2011

1st Reading: Ezekiel 34: 11-12, 15-17
2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 15: 20-26, 28
Gospel: Matthew 25: 31-46

It is a blessing to see all the children here this morning. It is a blessing also to see all these families here together with their children especially on this Feast of Christ the King. It is for all a blessing to be able to come to this table where the King of Kings offers himself up for us.

I would like to start off by talking with the children here this morning. I would like to tell you a story children about a little girl named Isabelle.

Now, Isabelle’s mother helped with the big kids at the church they attend. One Saturday, Isabelle’s mother said; “Would you like to go with me and the youth group to Samaritan House to help the boys and girls there?”

Now kids, this is a good place where children are helped to heal from an accident.

“Oh yes” said Isabelle. She wanted to do what the big kids do. When they got to Samaritan House, Isabelle asked her mother, “Why are all the children in wheelchairs?”

“Because they can’t walk”, said her mother.

“Why”, asked Isabelle.

“Because they have been hurt”, said her mother.

“Why don’t they talk right”, asked Isabelle.

“They are trying to talk right, but it’s hard for them”, said her mother.

Isabelle was scared in that place and stayed right next to her mother.

She watched the big kids. They weren’t scared. They sang songs for the children. They played with them and talked with them.

But despite what she saw the big kids doing,Isabelle wanted to go home.

That night when Isabelle and her parents were getting ready to say prayers, she said, “Why did we go to that place with all the weird children?”

“Isabelle,” said her mother, “Those children aren’t weird. On the outside they look different, but on the inside they think about things just like you do.”

“Just like me?” said Isabelle.

“Just like you. If you got hurt like that, if you ran out into the street and didn’t look both ways and a car hit you, you’d still be you,” said her mother.

That made Isabelle feel scared. “I don’t want to look at them,” she said.

“If you don’t want to look at them, you can look at Jesus in them,” said her mother.

“What do you mean?” asked Isabelle.

“You know how we pray for you when you are sick, how we ask Jesus to come and be inside you and make you well?’ said her mother.

“Yes”, said Isabelle.

“Well, if Jesus wants to be inside you to make you well, don’t you think that Jesus also wants to be inside those children too,” said her mother.

“I guess so,” said Isabelle.

“So, the next time we go to Samaritan House, look at Jesus inside them. Then they won’t look weird any more.”

“Is that the way the big kinds do?” asked Isabelle.

“That is,” said her mother.

Then they prayed a prayer and they ask us to pray with them like this:

Dear God, Help us to see Jesus inside us and inside everyone, Amen. Thank you Children for listening.

All of us can get something out of this story. Isabelle’s fear of the unknown is what got to her and our fear is what gets to us. How many times have we passed by someone who acts different because of a disability and not really looked at them? Do we look away or do we make eye contact? Were we afraid of saying anything or did we say hello in friendship?

Remember what Jesus said in today’s gospel? “Whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.” Yes, we can see Jesus in others if we really look; not a quick glance but a real look like you look at one another.

Jesus goes on to say that when “I was hungry, thirsty, sick, a stranger. Christ makes himself one with those in need. Our King is in the hungry, our King is in the thirsty, our King is in a stranger, our King is in the sick, our King is in those in prison. Can you see Jesus in them?

We need to see Jesus all in all. Everything that is good comes from God through Jesus Christ. And in the final day, all of humanity will be assembled in front of the King of Kings on His throne and in hope ready to be judged by Him. Will he say to us “Depart”, or will He say to us “Come?” That is up to each one of us.

Let us all be like Isabelle our story. Let us pray to our Father in heaven to help us see Jesus in others. Let us pray to God to help us be open and ready to receive Jesus in us through his body and blood in the Eucharist. Let us come to this altar ready to sacrifice ourselves for His kingdom on earth.

God will reach out to us when we become lost in the dark. He will tend his flock, yes-you and I, and in the end of time, he will judge us accordingly through His son, the King of Kings, Jesus Christ.

In Advent, which starts next Sunday along with the changes in the Roman Missal, the new Church year will begin with a focus on the final restoration of all creation to its original glory. In preparation, on this last Sunday of this Church year, we proclaim the expected advent of the Lord of lords and King of kings . But until he comes, we can and will experience a glimpse of His Kingdom when we see Him in others.

