Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 117

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place
that he was to receive as an inheritance;
he went out, not knowing where he was to go.
By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country,
dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise;
for he was looking forward to the city with foundations,
whose architect and maker is God.

In Japan, as I understand, wealthy families cultivate bonsai trees within their own homes. These small trees might be outdoors within an enclosed garden, but they never live in forests; they are never eaten by large animals nor infested with bugs. With proper care, they can live through generations of a family, producing leaves and limbs, but never growing very large. They are tended by those who have studied how to maintain bonsai trees, often by the father and grandfather of the family. Before he dies he has trained his son or grandson, or perhaps his daughter, to manage the tiny tree for the rest of their life; who will then pass it to the next generation. If they're well taken care of, they can live for centuries.  

But, should the caregiver neglect the tree, it dies. That would bring great shame on the son or daughter, and on the family; for they have neglected the living spirit of their elders. With the loss of the tree, they let their ancestors fall into the abyss of nameless, lifeless, empty death. They do not exist; perhaps they never were. 

Catholicism, Christianity, and Judaism, so far as I know, do not have a tradition like bonsai but we are nonetheless charged with the faith of our ancestors, as today's readings from the Book of Wisdom and the Letter to the Hebrews remind us. It is a catastrophe, great disappointment, and sorrow, and perhaps a scandal or sin when children do not practice the faith of their ancestors. 

The Book of Deuteronomy tells us how Moses urged his people to drill their children in the memories of our redemption. If we do not remember how the Lord fulfilled his promise to Abraham by bringing us out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and into the wilderness, despite the Pharaoh and the world’s most powerful army…. If our children forget or do not learn what God has done for us, we might as well go back to Egypt. Nothing we do will have mattered. All of our courage, and all of our sacrifices, will mean nothing. 

The Book of Wisdom reminded the Jews of why they were celebrating Passover, when it says: “The night of the Passover was known beforehand to our fathers, that, with sure knowledge of the oaths in which they put their faith, they might have courage.”

And the Letter to the Hebrews insists, “All these died in faith. They did not receive what had been promised but saw it and greeted it from afar and acknowledged themselves to be strangers and aliens on earth...

Because Catholics claim the Faith of our Fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, along with Moses, Solomon, David, Jesus, Mary, and the Apostles, we are also aliens and strangers wherever we go. We have  died to this world like our ancestors. And, as we live by faith, they too live by faith in eternity. Our bonsai tree is the Eucharist we eat and drink, the Bible we study, the Psalms we sing, and all the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Should these things die like a neglected bonsai, not only will our lives be wasted, so will the lives of our ancestors. Their headstones will be landmarks of disappointment. 

But, as Moses knew and every generation has discovered, it has never been easy to keep the faith. It requires more than attending Church on Easter or Christmas; it requires more than telling the Census Bureau you’re a Catholic or Christian. It requires constant and continual alertness against the persistent temptations of Satan. 

Americans were reminded in December 1941 and September 2001 of the danger that may strike at any time and any place. Christians must be far more alert. We should be as innocent as lambs, but as alert as snakes to trouble. 

“Gird your loins and light your lamps

and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding,

ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.

Just as every army and navy should be battle ready; every Christian should “be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” It might come in any of the four seasons, or twelve months; on any day of the week, at any hour of the day or night. 

I do not know what kind of time a family’s single bonsai tree might require of them. But I do know our faith requires continual alertness. We’re not permitted to dally with pornographic images in books or magazines, on television, the Internet or social media. They not only waste irreplaceable time, they dull the senses.

Alcohol, tobacco, and most television can do the same. Gossip arouses contempt for people, envy at their success, and suspicion of their intentions. While it’s true that some people are intent on evil; and, as a community we should discuss the threat and be prepared, we’re not permitted idle, vicious, or senseless speculation about anyone. We take the necessary precautions and let God pronounce judgment when His hour of judgment comes. 

We also know, as Jesus knew, that betrayal can come from any quarter. We want to be prepared for that. Like Joshua, in good times and in bad, we declare to friends and enemies alike, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” 

We choose and commit ourselves to projects that are useful, and to recreation that is recreating. Because we are God’s servants, and he is our faithful Master and Lord, he gives us both work and leisure, spiritual and physical nourishment, discipline and reassurance. Because we are continually ready, our children should see and imitate us. We teach them about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Moses, David, Elijah, and John the Baptist. They should know about Sarah, Deborah, Ruth, Judith, and Esther. They should be familiar with Mary the Mother of God, the apostles, martyrs, and saints. They have to know because they must teach their children when we’re gone. We do not know when the Master will come, but we know He expects to find a healthy, flourishing bonsai tree of faith in our hearts and in our homes. And we must be prepared for as long as it takes, and longer. 

If you attend Church, you do so out of gratitude. If you read this blog, perhaps you’re only curious about our faith. In either case, the scriptures tell us: 

“Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”