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Daily Scripture

+ 20th Week in Ordinary Time

I’ll do it myself.

Readings: Ezekiel 34:1-11 Psalm 23:1-6 Matthew 20:1-16

Therefore, shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: because my shepherds did not look after my sheep, but pastured themselves and did not pasture my sheep, I will claim my sheep from them and put a stop to their shepherding my sheep. I will save my sheep, that they may no longer be food for their mouths. [Ezekiel 34:10]

There is much talk about a vocation shortage—fewer young men entering the seminary and fewer still persevering to ordination. Not withstanding some notable exceptions this has resulted in the lowering of standards for ordination. Moreover, priests and candidates for the priesthood are being ‘imported’ from other countries whose needs are as urgent as ours.

The prevailing accent seems to be on the need to have a sufficient number of priests to ‘say Mass’ and provide for the sacramental needs of the faithful. But surely in the light of the Second Vatican Council, priests need to be more than presiders at Mass and providers of the sacraments, as important as are these roles.

The earliest experience of the Church can be instructive in this regard. The notion of presbyter provided the early church with presiders for worship and leaders for base communities. Celibacy was not an issue and there was no clerical caste. The gifts of the faithful were recognized in such a manner that men and women, married and single fulfilled the spiritual needs of the community including the sacramental needs.

Notwithstanding the inadequacy of the notion of shepherding people (sheeple?) the need remains for qualified men and women to minister to the needs of the community.

Ezekiel warned the priests and assured the people of Israel that God would find away to pasture his people.

Ezekiel’s words need to be taken to heart again and in fact we already see that God is indeed providing a way through the action of the Holy Spirit in the lives of men and women, married and single, who are tending to the needs of the faithful.

Editorial - Op Ed

Monday March 19, 2007

It’s a matter of conscience

For several weeks in succession, I repeated the ‘pulpit’ announcement at the conclusion of Mass at Assumption Church in Morristown where I preside every Sunday at the 8:30 AM Liturgy. “Parishioners are invited to participate in the Rally for Darfur on Sunday, March 18th at 2:00 PM on the Morristown Green.”

I’m not one for rallies and rarely participate in public demonstrations especially on a Sunday afternoon. However, a little voice inside me told me to ‘show up’ for the rally that, due to the snowstorm on the previous Friday, was moved to the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer on South Street. In recent years, ‘Redeemer’ has been on the cutting edge of social justice issues that cross religious, social and socio-economic boundaries. It was no surprise that parishioners opened their doors and their sanctuary for the five hundred Jews, Christians, and Moslems who attended. There was not an empty seat in the church and many stood for the two-hour program of brief but powerful speeches, prayer and music.

The enthusiasm in the crowd brought me back to the civil rights movement and the anti-Vietnam War rallies of the sixties across the nation but without the rancor of those days. The mood of the gathering was indeed spirited but not raucous. As the speakers shared the memory of their experience of pillage and rape, as they described the horror of bombs, the torching of entire villages and the execution of survivors, one could hear a pin drop in the attentive congregation.

The phrase that came to mind was, “Justice delayed is justice denied!”

After the holocaust, we Americans said, “Never again!” but it happened again in Cambodia, in Bosnia, in Rwanda and now it is happening in Sudanese Darfur and the world has again looked the other way. Why does it take so long for us to recognize the ‘killing fields?’ Why has it taken so long for ME to see what is happening under our watch?

Three weeks in succession the media was obsessed and we were saturated with nightly interviews about the death and burial of Anna Nicole Smith but hardly a word about the daily genocide in Sudan. The nightly news has changed from what people need to know to what people want to know. Not good!

I don’t think we are complacent. Rather many of us are overwhelmed with the enormity of the problem and paralyzed by our assumed inability to make a difference.

I mentioned earlier that at this stage of my life, I’m not into rallies and demonstrations but I can write a good letter and I have yet to give to the point of hunger.

The theme of the rally on the 18th was “It’s a matter of conscience.” Indeed it is.

What would happen if at least one member of every website visitor in wrote a personal letter to our congressional representatives and to our UN ambassador demanding sanctions and a peacekeeping force in Sudan? And if every parish did the same, I’ll bet it would make a difference. What do you think?

This is really what is means to be Catholic with a large and small ‘C.’ This is what it means to be pro-life at every stage of life.

We can start by visiting: NJ Coalition where there are links to many other organizations helping victims of this humanitarian scandal or click on to: Save Darfur.

First inform yourself. Then write a letter to your representatives. Give to the cause through a trusted charity of your choice. We can’t afford to wait until our children ask us where we were when Darfur was massacred.

Father Lasch