18th Sunday: Discipleship and Sacrifice

What defines a good Costco experience for you? (or insert Sam’s club, et al)? For me, nobody gets hurt. Costco for me is a microcosm of the human condition. It starts in the parking lot. There seems to be that one person who wants the closest parking space and will wait for the one person to empty out their full cart to get it. Meanwhile everyone behind them waits because they can’t get around, and oh, and they insist on backing into the spot. THEN, there are the free snacks, and the people that insist on getting them and eating them and talking about them, all the while blocking access to the aisle, never seeing the people backed up. All I want is my David’s bread, so close yet so far….

The Universe is incomprehensibly HUGE! The new James Webb telescope has shown us Galaxies that are over 13 billion years old.  Yet for some people the universe is only the size of them. Nobody else lives in the universe; at least nobody of consequence.


A valid critique of the Catholic Church in the USA; early 2000’s as the sex abuse scandal was finally breaking through…too many Bishops sought only to protect themselves and the “Reputation” of the church. Not all Bishops, but a number only wanted to protect them and their influence.

Self Absorption, nothing so destructive, so antithetical to God, to Jesus, to being disciples and to catholicism. Self-Absorption, when all that matters is me, myself, and mine. Self-Absorption, when the universe is too small.

God, the beginning and end of all, who fills the universe with being, so much so that the Universe rushes to expand to accept this gift;  God, the almighty and omnipotent one, so loved that God created, and gave of God’s self, through the Son, and became finite.

Jesus who gave of himself and forgave, welcomed, cured, and ultimately gave of himself for the good of all, so that all may know and experience God’s great love.


God is Self-Giving, not self-absorbed.

We give thanks for this at each and every Eucharist. Thanks for the “sacrifice” of the Mass. Sacrifice is not giving up, but giving of, or giving for…

Disciples follow Jesus. Disciples sacrifice, give of themselves, we give for the good of others, for the kingdom. So Self - Absorption ideally has no place with us.  Note the man of the parable, whom does he consult? Himself. Whom does he give his possession to? Himself. The parable is not just of greed, but self-absorption. This is not a parable that wealth is bad, but that only being concerned with my needs, my wants, my desires is.

Once I knew a guy, tried to be friends with him. Every time I would share some good news, it always turned to him. “Hey, I got a new car! Jeez, I never get anything new, I never get one.” Or even bad news “My knee is killing me!” “Really, I bet it does not hurt as much as my back.” Or “Tell me about your day?” I would get all the complaints, and gripes. But also never of “and you?” We all know them. I stopped that friendship, too draining.  

We all have known people that they insist everything must be about them; they will only participate if it conforms to them. So divisive, so destructive.

Then I know people, they share in the joy, they comfort when there is sadness. Their universe extends beyond them. They bring life. They listen. These are the ones who give without thinking twice, without conditions. These are disciples of Jesus. They see the people around them, and give.

Disciples of Christ, disciples want to expand into our universe. Disciples want to be true to their own selves as those Children of God. Disciples seek to be agents of healing, comfort, care… Disciples look to Heaven, to God, to above to guide us.

We follow Jesus. We celebrate Eucharist, we give thanks for the infinite possibilities God gives us to share in life.  We sacrifice in the truest sense.  We give of ourselves to forgive that person or persons who hurt us.  We give of ourselves for those who struggle to make ends meet.  We give of ourselves for and listen without prejudice, without judgment, with patience and seeking understanding.  And yes, we are called to give of our wealth, for the good of others.

All of this symbolized by people coming forward and placing their gifts into the baskets, then once again symbolized by people bringing up the bread & wine, which transformed by God’s grace becomes the Body and Blood of the beloved Son, given to us again, and again…

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