St. Paul: A Blue Canvas Preacher?: The 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
Hello and welcome!
If you've been reading the homily drafts (posted each week by Thursday Noon EST), you might be interested in seeing the revised version on the St. Aloysius Parish website. The link appears in the right sidebar; the homily archive is found on the "parish" page and is usually posted on Monday or Tuesday.
[To view a draft of this weekend's homily, scroll to the end of this article.]
For readers of Blue Collar Preacher, next week's second reading will be of particular interest. St. Paul speaks about earning his own keep so as not to be burden on the new community of believers in the city of Thessolonika. As soon as I read this passage I thought of the book, "The Purpose-driven Church" by Rick Warren. Many readers may not have noticed it, but Warren dedicated the book to part-time pastors who preach on the weekends and hold regular jobs during the week.
I can't say that I envy their workload, but I certainly admire their dedication. If any such preachers are reading this, I offer them sincere encouragement in their ministry and hope they realize that they are a tremendous gift to the Church. They have a unique opportunity to connect the Scriptures with the world of everyday work that full-time pastors like myself do not have. I also hope they realize that their words carry a type of authority that is lacking in the sermons and homilies of "professional" preachers who fail to stay in touch with the harsh realities of the work-a-day world.
So, St. Paul kept his day job. According to Acts 18:3, he was a tentmaker by trade. In today's lingo, he might be called a "blue canvas preacher." In any event, his "hands-on" approach to life definately showed up in the letters he wrote: direct, to-the-point, no-nonsense communication...that was St. Paul's style; that was St. Paul's character.
There's an obvious carry-over of this message in the gospel passage that follows the reading from Thessolonians. Jesus derides those religious professionals who "widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels," in other words, clergy-types who "perform works (so as) to be seen."
Humm, where should we go with all this? As someone who is regularly called "Father" and "sits in a seat of honor" and wears distinctive clothing during the worship of God...the first word that comes to mind is "Yikes!"
Now, I have to say that this reading does afford a great opportunity for me to climb some hill and take some pot-shots at other clergy, especially those who come across as superior, arrogant, insensitive and self-serving. But, fortunately, my own feet of crumbling clay won't make it to the foot of that hill. So, I suppose, that leaves me with little choice but to 'fess up to my own pastoral failures (which are many), ask forgiveness and point to the grace of a wonderful God on whose forgiveness, mercy and compassion we all--laity and clergy alike--depend.
This line of thought actually leads us right to the last line of the gospel: "Whoever exults himself will be humbled, whoever humbles himself will be exalted."
Any stories, experiences or illustrations that you care to offer would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks to those of you who are submitting comments either on the discussion board or to directly my e-mail. Your input is much appreciated.
HOMILY FOR THE 31ST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
(Second draft)
Cowboy churches are popular in Texas.
They tend to be of the non-denominational variety
and are unique insofar as their services are held in rodeo arenas
and usually include time for roping, barrel racing, bull-dogging, etc.
once the service is concluded.
I attended a cowboy church near Amarillo last week.
It was a weeknight Bible study.
I didn’t find any horses; only six middle-aged men (counting myself).
One fellow wore a cowboy hat (but I think he sold cars for a living).
Another fellow worked for the City of Amarillo.
One guy was a retired welder.
I passed myself as a farm hand (which I was for most of my two week vacation).
The biker who showed up late mentioned that he worked part-time as a rodeo clown.
From comments made during the preacher’s presentation,
I gathered that he supplemented his clergy income by shoeing horses.
As I looked around the group I thought to myself,
“St. Paul would feel right at home.”
As most of you know, St. Paul was a tent-maker by trade.
Yes, one of the greatest preacher in the history of Christianity
Kept his day job and conducted his ministry in the off-hours.
He refers to his practice of his in today’s Letter to the Thessalonians:
You recall, brothers and sisters, our toil and our drudgery.
Working night and day in order not to burden any of you.
Yet, as transparent and tender are the words of this passage,
the most striking phrase to me is the one in which St. Paul
candidly admits:
With such affection for you, we were determined to share with you
not only the gospel of God,
but our very selves as well.
It’s quite a different picture in today’s gospel passage
when Jesus criticizes the clergy of his day:
Practice what they (your religious leaders) say,
but do not follow their example.
Instead of doing everything possible
To avoid burdening their people
(as was Paul’s overwhelming concern),
the leaders chided by Jesus
created burdens to place on other’s backs
without lifting a finger to remove them.
A different picture indeed!
