015 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Few banks offer them anymore, but Christmas club accounts were once popular ways to save for holiday spending. You put away a small amount every week for a year, earned a tiny bit of interest, and couldn’t access the money until November. My grandmother did this for all 13 of her grandchildren. At Thanksgiving, she presented us with our holiday money. It was the same amount each year and it wasn’t much, but to a small child, it seemed like a king’s ransom. (Although one year, my cousin Daniel suggested we get a raise for inflation. His request was denied.) Strings—of a good kind—were most definitely attached to the gift. We were supposed to spend it on others—primarily on Christmas presents for our family. And we had to donate a portion of it to a charitable cause; we could choose how much and to what, which was an empowering decision for a kid. However, this wasn’t entirely a lesson about giving. Grandma said we could also buy something small—emphasis on small—for ourselves. We didn’t have to prove what we did with it, and she never asked, but knowing that it wasn’t an easy sacrifice for her to save that money made us want to do the right thing. Source: Exploring the Word for Sunday, November 8

Authors Jennifer Tomshack

Generosity Charity christmas presents saving

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Homily stories

20 May 2012 - Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, Cycle B

Julius Rosenwald was a generous man. After serving as president of the Sears company from 1908-1924, he concentrated on philanthropy, giving away $63 million—$630 million in today’s dollars—to educational and cultural institutions and Jewish charities. Of special interest to him was the African American community. In partnership with Booker T. Washington, he used challenge grants to fund 5,000 public schools to give poor rural African American children the opportunity to learn to read and write, and also paid for 4,000 libraries for existing schools. In an era when Y.M.C.A.’s were for whites only, he led the effort to create 25 Y.M.C.A.’s and Y.W.C.A.’s for African Americans in cities across the U.S. Whether it was helping impoverished Eastern European immigrants in Chicago or giving African Americans greater access to education and housing, Julius Rosenwald, a great man of great wealth, cared about and came to the assistance of the outsider and disadvantaged. The Ascension of Jesus is about the power of change and the possibility of transformation, about a God who was willing to reach down to humanity and bring it up into divine life. We can participate in that process by reaching out ourselves and helping to change the life of our neighbor.

Authors Joel Schorn

Ascension Transformation Charity philanthropy

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Homily stories

26 Sep 2010 - Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Father Daniel Berrigan, S.J. once told the editors of U.S. Catholic that when it comes to responding to social ills, "no person, even with the most fervent of wills, can do everything. But every person can do something. And the moral distance between doing something and doing nothing is momentous indeed." Here are a few examples of that difference: Pick one cause a month to read about and respond to (with however little you have to give) vs. throwing out all charitable solicitations unread. Smile at one person you don't know as you walk down the street vs. maintaining a perennial scowl on your face. Let it be known that you don't appreciate vulgar, racist, or otherwise offensive comments the next time you hear one spoken vs. going along with the crowd. Offer one compliment to a family member or coworker, no strings attached, vs. assuming they know you appreciate them.

social justice Charity works of mercy

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