A Selfless Servant, A Light of the World

A selfless servant died last week, and today I had the privilege to preach at his funeral.

            I have a confession to make.  A few years ago, Randy and I were building sets for the Immaculate Conception School production of Beauty and the Beast.  For those who may not have seen a Frey Family production at ICS, the set consisted of a raised platform supporting plywood panels that served as the canvas for the various scenes.  Scenes were changed by removing or flipping the panels.  We had just finished hanging the last two panels when we noticed a small gap – maybe 2 inches wide – at the very bottom of the middle panels.  To fix it, we would have to take down the entire backdrop and reassemble it slightly off-kilter to make the panels fall together evenly.  Randy suggested that he send a picture to Carole to see what she thinks.  I said, “Are you out of your mind?  It will drive her crazy, and we’ll have to fix it.  Let’s just leave it and see if she notices.”  Randy sent the picture, and we spent the next two hours reassembling the backdrop.  Randy Frey was a far better servant than I will ever be.  He was a selfless servant, a light of the world, the kind of servant Jesus calls us to be.

            Our readings this afternoon present two characteristics of Christian discipleship that seem to contradict each other.  On the one hand, Saint Paul exhorts the Philippians to be selfless, to humbly regard others as more important than themselves in the model of Jesus Christ.  On the other hand, Jesus encourages his disciples to be the light of the world so that all may see their good deeds and glorify God.  Humility versus the spotlight – how do we reconcile them?

            Let’s start with humility.  “The great characteristics of Jesus’ life were humility, obedience, and self -renunciation.”[1] Jesus emptied himself to become human, to dwell among us, to serve us, and to serve God selflessly and obediently to the point of humbly accepting death on a cross.  We Christians are called to live our lives with Jesus as our model.  We’re called to live as humble, selfless servants, looking out not for our own interests, but for the interests of others.  “If we live only for ourselves, we shrivel up and die. . . . Our true meaning is found in a loving gift of self.”[2]  We are all called by God to serve our sisters and brothers in such a way that people will ask, “If such is the servant, what must the master be like.”

            That brings us to the spotlight.  Jesus told us that he is the light of the world, so what does he mean when he says that we are the light of the world?  Well, Christianity is meant to be seen. There’s no such thing as secret discipleship: either the secrecy destroys the discipleship, or the discipleship destroys the secrecy.[3]  People who humbly serve with Jesus as their model radiate the light of Christ in their hearts.  Just as a spotlight draws our attention to the star on the stage, our humble, selfless good works draw people not to us, but to “the one Morning star that never sets,” Jesus Christ.

It isn’t easy to balance these seemingly contradictory characteristics of discipleship.  We can’t be so humble that we feel unworthy or become embarrassed by serving others, and we can’t shine so brightly that we braggadociously draw attention to ourselves and away from Christ.  It’s a balance, but a balance well worth the effort, because the reward for modeling our lives after Jesus is nothing less than eternal happiness, peace, and love.

Fortunately for us, we were blessed with a beautiful example of this balance in Randy Frey.  Randy was a humble, selfless servant.  He never did anything out of selfishness or vainglory that I know of; he always seemed to put the interests of others before his own.  Interestingly, Carole, Kyle, and Brett each separately shared with me that they worried that Randy didn’t think that people noticed him.  Well, Randy, we noticed.

+ We noticed Randy the roadie setting up and taking down all of the equipment at every gig, recital, concert, and performance.

+ We noticed Randy the stage manager making sure that every detail of every performance was tended to, down to a lousy two-inch gap in the scenery panels.

+ We noticed Randy the House that Rocks concierge, who always greeted us with a smile, a kind word, and a genuine interest in how we were doing.

+We noticed Randy the proud and devoted husband, father, son, brother, and son-in-law, who found his meaning as a loving self-gift of tireless support, encouragement, and comfort to his family.

+We noticed Randy the faithful, selfless servant, the light of the world, never directing our attention to himself, but to Jesus.

