22nd Sunday Ordinary Time: Cycle B

Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

September 2, 2012

One of the things I struggle with most in my life these days is selfishness,

 and I think I am not so unlike most people.

A call comes in the middle of the night, someone has just been taken to the hospital, and my first reaction is: “But I have a long day ahead me tomorrow and I need my sleep.”

A call interrupts my working on a talk I have to have ready in an hour and I ask “Why now?”

Of course, after waking up, or thinking about it further, my feelings change.

But the fact remains that my first thought is too often only about me.

One of the most basic human responses to anything new is to ask, "What's in it for me?"

We would like to think our motives are pure and our interests are for others, but there is often a nagging voice reminding us that selfish desires are never far from the surface.

That said, we all know heroic individuals who care for sick spouses or children,

People who go to faraway places to give those in need their time and talent

or people who stay at home and do the same in their local neighborhood.

That's what makes them heroic.

There is nothing in it for them;

They are drawn by bonds of love, faith or by a desire to create a better world.

There are at least two ways we can hear Jesus' words in today's gospel. The first is as a strong challenge about social justice.

National boundaries mean nothing to God.

All people are equal in God's sight,

We cannot look at the Muslims or the Arabs and say: “They belong to the devil,” or “They are not civilized,” or “They are not as good as us.”

All people are equal in God's sight, so the banquet Jesus refers to has implications for how we share the riches with which we have been blessed with others in the world.

The poor, crippled, lame and blind of our world are the majority of God's children who mainly live in the Third World.

They are our brothers and sisters.

At the banquet of life Christians are called to give priority to the needs of these people, not only because they have a just claim on our resources, but also because they can't do anything for us in return.

We can’t just say about those on welfare “They are just lazy,” because most are not.

Millions of our families in the U.S. are living only one paycheck away from being on the streets.

Or one serious illness from being homeless because, yeah, they have jobs, but not ones that pay enough for insurance.

Looking at these people and recognizing that they both need and deserve our help – and helping them, either directly or through the money you give to church or charity –

Helps us because they help purify our motives.

We give not expecting to get back.

When we link our concern, time, talent, career, and money with these children of God, we tame that nagging question, "What's in it for me?" with a firm reply,

 "Very little—except God's justice."

A somewhat comforting angle to take on this gospel is more psychological.

Many of us, when we come to God at any time, try to dress ourselves up to look better than we are!

This gospel reminds us that at Christ's banquet, however, it's not the poised and perfect who are most welcome, but the vulnerable.

It ‘s not the pure and holy, but sinners and the impure.

What does this mean for us who pray and celebrate the Eucharist?

That God embraces those parts of us that are in greatest need of his love and healing—where we are poor, crippled, sinful, blind and lame.

We know this it is true because if Jesus is telling us to host the poor and broken at our tables, then as the perfect host he must do exactly the same with us at this Eucharistic meal as well.

When I was a child we referred to our finest clothes as our "Sunday best" and we wore them proudly to Mass.

Not only did we look good, we acted the part as well.

Everyone was on best behavior for the entire church to see.

Now, I have nothing against dressing with care and behaving well at Mass; it can be a sign of our self-respect, our courtesy toward others and our devotion to God.

But God cares more about what's going on inside us.

We can never hide from God, especially at the Eucharist because we have been invited to be here,

Not as we would like to be, but as we are.

At the Eucharist it’s the poor, the broken, and the lost that are most welcome.

For Jesus, meals were times of celebration and an inclusive fellowship that foreshadowed the inclusiveness that awaits us all in God’s kingdom.

The last supper, therefore, not only pointed ahead to the eternal banquet, but  also it reflected on Jesus’ meals with the disciples, Pharisees, crowds, and outcasts in Galilee,

And with us at this Eucharist.

It is ironic that the greatest crisis the early church faced was not the delay of Christ’s second coming,

But the burning issue of whom one ate with.

This is still a burning issue in today’s church.

We find all kinds of reasons for denying others the right to eat with us at Eucharist.

All the time denying the fact that Jesus turned no one away.

Perhaps it’s time we learned new table manners.

Perhaps it’s time we learned Christian table manners.