Pray this prayer daily and live it out daily and you will be happy and joyful when the time of judgement comes:

“Teach me, my God and King,
In all things thee to see,
And what I do in any thing
to do it as for thee.” Amen!

1st Reading Ezekiel 34: 11-12, 15-17
2nd Reading 1 Corinthians 15: 20-26, 28
Gospel Matthew 25: 31-46

Today is the Thirty Fourth Sunday and final Sunday of our liturgical year. Next Sunday we will start a new liturgical year with the first Sunday of Advent, an exciting time especially with the revisions to the Roman Missal. On this last Sunday, we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. Will we be told, at the end of time, to “DEPART” or will we be asked to “Come?”

Today is the culmination of all that we have been hearing in scripture and in the homilies for this liturgical year. The Jesus we have heard about and journeyed with going around the towns of Galilee, Samaria and Judea, the Jesus we have watched teaching, healing, consoling, liberating, is our Lord and KING. He is the visible presence of God in our midst.

In our second reading from the 1st letter to the Corinthians, Paul is portraying a powerful and awesome picture of Christ as Lord and King and rightly so. As all have died because of the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden, so all are made alive in Christ through our Baptism. Christ is also presented as the all powerful ruler whom every other power and authority must eventually give way.

The other two readings from today, the first from Ezekiel and the Gospel from Matthew give a very different picture of God and Jesus. Ezekiel shows God as a shepherd tending His flock. How often have we heard Jesus called the Good Shepherd in scripture?

But what is striking and goes to the heart of it all is how we will be judged when Jesus returns on His Kingly throne. Yes, the same Jesus who offered himself to us during our lives, the one who gave His very human life for us, will judge us for what we did or did not do during our lives. Jesus gives us the way to live by looking at others to see Him. This reminds me of a story many of you know.

The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain is the story of two boys who lived three hundred years ago in England. Not only were they good friends, they looked so much alike that they could have been taken for identical twins. One of the boys was Edward, the prince of Whales; the other was Tom Canty, a pauper, a poor boy.

One day for some fun, they decided to switch places. They changed their clothes. Edward put on the rags of poor boy and wandered through the slums of London, rubbing elbows with beggars and the under-privileged.

After a time they both got tired of the game. In his ragged shirt and trousers, Edward tried to tell the police that he was the prince. He was thrown in jail. Just as Tom was about to be crowned King, Edward showed up and convinced the officials that he was the true prince. As a result of his experience, Edward became a kind and just ruler. He gained a heart that was always looking after the poor. A lesson for all of us.

As God, Jesus knew the sufferings of human beings. By becoming man, he actually suffered what men, women and children have to endure. The prince in our story learned about the poor in the streets of London, Jesus knew the plight of the poor, the under-privileged. We heard time and time again in scripture how Jesus tended to the lowliest of mankind, beggars, prostitutes, outcasts.

No wonder Jesus lays down this test for entering His eternal home: Did we help the needy or did we not? Today’s gospel is one of the most important in the story of Christ-Good News for those who listen, Bad

News for those who pay little or no attention to the needs of our fellow human beings.

We do not have to wait to be tested. We can test ourselves today: Have we ever fed a hungry person? Perhaps we never met a really starving person, child or adult. Yet everyone knows that millions go hungry.

Did we help by means of the special collections throughout the year or maybe volunteer or donate food or money for our local food bank?

When was the last time we visited someone who was sick? When did we visit someone in prison? This does not mean only those behind iron bars. It also means people behind the bars of loneliness, ignorance, maybe even grief.

Have we taken time to get involved in matters of Catholic Social Teaching? Have we protected the rights of the unborn, the rights of

every human being to be shown respect and dignity?

What have we done for those who are spiritually starving, spiritually sick, spiritually strangers, or spiritually imprisoned? If we have done little or nothing at all, don’t be surprised at the end when a voice is heard that gives the command, DEPART! I pray that none of us do.

The gospel goes even further: What you do for these needy you are doing for Christ himself. Notice what Jesus Says: “I was hungry, thirsty, sick, a stranger. What you did or didn’t do, you did or didn’t do to me.”

Christ makes himself one with those in need. Our King is in the Hungry, our King is in the Thirsty, Our King is in a stranger, Our King is in the sick, our King is in those in prison. Can you see Jesus in them?