Now it’s time for us to show that we noticed.  If we really noticed, then we, too, will live our lives as humble, selfless servants, letting our lights shine brightly for the glory of God the Father as we serve our brothers and sisters.  There’s no better time than now.  As we mourn Randy’s death, we can either hide under a bushel basket, feeling sorry for ourselves, or set our lamps on a lamp stand, showing our faith in the Resurrection we celebrate today and leading others to Christ through selfless service.  Randy wasn’t perfect, and he suffered his share of hardships, but he chose to serve selflessly and to set his lamp on the lamp stand anyway.  Let’s show Randy that we noticed. 

            I have another confession to make.  I have no idea why Randy kept asking me to help him with the sets: I have no carpentry skills to speak of; I clearly have a terrible work ethic; and, notwithstanding my physical appearance, I have no upper body strength.  If he asked me only because I had a pulse and was a willing volunteer, I don’t mind at all, because working with Randy allowed me to spend time with a guy who was easy to spend time with, and even easier to call my friend. More importantly, working with Randy allowed me to see a humble, selfless servant at work, to see Christ’s light shining in him, and to learn, through Randy’s excellent example, to follow Jesus.

     

            In honor of our brother, Randy, please join me in extending your hands, as I offer Randy the ancient priestly blessing from our first reading:

The LORD bless you and keep you!

The LORD let his face shine upon you and be gracious to you!

The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!  Amen!

Readings: Numbers 6: 22-27; Psalm 23; Philippians 2: 1-11; Matthew 5: 14-16

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[1] William Barclay, The Letters to the Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians (Louisville, Westminster John Knox Press, 2003), p. 45.

[2] Stephen J. Rosetti, “Finding Life in Self-Giving,” Living Faith, Terence Hegarty, ed., vol. 35, no. 2 (July-September 2019), August 10.

[3] William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, vol. 1 (Louisville, Westminster John Knox Press, 2001), p. 142.

Well-Balanced Faith - A Homily for the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

          History is filled with sayings encouraging us to live a well-balanced life:  “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy;” “To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short” (Confucius); “Strive for work-life balance;” and perhaps my favorite, “It is better to arise from life as from a banquet – neither thirsty nor drunken” (Aristotle).  With all of these sayings promoting a well-balanced life, one would think that our faith life should be well-balanced, too.  Our readings confirm that it should.

          Today’s readings focus on the importance of both action and contemplation in the Christian faith.  In our first reading, Abraham models a healthy balance between the two.  “By performing the good work of hospitality, Abraham glimpsed the face of God”[1] and received the divine blessing of a son for his wife, Sarah.   Our Psalm is a to-do list of righteous acts carried out by those who do justice (action) and live in the presence of the Lord (contemplation).  But in our Gospel, action and contemplation seem to be in tension with each other in the persons of Martha and Mary.  Martha’s anxiously doing all of the work, while Mary sits at Jesus’ feet soaking up his every word.  The story comes across as Martha versus Mary, action versus contemplation, with Mary apparently the clear winner.  But a closer look at this passage tells a different story.

           Historical interpretations of Luke Chapter 10 haven’t been kind to Martha.  One could say she’s gotten a bad rap.  “The traditional response suggests that Jesus was indicating the superiority of the contemplative life over the active, but he did not say that and his life itself did not give witness to it.”[2]  Jesus’ ministry was very active – he traveled from one corner of the Holy Land to the other, he taught, he cured the sick, raised the dead, and exorcised demons – but his active life was grounded firmly in Scripture and prayer at the same time.  Therein lies Martha’s problem.  While her hospitality is admirable and praiseworthy, her anxiety and worry have turned her hospitality into a burden.  She’s lost sight of the One to whom her service is directed and from whom her service derives its meaning – the living Word of God sitting right there in her living room.  “The gentle correction that Jesus offers Martha is a reminder to her that work is nothing without its connection to God.  For this reason, Martha needs Mary as much as Mary needs Martha.”[3] 

