The Word Of Peace
Homiletic Reflections On Peacemaking

Deacon Robert M. Pallotti

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

"Enterprising disciples"

The great opera singer, Martina Arroyo, once remarked, "There is no such thing as making the miracle happen spontaneously and on the spot. You've got to work."

Jesus confronts us with an extraordinary parable. He points out to many of those who equated piety with passivity, just being good, with a failure to understand that God's reign requires committed, transformative action. For Jesus, the reign of God is a free gift that summons all to accept it in being the Lord's agents for a more justice, peaceful and loving world. As these words are to be reduced to mere sentiment of goof intention. For the Lord it means the employment of our brains, ingenuity, cunning and action. The Lord reveals that the Father is concerned about all things of creation, and especially of what happens to people ! To illustrate what the Father is after Jesus uses the parable of the crafty manger.

In this parable Jesus makes the decisive point that, so often those often those questing after worldly power, wealth and prestige are often quite clever and dedicated to their ambition. In a real sense Jesus is saying, "Oh ! if only those who were pious would be so committed and so ingenious for pursuing the good, and being the transforming agents of the Father !"

For Jesus, as for the entire Scriptural tradition before him, faithfulness to the covenant encompasses obligations in all aspects of life. It is a central understanding of our faith that there is no place, no concern, no thing in creation that is not a concern of the Lord's. So all dimensions of life are important to the Lord--and that same concern is to be the concern of the truly pious.

We are in the midst of a turbulent campaign year for our nation. Much of the world is looking to the our nation for guidance and responsible participation in meeting the demands of out times. Yet for some politics, that is, how we get things done, is too dirty a business for them. They will remain clean and soil their hands--and as a consequence affect nothing. For others it is a fascinating business where unbridled ambition and cunning can lead to great power. For others it is holy task, one that seeks to transform a nations policies, values and direction. For a republic it is critical business. President Eisenhower once remarked: "Politics ought to be the part-time profession of every citizen who would protect the rights and privileges of free people and who would preserve what is good and faithful in our national heritage."

And former U.S. Rep. Barbara Jordan once stated:

"The stakes are too high...for government and politics to be a spectator sport."

And isn't that something like our Lord is saying to us. The stakes are too high to not commit ourselves, our talents, creativity, cunning and industry to the "building up" with the Lord, the reign of God. That is the piety Jesus asks of his followers.

Amos, the unrelenting prophet whose words from the Lord are a withering assault on those who mistreat, exploit, and forget their brothers and sisters in the Lord, especially those who are poor and powerless tells the powerful that they are accountable and to be responsible ! No hiding behind the "anthestizing security of stained-glass windows", Oh no !, the lord beckons all to go out and bring the Father's justice to this world. The prophet reminds the rulers; and the Church, in the prophetic ministry and spirit of Christ to do the same!

Escapism from the demands and realities of our world is simply a rejection of the Lord's call to discipleship. Issues, like global warming, war, racism, ethnic-cleansing , abortion on demand, the death penalty have no place in God's creation and will not spontaneously disappear , they will only begin to disappear when the piety of human beings is one that employs, sweat, work, sacrifice, and above all, prayer to the task of responding to the Lord's clarion call to help build the Kingdom of love, justice and peace, now!

Fr. Robert Drinan puts it this way:

"The churches located in the European and North American nations, must be very realistic and recognize that they cannot expect to have much credibility with the poor half of humanity--nearly 3 billion human beings--who live in blinding poverty with little or no hope that they or their children will have social or economic equality. These vast multitudes cannot believe that the Christian churches radiate love if these churches fail to work of justice."

Where do we begin ? Where the Lord began--with small dedicated groups committed to the Lord and the Lord's vision of the fullness of God's reign. We begin here, now, to do the work we have been entrusted to do, because there is simply too much at stake for us not to.

Deacon Robert M. Pallotti, D. Min.
Uploaded January 14, 2000