Thirty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Have you ever noticed how so much of the gospel is concerned with money?  When Jesus describes God’s kingdom, he often uses images of coins, inheritances, paying back debtors, buying fine pearls and settling financial accounts in order to make a point.  Today’s gospel tells us that “to everyone who has, more will be given and they will grow rich.”

But we miss the point of all these parables where Jesus spoke about money and investments if we forget an important key to unlocking the parables: Jesus was making comparisons.  Because he was such a good teacher, Jesus was speaking in a way that people could understand.  He was using a popular art form of his time: exaggeration.  The more important the lesson, the more exaggerated the example Jesus would use to make his point.

And so, he was saying, “Look at what great length the children of this world go to hold on to their money.  Look how they will invest and even cheat to keep and increase their earthly treasure.  But you have a greater treasure: you have a vocation, a purpose in life.  You are worth more than the finest pearl, more than many sparrows, more than bins bulging with grain.  If the children of this world are so clever, so active, so risky in preserving and increasing their worldly treasure, why don’t you do the same with your human and heavenly treasure?  Do something about the gifts I have given you.”

Dorothy Day, who founded the Catholic Worker Movement, risked all for what she considered her Christian vocation: to feed, to clothe, to shelter the poor and to speak out against the sinfulness of war.  The cause for her canonization is a serious one in Rome.  What’s fascinating is her friends at the Catholic Worker seem to object to the possible canonization.  They don’t want to walk into a church one day and see a statue of Saint Dorothy Day.  Such a statue would mask the fact that Dorothy was a saint who was never complacent, never satisfied, about what was primary to the Christian life.

The gift of the human, the Christian life that you and I celebrate in this eucharist, must never be taken for granted.  Our daily choices and our daily prayer, our daily commitments and our struggles to renew our lives and to evangelize our world, are more important than all the possessions we have or seek to have.  Here today to speak about evangelization in downtown Seattle as part of our stewardship commitment is Michele Shaw.

Good morning Christ Our Hope,

It truly is a privilege to speak about Evangelization to you this morning, as it is to serve in this capacity for Fr. Paul and for our community.

As you know we have Liturgy, Stewardship, Hospitality, Finances, etc. But our Evangelization Committee is just me. I am delighted to invite all of you to consider being a part of this service with me, as I am absolutely certain we can do more to serve those that Dorothy Day served in her lifetime. There is such a need! I wanted to sum up a few things that we have done, and give a couple of highlights, to explain how committed and generous our faith community has been.

A lot of you know we support the Market Foundation. Because of your gifts, you have helped feed and house vulnerable seniors, open up a daycare for babies in the Pike Place Daycare, fund more mental health care and prescriptions with the Pike Place Medical Clinic, and provide food for many folks who wait in line to select items from our Food Bank in the Market. Fr. Paul and I tried to do a quick calculation a couple weeks ago; but I forgot some donations from a few events. Christ Our Hope has made an incredible difference, and I am sure Dorothy Day would be pleased to learn that we have given the Market Foundation close to $25K in 2014.

We have relationships with several vendors in the Market; and the one I truly cherish is what we have done for the WWC along with Frank’s produce. A year ago I asked for contributions for produce once a week for a year for the women who use the services next door. We collected enough to provide a great weekly gift. Every Thursday Sean Paul delivers a case of seasonal fruit and that comes from all of you. While the $45 a week isn’t a lot to many of us, in partnership with the Market, we have made a difference to the women Dorothy would have served. Isn’t that awesome? I really hope you will join me and continue with this gift in 2015.

But we can do more! We have restaurants, taverns and a winery now that gives Christ our Hope a 10% discount for events. Word has truly gotten around the Market Community of the difference we are making. I want to challenge each of you to reflect this week on how you feel you might be of service in this capacity. If you want to do a project with me, I have projects in mind but would love to hear what you want to do.  Right now I would love to have a couple volunteers, to deliver a letter from Fr. Paul and Mass times to all the Hotels downtown. This would take an afternoon walking around downtown Seattle, and spending a few minutes with the Concierge at the respective hotels talking about Christ Our Hope. This would absolutely get the word out to the holiday visitors that will soon flood downtown, and as you know, Fr. Paul loves having a full house.

Finally, I love the Adult Civic Group we have formed, and it has been really fun to get to socialize with a lot of you in this capacity. This is a great opportunity for you to invite someone to speak at one of our monthly events, and introduce us to someone else that is serving the population that Dorothy Day was so committed to.

One of my colleagues who does business law asked a few weeks ago, “Why do you love serving those who are less fortunate? Do they pay you for your time? Where does the fire come from to engage?”  I responded that it is the gift of trust that we receive from those that know our good intentions. And seeing trust in the face of another is so rewarding and feeds my soul. Truly that must have been Dorothy’s “payment” as well.  I will be in the lobby after Mass, and am happy to speak with you, or even just get your contact information today to follow up and set up a time and place for a conversation in the next month.

Have a good week, and I hope you will consider Evangelizing with me!

The human, Christian life that you and I celebrate in this Eucharist cannot stand still.  Evangelization involves change and risk, headache and heartache.  It’s a life worth living for and even dying for.  It’s a life that shares the Master’s joy!

Paul A. Magnano

Pastor