Action and contemplation complement each other.  In a healthy faith life, they’re well-balanced.  “In spiritual teaching, sisters symbolize side-by-side realities that are meant to be together.  Separating them diminishes both.” [4]  Exegetes are fond of pitting Martha and Mary against each other, but such a reading misinterprets Jesus’ message.  The issue isn’t whether one is more important than the other, it’s how we integrate both action and contemplation into our mission as disciples of Christ.  Action and contemplation aren’t presented to us as a choice between one or the other, but as two sisters walking together on a faith journey.  Yes, there can be tension between the two, making the sister image all-the-more relatable, but tension is relieved when opposites are in balance.  “If we censure Martha too harshly, she may abandon serving altogether, and if we commend Mary too profusely, she may sit there forever. There is a time to go and do; there is a time to listen and reflect.”[5]  When the two are well-balanced, serving God and serving our neighbor isn’t a burden; it’s a gift accompanied by a tremendous sense of self-worth, joy, and peace.

We all know people, perhaps ourselves, who are so wrapped up in getting things done that they leave a wake of burdens, anxiety, and hard feelings behind.  How many of us are too Martha?  We all know people, perhaps ourselves, who spend so much time reading, memorizing, or expounding Scripture that they fail to practice what they preach.  How many of us are too Mary?  When we find ourselves being a little too Martha, we need to sit with Mary.  When we find ourselves being a little too Mary, we need to serve with Martha.  We need a well-balanced faith life.  How do we get that?  There are lots of ways, but for starters, we come to Mass. 

The Mass is the perfect integration of action and contemplation.  It’s the place where Martha and Mary worship God in complete harmony.  It’s the place where God “makes known the riches of his glory,” as Saint Paul tells us in our second reading.  The Mass is active: we sing, process, stand, sit, kneel, offer, and serve.  The Mass is contemplative: we sit at the Lord’s feet and listen to the Word of God, we welcome Christ under our roof in the Eucharist, we pray, worship, give thanks, and adore.  Just like we take our cars to the shop to rebalance our tires, we come to Mass to rebalance our Martha and Mary.  Nourished by the Word and strengthened by the Eucharist, we’re balanced and ready to go in peace to glorify the Lord with our lives in word and deed.  We need the Mass to fill us with divine Wisdom so we can carry out our Christian mission.  As the saying goes, “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” 

The trick is, we have to keep coming back, and not just for the air conditioning.  Life’s responsibilities and distractions can throw our Martha and Mary out of balance.  When our active and contemplative lives are out of balance, we become anxious and worried, and we lose sight of the One we serve, just like Martha did in today’s Gospel.  According to a 2016 study, there’s a link between the decline in religious practice and the increase in anxiety, depression, and suicide.[6]  In my opinion, the main contributor to the drop in Mass attendance isn’t the abuse scandal or objections to Church teachings, it’s a failure to recognize our need to keep our Martha and Mary in balance, and a failure to appreciate that Mass is a great place to do just that.  

“Life’s a balancing act;” “Moderation in all things;” “Eat a well-balanced diet.”  I could go on and on.  Humanity seems to have gotten the message that a healthy life needs balance.  So why wouldn’t that be the case with our faith life, too?  Well, it is.  We’ve become too distracted, too anxious, too fractured.  It’s time to sit at the foot of the Master and ground our actions in God’s Word.  It’s time to receive Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist so we can carry his peace out into the world.  It’s time to recognize that a healthy faith life is well-balanced.

Readings:  Genesis 18: 1-10a; Psalm 15; Colossians 1: 24-28; Luke 10: 38-42

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[1] Michael Simone, “A New Awareness,” America, vol. 221, no. 1, July 8, 2019, p. 45.

[2] Mary McGlone, “Real Presence,” National Catholic Reporter, vol. 55, no. 20, July 12-25, 2019, p. 19.

[3] Michael F. Patella, “The Gospel According to Luke,” New Collegeville Bible Commentary: New Testament, Daniel Durken, ed. (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2009), p. 258.

[4] John Shea, The Spiritual Wisdom of the Gospels for Christian Preachers and Teachers: The Relentless Widow, Luke, Year C (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2006), p. 201.

[5] Fred B. Craddock, Luke: Interpretation, A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009), p. 152.

[6] Erika Andersen, “Is God the Answer to the Suicide Epidemic?”, Wall Street Journal, vol. CCLXXIV, no. 10, July 12, 2019, p. A15.