Happy Labor Day weekend! It's interesting that God put the protection of Jesus and Mary in the hands of a common laborer, Joseph, a carpenter. No matter who we are, no matter what we do, all of us, from a Christian viewpoint, have a mission to fulfill in life. Whatever our work is, do it well!
Also, at sunset on Monday our Jewish brothers and sisters begin their celebration of Rosh Hashanah , the start of their New year. The holiday is a time to reflect on one’s priorities for the upcoming year.
First a true story. President William Henry Harrison’s inaugural address was the longest ever. He spoke for over two hours, on a wintry day without hat or coat. He got pneumonia. A month later he was dead. So the lesson for speakers is: be brief.
So let's plunge right into Word of God for today.
Isaiah speaks about a new age in which the blind will see, the deaf will hear, and the rivers will flow. Yes, the Messiah will come. God’s word today asks us to remember that in times of darkness, God is our light; in times of brokenness, God is our healer; and in times of discouragement, God is our hope.
The operative message in this passage is to say to those whose hearts are frightened: "Be strong, fear not!"
The victims of the Ida storm and power outages in Louisiana, and flash floods in the Northeast need to hear these words.
And so too do the Americans and our Afghan friends left behind in Afghanistan, whose hearts are frightened: "Be strong, fear not!"
The Letter of James urges us to practice two fundamental principles of justice.
“Show no partiality”: treat everyone with the same respect for life, from beginning to end. We are made in the image of God. The other principle is “God’s preferential option for the poor.” Jesus says we will be judged by our response to the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the prisoner. In other words, what we do to others, we do to Jesus Christ. The so-called poor are "rich in faith." That's a profound connection.
In the Gospel, Jesus meets a deaf man, and takes him to a quiet, safe place. Jesus then “puts his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touches his tongue.” Notice: no exam gloves! Jesus doesn’t just use a fleeting word. By his touch, Jesus enters this person’s life and brings hope and healing.
The Aramaic word “F-fatha” can mean “be open” or “be released.” Jesus releases the man from his disability and also from his isolation: bringing him back into his family and community. It’s awful to feel isolated, isn’t it? Mother Teresa – her feast is September 5 -- said, “The poverty in the West … is not only a poverty of loneliness but also of spirituality. People hunger for love as well as for God.”
I would like to think that the word of God today is urging us to have a heart. Within each one of us is the heart of a spiritual champion.
Some of you may have heard of Seabiscuit: “Horse of the Year” in 1938. The story of Seabiscuit eventually became a national best seller and a movie.
Small, with crooked legs, Seabiscuit began his career with 16 losses. But a trainer was convinced Seabiscuit could be a winner. The trainer persuaded someone to buy the horse. The two hired a washed-up prizefighter as the jockey. Somehow, these three people saw a greatness that had eluded everyone else. The team worked. Seabiscuit began to win and win, and charmed our country in the midst of the Great Depression.
The story is really a story about “F-fatha” (the Aramaic word in today’s gospel). It's an “openness” to greatness. And that spirit is contagious.
In the waters of Baptism, God breathes his Spirit into us and the Spirit enables us to continue the work of Jesus: to be instruments of God’s compassion and generosity and love and forgiveness. And the result of spiritual greatness is moral character.
Our challenge is to be our best self. As the classical Greek philosopher Aristotle put it, “Excellence is never an accident … choice, not chance, determines your destiny.”
Our prayer in light of the scriptures may be that we be released from our fears, and from a self-centeredness that makes us “deaf” to God and “mute” in responding to someone in need.
Let us ask for God's grace to be open to the possibilities for spiritual greatness. Every day, opportunities to do good open up to us. Seize these opportunities! With God's grace, let us pray to "do all things well." Amen.