When it comes to sharing the faith,
the words of Paul and the words of Jesus
tell us that part of the deal
is “sharing another’s burden”
not shoving your burden onto someone else’s back
…shifting your burden onto someone else’ desk
or sliding your burden under the rug…
Sharing the faith is about acknowledging one’s burdens
and sharing one another’s burdens.
How do we do that?
Let me cite a few examples.
Ever listen to the prayers that your children pray?
They want grandpa to have a happy birthday,
they want some bully to quick picking on them
and they want you to be proud of them.
Those are their burdens.
And when they pray out loud with you,
they are giving their burdens to God
and they are sharing their burdens with you.
Is that how religious leaders tend to pray?
No.
When was the last time you heard me pray
about my fears, my struggles, my insecurities?
I might allude to them,
but I’m not going enumerate them.
Like you, I don’t mention my personal struggles in public.
Somehow, that doesn’t seem appropriate in a public setting
like Sunday Mass.
It might be okay for our children to pray this way at bedtime
in the intimate security of our home,
but we adults are more inclined to share our accomplishments
that our problems.
It’s our version of “lengthening our tassels
and widening our phylacteries.”
By the way, do you know what a phylactery is?
It’s a leather strap that devout Jews use to wrap around their arms
when they pray,
reminding them of how their lives are bound and held together
by the Law of God.
The tassels that Jesus mentioned, are the tassels on prayer
shawls and they represent the Ten Commandments of the Law of God.
There is nothing wrong with this;
they are pious practices of devout people
and the Bible tells us that Jesus himself
wore such tassels on his cloak.
But religion is about sharing burdens,
not accomplishments
and time spent in prayer
is no time to brag about oneself.
If we brag at all, as St. Paul strongly advised,
we brag on God.
* * *
Yes, we brag on God, not ourselves.
And that’s just one reason why it’s important
to pray with your kids.
Their prayers remind us that God’s heart
is set on the lowly and the vulnerable.
And so we begin to glorify God, not ourselves.
It is important to pray with one’s children
because it is important that we pray with honesty of heart.
That’s why it’s important for me to pray with people
like that rodeo clown and that horse-shoeing preacher
back at that cowboy church…
they remind me that God is more impressed
with an addict’s recovery than a graduate degree.
And that’s why it’s important for everyone here
to find a true brother or sister who values the Christian faith
and is willing to shoulder your burdens and allow you
to help shoulder theirs’…
otherwise we might think that religion is more about us
than it is about Christ.
If you've been reading the homily drafts (posted each week by Thursday Noon EST), you might be interested in seeing the revised version on the St. Aloysius Parish website. The link appears in the right sidebar; the homily archive is found on the "parish" page and is usually posted on Monday or Tuesday.
[To view a draft of this weekend's homily, scroll to the end of this article.]
For readers of Blue Collar Preacher, next week's second reading will be of particular interest. St. Paul speaks about earning his own keep so as not to be burden on the new community of believers in the city of Thessolonika. As soon as I read this passage I thought of the book, "The Purpose-driven Church" by Rick Warren. Many readers may not have noticed it, but Warren dedicated the book to part-time pastors who preach on the weekends and hold regular jobs during the week.
I can't say that I envy their workload, but I certainly admire their dedication. If any such preachers are reading this, I offer them sincere encouragement in their ministry and hope they realize that they are a tremendous gift to the Church. They have a unique opportunity to connect the Scriptures with the world of everyday work that full-time pastors like myself do not have. I also hope they realize that their words carry a type of authority that is lacking in the sermons and homilies of "professional" preachers who fail to stay in touch with the harsh realities of the work-a-day world.
So, St. Paul kept his day job. According to Acts 18:3, he was a tentmaker by trade. In today's lingo, he might be called a "blue canvas preacher." In any event, his "hands-on" approach to life definately showed up in the letters he wrote: direct, to-the-point, no-nonsense communication...that was St. Paul's style; that was St. Paul's character.
There's an obvious carry-over of this message in the gospel passage that follows the reading from Thessolonians. Jesus derides those religious professionals who "widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels," in other words, clergy-types who "perform works (so as) to be seen."
Humm, where should we go with all this? As someone who is regularly called "Father" and "sits in a seat of honor" and wears distinctive clothing during the worship of God...the first word that comes to mind is "Yikes!"
Now, I have to say that this reading does afford a great opportunity for me to climb some hill and take some pot-shots at other clergy, especially those who come across as superior, arrogant, insensitive and self-serving. But, fortunately, my own feet of crumbling clay won't make it to the foot of that hill. So, I suppose, that leaves me with little choice but to 'fess up to my own pastoral failures (which are many), ask forgiveness and point to the grace of a wonderful God on whose forgiveness, mercy and compassion we all--laity and clergy alike--depend.
