September 25, 2022
Fr. Pat’s Sermon Notes

Open Your Eyes and Your Heart…then your HANDS!

Today’s readings confront our tendency toward complacency (being content about a situation when you shouldn’t be) and apathy (being unconcern about a situation when you should be).  

The prophet Amos exclaims in the first reading: “Woe to the complacent in Zion who lie on beds of ivory stretched comfortably on couches...yet they are not made ill by the collapse of Joseph".   The reference to “Joseph” is really the “House of Joseph” or God’s people.  When is the last time you were made ill at the thought of another’s suffering. I remember feeling ill and helpless when an uninsured parishioner of mine in a previous parish couldn't afford the medicine to combat the cancer attacking her vital organs -- over a thousand dollars for a bottle of 30 pills or $37.00 per pill.  I recall feeling sick after reading about the Wall Street bail out in 2008 and how people lost their life savings, their jobs, their homes and their livelihoods while the greedy perpetrators not only avoided prosecution but were rewarded with bonuses and promotions.  I can still remember when it was confirmed on the news that there were definitely no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq after all. Imagine that… hundreds of thousands of casualties later! And we were so sure...  Maybe you felt ill after hearing that there were over 300 law enforcement officers outside a school in Uvalde, Texas awaiting orders while the gunmen inside mowed down students. Or, maybe you feel nothing at all. 
 
Sometimes becoming ill is a sign of good moral and spiritual health!  So is anger, when rightfully placed.  It becomes the necessary fuel for seeking justice   Complacency, on the other hand, in the face of grave injustice is a sign that something has gone terribly wrong!  This is illustrated clearly in the story of the rich man and Lazarus who though only feet apart in the same room, seemed to be worlds apart. It never dawns on the rich man that his fate and that of Lazarus are actually connected. But they most certainly are. God treats us and cares for us like we were his OWN children, because we are!  When we see our neighbor in need like OUR own, we start to SEE and CARE for them differently.  From a place of eternal torment, the story continues, the heartless man begs Father Abraham to send Lazarus back from the dead to warn his 5 brothers.  Even after his death he was still missing the point that eluded him while he was still on earth:  He didn't have five brothers to be concerned about.  He had a sixth.  His name was Lazarus.  Look around and find the “siblings” you have failed to notice.  By the way, do it TODAY. Tomorrow may be too late.