Yes, we serve, worship and offer ourselves with Christ our King to God the father on this altar. With the food of His body and blood in the Eucharist which we receive in us, we serve and worship our King in those under-privileged, those needy we serve. When we follow Jesus then we will be very happy and joyful when we hear that voice at the end asking us to “Come”.

But until that time comes, let us experience the Kings kingdom here on earth. Let us see Jesus in others. Let Jesus our shepherd and King lead us to the Father as we pray this simple but profound prayer:

“Teach me, my God and King,

In all things thee to see,

And what I do in any thing

To do it as for thee.” Amen

Go to any local hardware store and you will find nails in all shapes and sizes from brads to spikes. As simple as a nail may be, its mission is important. As one nursery rhyme puts it, “For the want of a nail, the shoe was lost; for the want of a shoe, the horse was lost; for the want of a horse, the soldier was lost; for the want of a soldier, the battle was lost; for the want of a battle, the war was lost.” The lowly nail keeps things together.

What can be said about the value of a nail can also be said about the value of each person’s talent in the scheme of life. Every person, blessed with talents by God, is expected to do something toward making a difference in this world if the kingdom of God is to be realized.

The servant who returned with only one talent was punished for making no use of what he had been given. Have you been in his shoes? How often do we hesitate to act out of fear that we will fail or that others could do a better job? Many people say, “Not me,” convinced that what little they could do wouldn’t make much difference anyway. As the lazy servant discovered, holding back did not good for anyone, especially for him. The king was counting on everyone to do something.

In any parish, many of its members excuse themselves from participating in its different ministries, convinced that their gifts are too modest to make any difference. Yet their gifts of time, talent and treasure are as important to God and the building of his kingdom as the missing nail is to the soldier in battle. To hold back on what we have to offer is to become the missing nail that is sorely needed at this point in time.

Ultimately, the servant punished himself and so do we when we hoard what we have. Years ago, I read an article that made the point that those who have a strong love of heaven have always worked the hardest for a better world. Conversely, we can deduce that those who aren’t so motivated to improve the world we live in really don’t have much love for heaven either.

Blessed Pope John Paul II once puzzled people in attendance at a general audience in Rome when he noted that heaven isn’t a physical reality but a state of the being. Heaven, he said, is neither an abstraction nor a place in the clouds. Instead, heaven is a living personal relationship with the Trinity.

If we use our talents to work for the reign of God in this lifetime, we can look forward to hearing those happy words in today’s gospel, “”Well done, my good and faithful servant. Come, share your master’s joy.” On the other hand, if we choose to hold back, we do little to deepen our relationship with God. We shortchange ourselves and may get the same rebuke that the hesitant servant received. When Jesus comes as a thief in the night, can we really expect him to invite us to share in the joy of what has been brought about without any effort on our part?

The lesson of this parable is obvious to me. We all have some part in bringing about God’s plan for our world. To others, what we can contribute may seem small, like a brad, yet even a brad, any homebuilder will tell you, is vital in the right place. God is asking us to use the talents, that is, the gifts we have been given and to put them to the service of God and others, not bury them in the deepest recesses of our being.

Last week, the gospel spoke of lamps, and we reflected on “this little light of mine.” I observed how if one candle dispels the darkness, imagine how bright many candles would be. Fred McCarthy went one step further, “If everyone lit just one little candle, what a bright world this would be!” If every one of you would take the time to wander through the ministry fair and engage your talents in someway, imagine how much more this parish can do toward building up God’s kingdom.

When we hear the word, talent, we think of a person’s innate abilities, but the origin of this word can be traced back to this parable. In biblical times, a talent was a vast sum of money, equal to 6000 days of wages for the average peasant.

As you consider how to invest your talents in our parish, I urge you to consider both your abilities and your treasures. Hopefully you spent time the past week reflecting on them and today you are ready to make a commitment.

To help us with our future planning, we ask that you make a commitment to share your treasure. Ideally, we should be returning to God 10% of our income; that is the biblical notion of tithing. We are urged to give half of that to the parish and the other half to other charities. If you aren’t there yet, consider taking another step in that direction.

If you haven’t completed a card, pick one up now and take this opportunity to fill it out. On the reverse side, you will find a chart to help you calculate what a fair and sacrificial pledge should be.

You can make your contributions through electronic fund transfer from your checking or savings account. This can be arranged once you provide the necessary deposit slip.