This line of thought actually leads us right to the last line of the gospel: "Whoever exults himself will be humbled, whoever humbles himself will be exalted."
Any stories, experiences or illustrations that you care to offer would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks to those of you who are submitting comments either on the discussion board or to directly my e-mail. Your input is much appreciated.
HOMILY FOR THE 31ST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
(Second draft)
Cowboy churches are popular in Texas.
They tend to be of the non-denominational variety
and are unique insofar as their services are held in rodeo arenas
and usually include time for roping, barrel racing, bull-dogging, etc.
once the service is concluded.
I attended a cowboy church near Amarillo last week.
It was a weeknight Bible study.
I didn’t find any horses; only six middle-aged men (counting myself).
One fellow wore a cowboy hat (but I think he sold cars for a living).
Another fellow worked for the City of Amarillo.
One guy was a retired welder.
I passed myself as a farm hand (which I was for most of my two week vacation).
The biker who showed up late mentioned that he worked part-time as a rodeo clown.
From comments made during the preacher’s presentation,
I gathered that he supplemented his clergy income by shoeing horses.
As I looked around the group I thought to myself,
“St. Paul would feel right at home.”
As most of you know, St. Paul was a tent-maker by trade.
Yes, one of the greatest preacher in the history of Christianity
Kept his day job and conducted his ministry in the off-hours.
He refers to his practice of his in today’s Letter to the Thessalonians:
You recall, brothers and sisters, our toil and our drudgery.
Working night and day in order not to burden any of you.
Yet, as transparent and tender are the words of this passage,
the most striking phrase to me is the one in which St. Paul
candidly admits:
With such affection for you, we were determined to share with you
not only the gospel of God,
but our very selves as well.
It’s quite a different picture in today’s gospel passage
when Jesus criticizes the clergy of his day:
Practice what they (your religious leaders) say,
but do not follow their example.
Instead of doing everything possible
To avoid burdening their people
(as was Paul’s overwhelming concern),
the leaders chided by Jesus
created burdens to place on other’s backs
without lifting a finger to remove them.
A different picture indeed!
When it comes to sharing the faith,
the words of Paul and the words of Jesus
tell us that part of the deal
is “sharing another’s burden”
not shoving your burden onto someone else’s back
…shifting your burden onto someone else’ desk
or sliding your burden under the rug…
Sharing the faith is about acknowledging one’s burdens
and sharing one another’s burdens.
How do we do that?
Let me cite a few examples.
Ever listen to the prayers that your children pray?
They want grandpa to have a happy birthday,
they want some bully to quick picking on them
and they want you to be proud of them.
Those are their burdens.
And when they pray out loud with you,
they are giving their burdens to God
and they are sharing their burdens with you.
Is that how religious leaders tend to pray?
No.
When was the last time you heard me pray
about my fears, my struggles, my insecurities?
I might allude to them,
but I’m not going enumerate them.
Like you, I don’t mention my personal struggles in public.
Somehow, that doesn’t seem appropriate in a public setting
like Sunday Mass.
It might be okay for our children to pray this way at bedtime
in the intimate security of our home,
but we adults are more inclined to share our accomplishments
that our problems.
It’s our version of “lengthening our tassels
and widening our phylacteries.”
By the way, do you know what a phylactery is?
It’s a leather strap that devout Jews use to wrap around their arms
when they pray,
reminding them of how their lives are bound and held together
by the Law of God.
The tassels that Jesus mentioned, are the tassels on prayer
shawls and they represent the Ten Commandments of the Law of God.
There is nothing wrong with this;
they are pious practices of devout people
and the Bible tells us that Jesus himself
wore such tassels on his cloak.
But religion is about sharing burdens,
not accomplishments
and time spent in prayer
is no time to brag about oneself.
If we brag at all, as St. Paul strongly advised,
we brag on God.
* * *
Yes, we brag on God, not ourselves.
And that’s just one reason why it’s important
to pray with your kids.
Their prayers remind us that God’s heart
is set on the lowly and the vulnerable.
And so we begin to glorify God, not ourselves.
It is important to pray with one’s children
because it is important that we pray with honesty of heart.
That’s why it’s important for me to pray with people
like that rodeo clown and that horse-shoeing preacher
back at that cowboy church…
they remind me that God is more impressed
with an addict’s recovery than a graduate degree.
And that’s why it’s important for everyone here
to find a true brother or sister who values the Christian faith
and is willing to shoulder your burdens and allow you
to help shoulder theirs’…
otherwise we might think that religion is more about us
than it is about Christ.
posted by BlueCollarPreacher at 7:41 PM
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