Photo by Biel Morro on Unsplash
Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time / Feast of St. Therese
Celebrities are not difficult to find. Just follow the spotlight. And they’re not just a natural consequence of western consumerism that feeds an insatiable craving for fame and fortune which spawns a culture of greed and envy, vicious gossip and tabloid journalism. I bet you can find celebrities even in places where western consumerism is officially outlawed. We just refer to them as Supreme Leader and Dictator-for-life and Dark Lord of the Sith. But the ambitious among us are not content with being just like everyone else. They prefer to be just slightly different or even outrageously unique in all the world. This is not at all unusual. Every celebrity by definition is exceptional in some way. So, we can’t all be exceptional and therefore, celebrities. On second thought, we can actually all be celebrities, just not to the same degree nor in the same exact way.
Today we mark the feast of our parish patron, St. Therese of the Infant Jesus and the Holy Face, who entered Carmel of Lisieux at age 15 and lived in obscurity far from the cares and troubles of the world, in humble prayer and dutiful obedience till her death on 30 September 1897 at age 24 after a long struggle with tuberculosis. Therese was most unspectacular by this world’s standards, her short life marked by no special talent or expertise, no advanced academic degrees, no marketable skills to gain her fame or fortune. At her mother superior’s bidding she wrote the story of her life’s journey in a few pages revealing her genius and the depth of her spirit.
In these pages we witness her progress from self-centeredness to self-sacrifice because she learned to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and at all times direct her efforts to doing God’s will willingly and joyfully. It is a simple formula that time and again has transformed many a sinner into a saint. She attained an everlasting reward without fuss or fanfare and far from the glare of spotlights or social media. It was easily a striking change since early in life she was given to childish tantrums, having been sheltered from the hardships of life by her doting father and sisters after her mother’s death when she was 4½. Perhaps she enjoyed the attention and getting her way all the time without considering what anyone else thought or felt. It is the same starting point for all of us, a place of ignorance and self-indulgence and obliviousness that we must overcome, where we shed our selfishness and pride to embrace Jesus who willingly and selflessly bore the humiliation of the cross deprived of his rightful dignity as God’s only Son. Many of us get there only after years of personal struggle and the loving patience of those who choose not to give up on us. Yet some never get there at all.
Today Jesus tells another parable. And as with last week’s parable, a vineyard is involved. Last week we heard how a landlord went to hire laborers to gather the harvest. Some complained convinced they deserved more. Clearly the landlord is free to do as he wants with his own money. And with the Synod on Synodality opening in Rome on Wednesday, we are reminded that the work of gathering the harvest remains unchanged. The voices of dissent and dis information continue to work hard to derail this effort. Still the Holy Spirit is speaking, calling us to focus on the work of gathering the harvest, and not on arguing who deserves to wear a pointed hat or how to invent new ways to alienate and dismiss fellow Christians and those who disagree with us.
Today a father sends one of his sons to work in the vineyard. The son quickly says he won’t, then changes his mind and goes. The father then sends another son who says yes, but doesn’t go. In each case, a relationship exists between father and sons. From the father’s perspective, he is able to speak so that his sons hear him and know what he is asking. God speaks to us too so we can clearly hear and know what he is asking. The challenge lies with the sons, what’s going on with them, what they hear the father asking, why they say what they say, and ultimately why they do what they do.
Each of the sons is also aware of the relationship they have with their father. But as with most parents who recognize a relationship with their children long before their children are even aware of it or choose to respond to it, a parent is usually willing to put up with their child’s ignorance and self-indulgence and obliviousness. These are never reasons enough for them to give up and throw them to the wolves. But that’s not to say they still might after years and years of repeated rejection and disrespect. Nor does God give up on us so easily either. And God has all the time in the world.
A verbal yes is a good start. It sets the tone for a similar positive action response. But understanding is not the ultimate goal. If we want to become more like Jesus, we have to begin by knowing his mind, his values, his way of life. What does our faith say to us? What does sacred scripture tell us? What does our church teach us? We need to be open to discovery, to exploring our options, to understanding difficult truths, to accepting the challenge that God is way bigger than the world we have come to know.
Then we have to act on it. Do we live the truth we know? We know what Jesus teaches about love and forgiveness. How do we love and forgive? We know what Jesus teaches about justice, fairness, equality, and peace. How do we live the values of justice, fairness, equality, and peace? The church teaches us the truth about human sexuality and marriage, about social justice, human dignity, religious freedom, ministry to the poor, evangelization, personal responsibility, and educating our conscience. Knowing is like saying ‘yes’ to God’s invitation to work in the vineyard. But we cannot limit our response to saying ‘yes.’ We still have to act on that ‘yes’ by living it. And St. Therese is a wonderful example to us of living what we come to know about who God is and what God asks of us. It is this insight of doing ordinary things extraordinarily well, and we do a ton of ordinary things, that transformed and distinguished her. Her genius was discovering excellence in living and loving each day. She didn’t have to do impressive things. But she did everything with a joyful spirit and an intense love for God.
Knowing and doing are two separate and distinct realities. Years ago, I taught sex ed to 9th grade boys at a Catholic high school in New Orleans. Now what was there to teach 9th grade boys in New Orleans about sex they didn’t already know? Clearly my work was to teach them to make the right choices, to live the truth they knew. But when teenagers get pregnant, is it because they didn’t know? Do drunk drivers not know the dangers of drinking and driving? Do sinners not know about temptation and free will?
St. Therese is for us a model of holiness and joyful discipleship. We cannot be content just to know about Jesus. We need to live his values willingly, joyfully, credibly, and aim for holy celebrity of the unspectacular variety after the example of St. Therese.
Rolo B Castillo © 2023