Sunday after Theophany

Eph. 4:7-13
Matt 4:12-17

​Do you remember the story of King David. Nobody expected much of him. The youngest of Jesse’s sons, he was a shepherd boy. He was a harpist. He was not a warrior, by any means. Yet, because of his musical ability, he caught the eye of King Saul, and he became part of the court.

In those days, Israel was at war with its perpetual enemy, the Philistines. One particular Philistine was named Goliath. Goliath was a giant. Goliath was a bully.

We all know the story. David volunteered to face Goliath. King Saul wanted him to wear his armor. David tried it on, but then refused. He went out to face Goliath and do battle using the only tools he knew - a sling and some stones.

He used the tools he had.

And those tools did the job God had given David.

When we think of ministry, we tend to think in terms of priesthood. In the Old Covenant the priests were descended from Moses’s brother, Aaron - the Levitical Priesthood, with Levites assisting them in Temple Worship. In the New Covenant, the Church, we have priests of the Order of Melchizedek, with Deacons helping them in Divine Worship. But this ministerial priesthood isn’t the only priesthood in the Church today..

Just before giving him the Ten Commandments, God said to Moses, “You will be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. That is what you must tell the Israelites”. And Peter tell us, “you are 'a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light”.

This royal priesthood, which has existed since the time of the Exodus, consists of AL of us. Every believer is a priest! The difference is this. The ministerial priesthood is directed to the Body of Christ, the Church. And its focus is administration of the sacraments, to build up the Body. But you, members of the Royal Priesthood, have as your focus all of humanity. 

The Royal Priest doesn’t administer sacraments. The Royal Priest administers God’s love.

We are to minister using the tools we know.

You become a Royal Priest by the simple act of Baptism. Remember what we sing? “All you who have been baptized into Christ, you have put on Christ”.

Our Epistle today tells us “He gave some as Apostles, some as Prophets, others as Evangelists, others as Pastors and Teachers”. Why? As Paul tells us, “to equip the holy one for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ”.

What’s an Apostle? The immediate context would tell us that it refers, as Scripture call them, Peter and the Twelve - and we can add Paul to that list, also. Beyond that, though another English translation of the title would be Missionary.

A Prophet? The office existed in the Old Covenant - there are Old Testament books
written by four men classified as Major Prophets - Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and Daniel - and twelve men classified as Minor Prophets. Beyond them, however, there were many more men such as Samuel, Nathan, Elijah, and Elisha. There actually were schools of the Prophets. A prophet is one who delivers the word of God to the people, sometimes challenging them,s ometimes foretelling the future. When David sinned with Bathsheba, it was the prophet Nathan who confronted him.

An Evangelist, simply stated, is one whose ministry is to deliver the Evangelion, the
Gospel, to those who haven’t heard it, or perhaps haven’t truly committed to it. They
encourage people to follow Christ.

Teachers lead Christians into deeper Christian life. Or they may lead into a deeper
knowledge of Christ and His Church. And a pastor is a leader, shepherding his flock, keeping them from error. In fact, often the phrase in the Epistle is understood to mean that “pastor and teacher” refers to a single office.

Now, some may ask how that applies to them. These ministries, a gift from God, do not apply only to the ordained ministry.

The Old Testament prophet Daniel was not a priest. He was of the tribe of Judah,
probably a descendant of King David. The Church refers to St. Mary Magdalene as Equal to the Apostles. Philip had four daughters who had the gift of prophecy. They were all members of the Royal Priesthood.

Look at Mother Angelica. She was certainly an Evangelist and Teacher. St. Catherine of
Siena has been declared a doctor (or universal teacher) of the Church.

And I’ll tell you a secret. Any Christian can operate in these ministries. Can we deny
that Billy Graham was an Evangelist. Yes, his theology was a little off, but if God can use him, God can use any of us.

He wants us to use the tools he’s given us.

What kind of tools? Paul writes to the Romans, “Since we have gifts that differ
according to the grace given to us, let us exercise them: if prophecy, in proportion to the faith; if ministry, in ministering; if one is a teacher, in teaching; if one exhorts, in exhortation; if one contributes, in generosity; if one is over others, with diligence; if one does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.”

He continues, “Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one
another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor. Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality. Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep".

You are priests, priests ministering God's love each other. You are priests ministering God's love to those outside these walls.

God has given us tools to minister to others.

Use the tools He’s given you.

​I am blessed to be Dominican, a member of the Lay Fraternities of Saint Dominic. However, the ideas expressed in this post are my own and do not represent the endorsement of or position of the Order of Preachers as a whole.

