“But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.”
Matthew 6:6
Fr. Lowry’s Sermon dated September 29, 2019
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
When I was in Rome studying for the priesthood, I used to give free tours of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, which was my apostolate. St. Peter’s is the largest and one of the most beautiful churches in the world. It is furnished with fine marbles, mosaics, gold and bronze. Because my tours were free, sometimes non-Catholics would come on the tour just to learn about the basilica. Most of the time these people were fascinated, but every so often I would get skeptical, critical people who “had an axe to grind” with the Catholic Church. They would say, “If the Catholic Church cares so much about the poor, why does the pope not sell all this marble and gold and give it to the poor?” At first, this seems like a valid question. Let me come back to this question in a few moments . . .
The gospel passage of this Sunday is from Luke 16 and is called “The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.” It is not a condemnation of the rich; it is rather a condemnation of apathy and selfishness in the face of grave poverty and misfortune. The message certainly applies to us regardless of whether or not we have a lot of money or a little money. It begs us to ask the question of ourselves: What is my attitude to people in need? Do I see them as a nuisance? Or am I willing to “do without” in order to share? Am I willing to be a bit “poorer” so that another can be a bit “richer”?
Poverty is not an easy issue because its causes are varied and complex. Our Lord says that in this life the poor will be always with us (Mark 14:7), so even He does not come to solve the problem of material poverty; nor does Christ offer economical or political solutions. On the contrary, He calls the “poor in spirit” blessed in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3). Nevertheless, our Lord would not have given such a sharp parable as the one we heard today if our actions toward the poor did not matter.
While we are certainly responsible for our own individual works of mercy towards the less-fortunate, the Catholic Church also recognizes that the effort of the human community is also important. For 2,000 years, the Catholic Church has been faithful to carrying out corporal works of mercy: feeding, sheltering, educating and providing healthcare for the poor. This has been done by religious orders and by lay associations. Today, after the U.S. government, there is no other organization that aids the poor in the world to the extent that the Catholic Church does. Moreover, the Catholic Church was the first “church” to formulate social doctrine: Clear teachings on the State’s responsibility in ensuring just wages, safe working conditions, social security, age limits, etc. Today, the Catholic Church supports the State’s role in helping stabilize immigrants and in assisting with healthcare reform (although serious debates and challenges ensue).
Is there more that we — individually, as the Church, and as society — could do to help the poor? Yes, of course. However, to answer the former question about why we as Catholics do not sell the treasures in our churches for the sake of the poor is because these treasures are already for the poor. Beautiful churches are charity to the poor too because the fine adornments are to honor Christ (who chose to be poor) and are free to enjoy and appreciate. Furthermore, we must be always beware of a purely secular, utilitarian view of helping the poor. Man is not only bodily; he is also spiritual. Churches are built for the Mass, and the Mass is the Sacrifice of God for man. The beauty of the Mass firstly glorifies Almighty God, but also sanctifies man’s soul while touching his senses. At holy Mass, we of all different economical and cultural backgrounds come together to worship the source and summit of charity, the Most Holy Trinity. At Mass, we are like Lazarus, covered with the sores of our own sins and with so little to give; and yet Mother Church welcomes and embraces us close to her bosom; and she feeds us with the purest milk of the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Yours in Christ, Fr. Lowry
“In a striking way, we see today a heightening of the tension between our nations’s founding principles and political reality. We see this in diminishing respect for the inalienable right to life and in the elimination of legal protections for those who are most vulnerable. There can be no genuine justice in our society until the truths on which our nation was founded are more perfectly realized in our culture and law.”
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Living the Gospel of Life: A Challenge to American Catholics