If you are sitting there, still hesitant to fill out the treasure card, consider this: the precious fragility of life should prompt us to use our gifts now before it is too late. Jesus wants us all to give and to grow by using our talents, that is, both our treasures and our abilities, for the good of others, not just for ourselves. Even the mediocre use of one’s talents will merit his invitation, “Well done, my good and faithful servant…Come, share your master’s joy.”

There are more interpretations to this story than there are young women; the one that fits today is being prepared. How often do some of us find ourselves ill-prepared, as did the foolish virgins? Paul’s caution about those falling asleep brings to mind a story that I suspect some college alumni can relate to.

The night before his first final exam, a young freshman, who believed that he always worked best under pressure, finally began to study at 10:00. He was doing well, reviewing his notes and highlighting certain passages in his textbooks. Around 2 in the morning, he fell asleep at his desk. When he woke up, he was stunned to discover that the period for his test was half over.

Grabbing his pen, he ran to class. There he desperately explained to his professor what had happened. Naturally, the teacher wasn’t sympathetic and just said, “Well, do what you can with the time you have.” Needless to say, he flunked the exam.

In this parable, Jesus labeled five virgins as foolish for not being prepared. All ten were prepared for the immediate arrival of the groom but unlike those who were wise, the foolish virgins did not have sufficient oil for their lamps to last through the night. Caught short handed, they left to fetch more oil elsewhere and while they were gone, the groom arrived and the feast began without them.

That the wise virgins refused to share their oil sounds selfish but Jesus was speaking of something that could not be shared. If we think of the oil as good deeds and acts of love, we can see why the wise virgins could not share what they had. While I can borrow a cup of sugar from you, I cannot borrow your good deeds or your relationship with God.

The oil we use to light our lamps comes from living a life of stewardship. Such a life, which Archbishop Sartain calls the heart of our Catholic faith, asks us to share our gifts of time, talent and treasure for the sake of building up the kingdom of God. Yes, the gifts you offer benefit the parish but more importantly, your gifts benefit your relationship with God for they are your response to God’s goodness in your life.

This parable stresses that we are accountable for our good deeds or lack of them. If we keep putting off what really matters, namely, nurturing our relationship with God, Jesus could one day say, “I do not know you.” As the foolish virgins and the college freshman discovered too late, each person has to be prepared to stand in the presence of God, for we know not when that moment comes when we will be taking the ultimate final exam.

What separated the wise from the foolish is that they were prepared for the moment while the foolish virgins were not. Wise followers know the value of prayerfully and generously living each day in response to the goodness of God in their lives. Their lamps are oiled so that they would always be lit. Elsewhere in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus says, “Let your light shine before others so they may see your good works and give glory to God.” One light dispels the darkness but imagine what a difference many lights create.

“God gives it all then calls us to share.” He did not predestine us to be foolish or wise; the choice to share is ours to make. If we want Christ to recognize us, we have to invest in a relationship with him in this lifetime and that is done by giving generously of our time, talent and treasure, thus, being a light to others. Giving minimally is a foolish choice for that is hardly investing in the most important relationship we can have for all eternity.

I now invite Fred McCarthy, the chair of our stewardship commission to share his reflection on the value of stewardship in our lives and the life of our parish community.

Good Morning/Evening,

My name is Fred McCarthy and I have been a member of Saint Hubert Parish for 5 years. I am here today as the chairman of the Stewardship Commission to talk with you about this year’s Annual Stewardship Campaign.

When Father asked me to do this it was down at Whidbey Island Bank and as he asked it got deathly quiet in the bank and the tellers leaned forward to hear my response.

I really appreciate being a member of Saint Hubert Parish. I get a lot back personally for my parish membership.

Our Parish Stewardship Campaign theme for 2011 is “If everyone lit just one little candle, what a bright world this would be.” Does anyone know where that theme originated? In the 1945 a Maryknoll Missionary priest named Father Keller who grew up in Oakland California formed the Christophers to communicate the message about the Catholic Church using the media. They had one of the earliest television shows about Catholicism and the theme song of the show included these words. I remember listening to their program on Sunday mornings in the early 1950s in our home.

A number of parishioners have joined us and are helping the Stewardship Campaign with their ideas and actions.

You will be given a candle when you leave church today by one of the commission members. We hope it will remind you and your family at home about our campaign and the needs of our parish. You might want to light the candle during dinner this week and talk together about stewardship and what your family is doing.

