25th Sunday Equity and Reality

Do parents still tell children fairy tales and folktales? You know like Goldilocks and the three bears, Hansel & Gretel, Three Little Pigs? Or how about that tale from Hans Christian Anderson, “The Emperor’s New Clothes.”

That one, synopsis, a vain emperor who spent a lot of money on clothes meets two con men who tell him they can weave a special cloth so sheer, so brilliant that only the most intelligent and sophisticated can see it. The Emperor tells them to make him clothes out of this. They “Get to work”, and court officials come by to observe, yet seeing nothing but in their own vanity and own fear, say nothing.  At last the new clothes are ready, the con men vest the Emperor in these new clothes, and he parades in front of the people, who too are unwilling to state reality. It takes a young boy to speak the truth: the Emperor is naked.

Reality, the way we see it, is directly influenced by our minds. If we expect to see something, then we will. Our philosophy, conscious or unconscious has an effect on how we view reality. This can have detrimental effects on our world.

If we see people as inherently bad, selfish, sinfulful, then that is what the world is. All we see is badness, gloom and doom. Our reality will be that there is no use trying to fix it, let's just get through this world the best we can and get into heaven. Our reality is that our lives will be spent here on earth in fear of the other; angry at the other.

Sound familiar?

Fr. Anthony DeMello writes that salvation is to “wake up” to a greater reality.

Jesus comes to wake us up.  Jesus’ salvation is that we wake up to a greater reality, a reality beyond our own vanity, our own ego, our own sinful selfishness, and see, therefore act differently.  To be awakened to the Reality of the Kingdom of God, right here on earth.

Because the reality is, as we believe as Christians, that this world is good; we believe that all people, created in the image of God, are very good.  Our work is to bring forth that goodness.

Jesus’ parables and this parable hopefully shocks us to a different reality.  The backstory of this particular parable is that the landowner does initially what is expected; he needs workers so he hires in the marketplace, sets the contract, and the expectation is that these men will honor that contract. These are the men who would be hired day after day.

The others he hire at later times, these are men who would be less than desirable; maybe foreigners, maybe ill or crippled, maybe considered outcasts, yet there they are looking for work so as to support their families. They remain unhired because people. People would only see them as rejects. And day after day they would remain without the means to support their families.

The Landowner sees these people and honors them by hiring them. He gives them a means to buy food for their wives, their children, to have a home.

Those who were initially hired, what do they see? Only themselves and their own potential gain. Do they see the incredible act of charity, generosity, bravery? No. Their reality is only themselves.  The Kingdom of heaven is to see people as Good. The Kingdom of Heaven is the reality in this world in which all people are honored, and given the chance to participate in life. The Kingdom of heaven is to see the reality that we are all connected and responsible for and to one another.

Jesus continually shocked people to make them see others different, to help change their view of the world.  He forgave those who sinned. He healed those who were sick. He attended to the Gentiles and even the Romans, to the shock of the religious leaders, and probably to his own disciples.

Jesus needs to shock us too; to get us to open our minds, our hearts, to our eyes to a greater reality. Our tendency is to think too small, to narrow; maybe because we think it will make us feel safer. That safety is an illusion.

There are people hurting now in this world. There are people being denigrated right now, by others in this world, by Catholics who dare to even receive the body and blood of Christ. This is NOT our faith.  There are people who want to support families, grow as human persons; who want the rights that many of us right now enjoy without much thought.  And they are being held back; because too many of us only see through fear, through selfishness, through sinfulness.

Christ died for all, and was raised for all.  So that we can be awakened to see the dignity of all, and work for that dignity; no matter skin color; no matter what country they come from, no matter gender, no matter whether still in the womb or at the end of life; no matter whether they stand condemned or innocent; no matter what political party.

Who did St. Francis see the leper he embraced? A child of God.

Who did St. Mother Theresa of Calcutta see in the slums? The children of God.

Who did St. Peter Claver see on the slave ships in the new world? The children of God.

Who does Fr. Greg Boyle see in the inner city Los Angeles? The Children of God.

“Interaction Institute for Social Change | Artist: Angus Maguire.”