23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sept. 9, 2012
Fr. Joseph Eddy, O. de M.
(Full text of sermon) This past Saturday, September 8th, the Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Mother, a young man, Br. David Spencer, O. de M., made his Solemn Vows in the Order of Mercy. Very few Catholics today know what Solemn Vows are and even fewer have seen the Profession of Solemn Vows. This is without a doubt due to the lack of vocations to religious life that the Church has been experiencing. Forty years ago, almost every Catholic would have known somebody or had a family member who became a religious sister, brother, or priest. Today, we are lucky if we even hear of someone considering religious life.
Try to watch this video and not chuckleOK, a vocation is a serious matter, but sometimes there are things to laugh about. Watch our video, “Hearing God’s Call – Two Mercedarian Friars” on the of the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy. You’ll see Br. Matthew and Fr. Scott share some chuckles as they talk about their vocations.
Visit the Mercedarians’
Br. David will be making public vows of chastity, poverty, obedience, and the 4th vow of redemption. These vows are certainly counter cultural in today’s secular society. As we all know, vows are a serious promise made publicly to do something possible and good. Most people in the world make marriage vows in which they publicly profess their love and fidelity to another for life. But to make vows to chastity, poverty, and obedience may seem strange to many. We religious do this for a good reason; “for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven (Mt. 19:12).”
Simple, not shabby
The readings today focus on poverty, in which each religious makes a vow to live “for the Kingdom.” However, most religious do not wear the “shabby clothes” that we hear about in the 2nd reading. We are all taught in formation to take care of our clothes (no holes), but to try to keep them simple. Yet, Canon Law tells us that the one who vows poverty must be “poor in fact and in spirit (Canon 600).” The poverty of religious sisters, brothers, and priests is focused on living like Jesus did. The Scriptures tell us that our Lord had “nowhere to lay his head (Mt. 8:20).” Jesus and the apostles who followed Him had no possessions and held everything in common. So, those vowed to poverty should not have fancy things, but instead live as the poor do in the United States.
The poverty spoken of in the second reading is really destitution, or not having the basic necessities of life such as: food, clothing, shelter, and education. Destitution is a grave injustice and is against the dignity of the human person who is created in the Image of God. We can never be satisfied when destitution exists in our mist. Jesus shows us in the Gospels that he has a special “preferential love for the poor.” The Church continues to teach that every Christian should have this special love for those who are poor, especially the destitute. In the Beatitudes we hear the Lord proclaim, “Blessed are the poor in spirit….” This does not mean that we should be satisfied with any form of poverty. Even though we are a developed nation there does still exists some forms of destitution in America. This is something that all of us have a responsibility to eliminate.
Detachment from created things
Poverty of Spirit, though, is quite different from a lack of material goods. This term has to do with detachment from not only material things, but also persons and places. Of course all of God’s creation is good, but it must be used in the proper way. God is the center of our life and all other things find their meaning in Him. Religious Life allows some people to free themselves from possessions so that they don’t have undue anxiety about this world, but instead can focus on the world to come. A religious who is truly living his or her vow should be free to focus their attention on putting God first in their lives and loving others with the Love of Christ.
A very “poor” America
Each of us, religious or lay people, must have a primary love for those who are destitute in our society. We all have an obligation to provide for their needs. However, it is important to remember the words of Blessed Mother Teresa, who died 15 years ago this month. On one of her visits to the United States, she was quoted as saying, “this is a very poor nation.” Blessed Mother Teresa had lived and worked in the poorest parts of the world and yet she says that America is “very poor.” There are many types of poverty. Some are destitute because they are lacking the basic relationship to God that makes life meaningful. Others lack the basic knowledge of the dignity of the human person and the gift of life. They are surrounded by material possessions and yet are enveloped in a deep darkness.
What can we do to free ourselves and others from the many forms of destitution in our society? Well, we can truly strive for a poverty of spirit. It is hard to change others and some circumstances, but we can change ourselves. We can develop a healthy detachment from persons, places, and things. Our hearts were meant to be centered on God. Once we put our priorities straight, all else falls into place. We will then be able to love our families and others with a free self-giving love. Our eyes and ears will be opened to the true poverty that does exist all around us. We will see with the eyes of Blessed Mother Teresa who constantly saw Christ in “the disturbing disguise of the poorest of the poor.”