Homily for Ordinary Time 30 - October 25, 2020

 

Homily for October 25, 2020

Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Solidarity

 

            For the most part I enjoy living in Stamford, but there is one thing that drives me crazy: the way in which pedestrians cross the street in this city. You’ve seen it too – people cross whenever, wherever, totally unconcerned about the fact that they just caused a four-car pileup on Washington Boulevard. It’s not like this in any other city I’ve ever been in – I’d be driving along, minding my own business, and from out of nowhere some guy just waltzes into traffic, and I’m forced to slam on the brakes and lay on the horn, usually with a shout of, “Yo! Dude! What do you think you’re doing?!? You can’t cross here!” And then they just look at you with an apathetic shrug and continue on their merry way.

            I suppose the reason why pedestrians crossing at the wrong time or in the wrong place drives me so insane is that it’s a perfect example of individualism.

            Individualism – the belief that the three most important people in the world are me, myself, and I – is very much a characteristic of our modern culture. People are told, “Look out for Number One.” We tell kids from the time they’re young that “You’re special” – which often makes them believe it! We often believe that laws and rules apply to everyone except ourselves; sometimes we think the world revolves around our needs, our issues, our desires.

            But individualism goes against an important principle of Catholic Social Teaching called Solidarity. The Church has always taught that we ARE our brother’s keeper. We are not supposed to keep to ourselves, look out for our own business, and to heck with everyone else. Rather, as our first reading instructs us, we are to look after the widow, the orphan, the poor, the disabled, the unborn, the immigrant.

            Recently, Pope Francis issued an encyclical letter on solidarity, called “Fratelli Tutti” (meaning “All Brothers”). In it, he laments: “We have become accustomed to looking the other way, passing by, ignoring situations until they affect us directly.” But then he gives the solution: “Only a gaze transformed by charity can enable the dignity of others to be recognized.” The virtue of charity – to love as God loves – requires us to see others as God sees them, as brothers and sisters and not just random individuals to whom we have no responsibilities.

            The saints understood this deeply. I am reminded of the story of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, who was married to King Louis in the 1220s. Soon after their marriage, Elizabeth heard the preaching of some Franciscan friars, who convinced her that her wealth in the royal castle was not for her to enjoy, but for her to serve others. She began to give away the fine silverware, tapestries and curtains, and gold and silver to the poor, using much of it to endow hospitals and schools. Her husband was none too pleased to find his stuff go missing, so one day he approached her when she was out making her daily rounds with her cloak full of bread from the royal kitchen. When her husband demanded that she show him the bread she had taken from the castle, she opened her cloak and roses fell out instead of bread. Her husband was shocked because of this miracle and from that time on allowed her to perform any charitable work she wished. But another time, she brought home a man with leprosy and laid him in her own bed. When a servant told the king this, he was disgusted and stormed into the room. Pulling back the sheets, he was amazed that instead of a leper laying there, he saw the figure of Christ crucified lying there. Once again, he recognized his wife’s holiness and allowed her to continue her good works. After his untimely death, she dedicated the remainder of her life to prayer and works of charity. She established a hospital and would spend her days cleaning sores, bathing patients, and feeding them. Imagine if the chairman of the board of a hospital, or the hospital president, would spend time doing that!

            St. Elizabeth could have made every excuse to stay in the palace, far removed from the problems of the poor. But, motivated by love for Christ, she rejected such insulation and actively sought out those who needed her kindness and compassion.

            This should be the attitude of every Christian. It’s not enough to stay insulated in our nice homes in North Stamford or Greenwich and say, “Oh, well, those problems in the inner-city don’t impact me.” We are our brother’s keeper – solidarity must be a part of every Christian’s life.

            So how do we do that, practically? A few suggestions. One can certainly donate to Catholic Charities, or volunteer at the New Covenant Center here in town (which runs a homeless shelter and soup kitchen). Perhaps you can mentor young men and women who need a role model. The holidays are coming up – perhaps you can invite over for Thanksgiving dinner that elderly neighbor who has no family nearby. Maybe it’s as simple as getting to know your neighbors – do you know them? Bake some cookies and go meet your neighbors! Or one could write thank-you cards for those who cut your grass or collect your trash. Maybe for you solidarity would mean calling that relative that you haven’t spoken with in years, and reestablishing a relationship with them.

            The whole point of solidarity is to get outside of ourselves, our worlds, and love our neighbor, motivated by love for God. As Jesus says, the whole law and prophets are summed up in these two commands. Indeed, the whole of our Catholic Faith can be summed up in them as well: love of God, and love of neighbor.