​Twenty-Sixth Sunday After Pentecost

Ephesians 5:9-19 
Luke 12:16-21 

Do you realize how sad this parable is?  The man accumulates all this wealth, so much so that he had to tear down his barns and build new ones to store his wealth.  And then, what happens? He dies.  Unprepared.

Now, notice, Jesus didn’t say that his soul was lost. You can assume that this man would eventually reach the fullness of heaven.  But he has no treasure in heaven. 

As Paul wrote to the Philippians, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling”

1300 years ago, there was an English writer, a monk, named Bede.  He’s a saint, and the church counts him as one of its Universal Doctors, just like St Basil, St Augustine, and St. Thomas Aquinas.  

In his history of the English speaking people, he tells us about a man named Drythhelm.  Now Drythhelm had what we today would be called a near-death experience, being shown a vision of the afterlife.  He saw hell as a place of thick darkness with a flaming pit.  He saw heaven, of course.  And he saw two places for those not ready for heaven.  One was a beautiful plain, a place for those who lived a good life but were not yet perfect, a place where they could seek that perfection.  

Our Ukrainian Catholic Catechism clarifies. “If a person has fallen asleep in God, having repented of all sins, but has not yet achieved spiritual maturity—the fullness of life in Christ—then that person enters the kingdom of God, in the words of St Paul,“as through fire”. After death, such a person is still in need of spiritual healing and cleansing of all stain, in order to dwell ‘in a place of light ... where there is no pain, sorrow, or mourning.’ In the Church, this healing condition of the dead is referred to as purgatory’”. I sometimes call it heaven’s mudroom.

The last part of Drythhelm’s vision was a place of fire and ice, a place which was not hell, but was for those who repented at death, those who were far from perfect, whose suffering would allow them to seek perfection. Is this why Paul wrote to the Philippians to work out our salvation with fear and trembling?

But, some may argue that Paul says that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Think about it, though.  Who is the great healer of our souls? Who is the lover of our souls? Our Lord is, of course. The psalmist wrote, "If I ascend to the heavens, you are there; if I lie down in the place of the dead, there you are."

 Think of it like this. If you spend time in the darkness and then go out into the bright sun, what happens?  The sun is so bright, and you are so unaccustomed to the brightness, it actually hurts, doesn’t it?

Heaven is like that.  We live in a world shrouded in the darkness of sin.  And, be honest with yourself.  You sin.  We all sin. And, sometimes, we have an attachment to that sin. And when we sin, it hurts our souls. We need healing from that hurt, and deliverance from that attachment.

So, let’s look at treasure in heaven. It is freely given by God, but you have to prepare yourself to receive it.  Every time you pray, every act of good works you do, every spiritual exercise you do - these things won’t save you.  But what they DO is carve out a portion in your soul for the Holy Spirit to fill with God’s grace. 

And the more that our souls are filled with God’s grace, the less we need that spiritual healing and cleansing.

Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

The Church gives us so many ways to build up treasure.  Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy.  Living the Beatitudes. Studying the faith.  Praying the Rosary and the Akathists. The Church encourages us to know and practice the four Cardinal Virtues - Fortitude, Temperance, Prudence, and Justice.  And She teaches the three Theological Virtues - Faith, Hope, and Love. 

The beauty of it is you don’t have to remember them right now.  They’re all in your Hear Me, O Lord prayer book.

I like to think of heavenly treasures as possessing a spiritual energy. When you have a lit candle, and you let your friend light their candle from yours, you share that energy.  But you don’t lose any of the flame, do you?

In the same way that you can share a flame, you can share the Spiritual Energy of your treasures.  The seventh of the Spiritual Works of Mercy is praying for the living and the dead. When you do that, you’re passing the flame of God’s grace to the one you’re praying for.  

Having treasure in heaven makes you spiritually rich.  Remember the rich young man? Jesus told him that to gain eternal life, he must give his riches to the poor. So, if you’re rich in Treasure in Heaven, give it away!  

But, if you give away heavenly treasures, you won’t lose them, no more than you lose the flame of that candle!

Eastern Catholics don’t talk much about Indulgences, and we don’t have much of a tradition of them. But we still pray for the dead.  Praying for the dead predates the time of Jesus, both for Jews then, and Christians now.  Despite the medieval abuse of Indulgences, the principle remains. Praying for the dead is an Indulgence.

Put another way, an indulgence is nothing more than giving our spiritual riches away to those in Purgatory, those who can no longer pray for themselves.  And isn’t that a great act of charity?

So, my friends, remember….

Purgatory is Real

Treasures in Heaven help us lessen or avoid purgatory 

We can share our treasures

Now, go and share your treasure.

​I am blessed to be Dominican, a member of the Lay Fraternities of Saint Dominic. However, the ideas expressed in this post are my own and do not represent the endorsement of or position of the Order of Preachers as a whole.