The Word Of Peace
Homiletic Reflections On Peacemaking

Deacon Robert M. Pallotti, D. Min.

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Stewardship of Money. The Earth, Each Other

Recently, five people were canonized in Rome. For those who have had the good fortune to get to see Rome the splendor and history of the city can be overwhelming. In a visit to Rome some years ago Rabbi Joshua ben Levi spent many hours walking through the great city and viewing several exquisite statues. Just prior to his ending his walk a beggar reached up and began tugging his coat. The rabbi looked down to see the beggar and then looked up to heaven and said:

O Lord, here are statues of stone covered with expensive garments. Here is a man, created in thine own image, covered with rags. A civilization that pays more attention to statues and than to people shall surely perish.

The readings of this weekend point us to a powerful critique of a society that forgets the poor and the suffering. St. James words seemed to be an unrelenting assault of the lifestyle of those that would elevate wealth to the status of God at the expense of faith—a faith that shows itself in sharing the goods of the earth. I have listened to these words for many years during the liturgy and have studied them in classes and from books. They hit hard each time. They remind me that as a rich person in this world I have great responsibility. And yes, I consider myself rich. I have a home, 2 cars, food and a job. Many human beings in this world do not have such things. Many have no job, no food, no home.

Our readings today are God’s voice calling the Church to leadership. This call is a leadership of service. This is a leadership that puts the sharing of one’s talent, power and resources at the service of the general uplift of the human condition and the world in which we live. The Church as been and is called to be a leader in speaking out prophetically against clear and dramatic threats to life such as war, abortion, poverty, political repression, assisted suicide and the death penalty. The Church calls all to respect the "seamless garment of life". It is a messianic Church pointing to the Kingdom of God in our midst and rapidly approaching in its fullness. It is Church that enfleshes the Lord and directing attention to the future arrival in a lifestyle committed to service and sacrifice borne of love.

These are obvious threats to life and the human character of our existence. Yet, not all threats to human dignity and life are so obvious. The Church has spoken to issues that affect the lives of others and their dignity from calling for a just wage for workers to challenging the conspicuous consumption of the very wealthy. Many folks may not think about it, but we all benefit from someone get low wages. For example:

+garment makers who work in sweatshops and are grossly underpaid, who produce our clothing;

+ farm workers who harvest the foods we eat who work long hours under the hot sun for wages below minimum wage standards.

Such folks keep the costs down so that companies can expand their profit margins and reward shareholders at the expense of those with little or no power to change such exploitative and oppressive conditions. The Church has long advocated a living wage. Along with this the Church has called for a sound environment in which all people can grow in every dimension of their existence. And yet, in Hartford the air quality is so bad that Asthma rates have risen dramatically in children. This is especially so in the poor Latino and African- American children. In Hartford 41% of children have asthma. I can’t remember the last time my wife came home from the children’s hospital without telling about such cases.

This Wednesday the church celebrate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of the environment. Such a feast day reminds us of our call to be good stewards of the earth. Yet it also calls us to be good stewards of one another and ourselves. Human beings can thrive, cannot be honored as God’s children fully until the scandal of poverty, war, racism, abortion and the like are things of the past. Over the years some people have questioned the Church's right and competence to issue these moral teaching on these issues. I directed them to Gospel, the prophets and to Jesus Christ. I also quote that most important document from the World Synod of Bishops, Justice in the World, referring to article six:

Action on behalf of justice and participation in the transformation of the world fully appear to us to be a constitutive dimension of the preaching of the gospel.

We know that changing our world in the image and power of the crucified and risen Christ will not be easy. But we have been called to share in the ministry of the Lord himself and to work together in obedience to God’s grace to effect change. This will require a new way of looking at things. It will require a change of heart. It will require a detachment from the things we accumulate and a willingness to share not only our resources but to ensure others the opportunities to live humanly.

The question then arises, "Where do we begin?" Well, I’m glad you asked that question! We can start by first committing ourselves to Live justly, to Advocate for policies that protect life and the Learn more about Catholic social teaching. Of course, this is incumbent upon us because we have all been called as Jesus’ followers to make sure every person has access to a clean glass of water, to three square meals a day, to gainful employment, and to the respect a human being, created in the image of God, is entitled to. Then we can be assured that indeed this society will not perish but instead thrive and grow in a way that does honor to God, the earth and one another. Taking the Jubilee Justice Pledge is our special way that we can begin anew this journey toward that kind of world.

Deacon Robert M. Pallotti, D. Min.
Created October 2, 2000