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Fr. Daniel Dreher
West Texas A&M University
Canyon, Texas
In our recent Scripture readings at Mass, we have spent quite a few weeks focusing on discipleship. Now, understandably, as a priest, one would likely think that the readings on discipleship are most attractive. However, over the past two weeks, I have found myself caught up in the readings, as the sense of stewardship seems to be ever strong as an undertone of the readings.
Just last week, while pondering on readings of the twenty-fifth Sunday in ordinary time cycle C something struck me. Priests put forth their best efforts to prepare a homily for the weekend that not only brings light to the Scripture, but also brings the message down to a layer of truth. It was then that I fully realized that there was something burning inside of me. Recall a few weeks back now. The first reading from Amos ended with the phrase, “The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Never will I forget a thing they have done!” While this reading is quite short, the profound notion that many times we like to “fix” or establish within our own head a desire to make ideas or notions acceptable through our own thought or reason is powerful.
As we continued on throughout the reading of the Gospel, it referred to the squandering of money by a steward who worked for a rich man. That message really brought into question the multiple times that we, ourselves, do not give or make amends in our own lives until we are put on the spot or questioned about our actions. In retrospect, I really felt a sense of pride, thinking that I provided a stellar homily on the notion that we must all step up to the plate and help our neighbors and made myself & others really think about why it seems that, as humans, we need someone or something to initiate our actions.
Little did I know at that point that as I made preparations for the next week’s homily that I would need to go back and “eat” my words. Thinking about, speaking about, and acting on those thoughts & words brought a conversion in my own heart last night, which, in turn, resulted in so much more power to my homily today.
This week, as we focused on the twenty sixth Sunday in ordinary time, the second reading from Timothy really brought Paul’s message to the forefront to me in a whole new way. For the past few years, I have constantly told the college students that God truly does reward you for the gifts and gestures that you offer to other people, and honestly, today I feel like God gifted me with my homily for the week and that I might have learned more from that than did anyone else who was “tortured” by having to listen to it.
In all my enthusiasm to preach the Gospel and bring in my new “zinger” line for the end of the Gospel about how, like Lazarus, we can really find ourselves split in a chasm in the world, I reflected about how if we don’t get the message that was delivered by Abraham and Moses then why would we understand it if it were delivered by one who returns from the dead? This led to my most recent epiphany.
I found myself sitting at the Holy Cross fundraiser the other night and felt their absolute need for a new bus, and I reiterate, they do need a new bus. As I sat there with some friends of mine, I became quite disgusted by the low bidding on one of the items and said to my neighbor, “This is ridiculous; these items should go for much more than that!” My neighbor responded, “Well, let’s bid! I’ll split it with you.” After we won our item in the live auction, I thought to myself, “Man, this item is totally worth what we paid. Isn’t it just too bad that a priest on a limited budget outbid all of the other people in attendance on this item?” Shortly thereafter, my own little self-worth party was going into overdrive, I got up & purchased fifty-fifty raffle tickets. Once again, that little voice inside was shouting out, “Great! Good job!” Isn’t it human of us to “do” little things to make up for what our behavior should have been to begin with?
About twenty minutes later, low and behold, my name was drawn. I actually won the fifty-fifty drawing and my “cut” was only seven dollars less than my portion of the live auction item. As I looked into the eyes of the mother who was about to hand me my winnings, I thought…It’s like that crazy steward in the Gospel! Moments before winning, I had just made a tacky comment about how people needed to do more and had even felt high on my horse because I had stepped up and donated & then won the pot. So, as a result of my own guilt, I told that mother to keep my portion as well.
Before you think that this little article is all about this over-ambitious priest of the diocese & his do-gooder ways, please hear me out in the following few lines, because when God speaks, I really think He speaks to us at our core. Following the fund raiser on Sunday, I had the pleasure of celebrating Mass three times. It wasn’t until I celebrated the last Mass that I was to celebrate at the Student Center when I really felt that God was teaching me more than I could have imparted on my audiences during the entire two weeks.
As I stood before my own congregation at the student center, I told them to remember that we give and do so freely because we never know how God will bless our lives in return. I challenged them, much like the reading of the week (again from Timothy), to learn to give not only when people are in need much like Holy Cross and its’ need for a new bus, but to give to people even when you might not feel able to. That’s the point at which we allow God to teach us about those spiritual gifts that we need to depend upon more so than money in our pockets or wallets. The spiritual gifts that Timothy referred to include faith, love, patience, and gentleness. These are the gifts that have no monetary price, but bring us so much that will assist us on our spiritual journey.
It seemed like the students understood the bigger picture & where my homily was coming from, because many times I use examples from daily occurrences throughout the week. Well, low and behold, this week, during my Mass, little angels came into the student center and lined the entire kitchen cabinet with food and snacks for the students. This gesture has truly stopped me in my tracks on this night. All weekend, I had preached a message that when we give we never know how it will be returned and that God will reach you in the most peculiar of ways. God has certainly amazed me once again and has caused me to reflect on the words I have preached.
The message of giving and giving freely (which became my “high-horse” theme in the readings after attending the fundraiser) became the humbling notion that while I tried so hard to encourage people to help raise money for a bus at another institution, someone was secretly plotting a way to help with my ministry. And that is what has brought my heart to peace this night and has also erupted a stirring within me. I always tell people give and give freely because it will come back either materially or spiritually in your life if you just wait & choose to see it. And, today, when students came running to me after Mass saying, “Someone brought us food,” I chidingly reminded them that people had been dropping items off over the past two weeks. This week, though, when I thought I was already reaching deeply, God inspired someone else to teach me the greater lesson. When I walked into the kitchen tonight, I saw an entire island filled with a variety of foods beyond my hopes or expectations! That is when I realize maybe the message being shared over the past two weeks was actually more for me than for anyone else I had ministered to during that time.
It is with great joy that I challenge each one of you by sharing this simple story today; whether it be through a small gesture or completed in a grand fashion, either by donating to your church, through the fulfillment of your UCA pledge, by providing some funding to Holy Cross for a bus, or even by offering support to another charity or ministry in the church…give! Give not only because it’s our obligation, but give with the faith and assurance that the message from Amos is true, “The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Never will I forget a thing they have done.” What does the Lord have in store for us? We may not realize it at that precise moment, but we do know there is a blessing - not only for those who receive but for those who freely give! Be that blessing to someone this day and allow others to be a blessing back to you!