Our mission is to support our parish and the services we have come to value with a successful Annual Stewardship Campaign.

We are seeking to increase the number of families participating actively in our parish in pledging their time, talent, and treasure.

Many people here at Saint Hubert make this parish successful. Over 80 people are in some leadership role in various ministries in the parish. Some people are involved in as many as 15 different forms of service. Over 35 people are involved in three or more areas of service. Many of you support excellent services in our communities as well.

We have many blessings here on Whidbey Island and a friendly and involved parish to come to each week. We have many things to be thankful for including our beautiful church and parish center paid for by parishioners and maintained by dedicated staff and hard working parish volunteers through over 35 ministries. 31 of them are listed on the back of the Talent card.

This week Father sent everyone a mailing that included a letter, a postcard from the Archbishop and three cards with ideas for giving.

I know some of us feel guilty when we get this letter. Why is the church always asking us for money? Doesn’t it make some of us feel guilty about how much we have given or not given? In the Catholic Church we have our share of guilt. Someone once said guilt is the gift that keeps on giving.

Stewardship provides about 80% of our operating budget for the parish for the year. The fact is that we have to ask you to contribute to have the money to provide the services we all want to have from our church.

It is easy to confuse the Annual Archdiocesan Catholic Appeal with the Parish Stewardship Campaign.

The Annual Appeal funds over 60 ministries throughout the Archdiocese and is conducted in the spring.

The Stewardship Campaign funds parish services and is conducted in the fall. Some think that the Archdiocese takes back much of the money raised in the local parish campaign.

I called the Archdiocese after I heard this concern, and found out that the Archdiocese assesses less than 1% of what we collect back for Archdiocesan support. For example if we raised $100,000 the Archdiocese would assess back $210.

One of the goals of our parish is to inspire young people to service. A memorable story of service that happened this past year and touched our hearts was that of student, Cortney Dunnigan, a parish member, who came up with the idea of collecting used backpacks for homeless people. This effort resulted in collecting approximately 25 backpacks and Cortney helped distribute them with members of three other churches in Seattle. The name of the project he supported was “His hand extended.” He gave us an example of Faith in Action in our own community and great hope for our future generations of Saint Hubert parishioners.

On a personal note, stewardship has been a central part of our family’s charitable giving plan. I always remember my father, who passed away in 2004 at the age of 92, with his Fedora type hat in his hand and his trench coat on after Mass kibitzing with Father Blanchard at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Seattle and each week one of us kids got to put a $5 bill in the collection.

We went to school at our local parish and I remember parent teacher conferences in the 4th grade when sister said to my mother when she asked how I was doing . Well Fred has these new logger boots and he’s always playing with the shoe laces on them during class. Then she paused waiting for a response from my mother. My mother was a nurse in combat in WWII and she responded. Thank you sister, I was wondering how he was doing in reading and math?

Over the years we have contributed to parish stewardship and a number of special ministries of the Archdiocese of Seattle including parochial schools, the Hunthousen Housing Fund, Tsunami Relief, and The Sisters of Saint Joseph of Peace. I feel a warm place in my heart when we make these contributions and trust that the funds we are giving through the Catholic Church go to right to the people in need.

I want to say thank you to the members of the Stewardship Commission, Father Rick for his openness to our ideas, Al Jones for the electric tea light idea, Margaret Andersen for framing the poster copy of Father Rick’s art work entitled Festival of Lights, Terri Snyder for her clerical support and keeping so many details together, and my friend from when we were both Catholic School principals in Seattle Agnes Jacobson (Bell Moore) for leading the distribution of candles at this Mass.

Thank you for continuing to contribute your time, talent and treasure to Saint Hubert. Together we can assure a vibrant parish life here. Please remember the needs of our parish in your family’s plan for charitable giving . . . and increase your involvement and giving, if you are able, during these difficult financial times. We all want our parish to be the best it can be. In this time of great need we ask you to be very generous in your support of our parish.

Please take a few moments after Mass today to stop by the Ministry Fair in Read Hall entitled ” The Light of Ministry, Time and Talent in Action”. Margaret Anderson, her husband Bob and many others spent yesterday setting up the beautiful displays and the choir people have a special surprise at their booth. Visit the tables and your fellow parishioners working at each table, and consider the ways you might help our parish.

Thank you for your time and for listening today.

Fred