26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sept. 29, 2013
For the first time in over fifty years a Mercedarian Friar will set foot on the Cuban soil. The Order had its first recorded presence in Cuba in 1495 during the first voyage of Columbus. For hundreds of years the friars served in this country with a strong devotion to the Catholic faith. At the time of the Communist take-over, the Order had seven houses on this island. Yet, with coming of Castro’s rule in January 1959, the Order and most other religious institutes were told to leave the country.
Check out the new Mercedarian friars’ video of Pope Francis’ pro-life homily, given before he was Pope, below. The homily is heard against the exciting backdrop of World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro recently.
(Read the recent homily about St. Raymond Nonnatus on the )
Now so many years later, the three friars have re-entered the country and begun their ministry. The government has given us back one of our original houses. This return to Cuba is a sign of great hope, but it will not be easy for the missionaries who have to live in great poverty and under government supervision.Fled the country
In retrospect, it was not the religious institutes that suffered from the political turmoil in the country, but the people themselves. Thousands of refugees fled the country under threat of imprisonment or death. Many of these were the wealthy educated Cubans who appeared to pose a threat to the Communist government. One of these people was a friend of our community who fled to the United States with his father. They had been well off in Cuba, but entered the States with only 50 dollars in their pockets. Juan was only in in 20’s and had the desire to go to University. Fortunately this was a time when Catholic education was inexpensive. The Augustinians of Villanova were generous with Juan, giving him the opportunity to study. He would take advantage of this opportunity by getting not only a Bachelors but a Doctorate.
Juan’s story is not at all unusual for those Cubans who came to America. They, more than most of us, would understand what happened to the rich man in the Gospel today. He lived well and even “dined sumptuously each day.” In the parable, the rich man ignores the poor man at his door. However, in a few years the tables are turned as Lazarus is the one in paradise, while the rich man is in torment. Such a radical change in a short period of time. Few of us experience this in our lifetime. Many Cubans did, and learned some hard lessons about transitory nature of earthly wealth.
We are privileged
God willing we will never lose everything in this life, but we can learn from those who have that the things of this world are fleeting. Most of us are not rich, but in comparison with most other countries in the world we are very privileged. Just consider the variety of health and beauty items that we have for both men and women!! Aisles and aisles of items. People in other countries don’t have half of these items. In fact, many would be satisfied with generic toothpaste. In regards to food, they would die to have some of the “scraps” from our tables.
It is not our fault or choice to be born with wealth or in a wealthy nation, but Jesus is telling us today to be aware of the big picture. These surplus things that we many not want to live without will one day be of no consequence to us. Does this mean that we should give it all up? No, but the Gospel does call us to a bit of restraint in our use of the things of this earth. We are also called to generosity with the Lazarus’ in our neighborhoods and communities.
Many ways to help
The Church has long upheld the Corporal Works of Mercy as necessary practices for all Christians. They tell us we are to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead. We don’t have the physical poverty in the United States that other countries do, but we do have many people misunderstood and suffering from spiritual poverty. There are so many ways that we can help those in our community who are poor and marginalized. We do not have to do it all, but we must do something. The first reading today chastises God’s people for being “complacent.” It is important that we learn from the rich man’s mistakes and open our eyes to the poor in our mist.
Most of all, let us be respectful of the dignity of each human person. But for the Grace of God we could be in their position. Many in Cuba had everything and lost it all in a matter of months. Material things are good in themselves, but they are temporary and don’t bring true joy.
There is another world beyond this one. There, God makes all things right. He wipes away the tears of the weary bringing healing and justice to the oppressed. We can begin to be a part of that Kingdom now. Jesus invites us to become aware of Lazarus who is in our mist. May the Lord give us eyes to see from an eternal perspective!