August 8, 2010
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

Wis 18:6-9

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.
Your people awaited the salvation of the just
and the destruction of their foes.
For when you punished our adversaries,
in this you glorified us whom you had summoned.
For in secret the holy children of the good were offering sacrifice
and putting into effect with one accord the divine institution.

R. (12b) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.

R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.

R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.

R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

Brothers and sisters:
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for
and evidence of things not seen.
Because of it the ancients were well attested.

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.
By faith he received power to generate,
even though he was past the normal age
—and Sarah herself was sterile—
for he thought that the one who had made the promise was
trustworthy.
So it was that there came forth from one man,
himself as good as dead,
descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky
and as countless as the sands on the seashore.

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,
for those who speak thus show that they are seeking a homeland.
If they had been thinking of the land from which they had come,
they would have had opportunity to return.
But now they desire a better homeland, a heavenly one.
Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God,
for he has prepared a city for them.

By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac,
and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son,
of whom it was said,
“Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name.”
He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead,
and he received Isaac back as a symbol.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not be afraid any longer, little flock,
for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.
Sell your belongings and give alms.
Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out,
an inexhaustible treasure in heaven
that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

“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.
Blessed are those servants
whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. 
Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,
have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
And should he come in the second or third watch
and find them prepared in this way,
blessed are those servants.
Be sure of this:
if the master of the house had known the hour
when the thief was coming,
he would not have let his house be broken into.
You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect,
the Son of Man will come.”

Then Peter said,
“Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?”
And the Lord replied,
“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward
whom the master will put in charge of his servants
to distribute the food allowance at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.
Truly, I say to you, the master will put the servant
in charge of all his property.
But if that servant says to himself,
‘My master is delayed in coming,’
and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants,
to eat and drink and get drunk,
then that servant’s master will come
on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour
and will punish the servant severely
and assign him a place with the unfaithful.
That servant who knew his master’s will
but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will
shall be beaten severely;
and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will
but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating
shall be beaten only lightly.
Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,
and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”

Catholic Fundamentalism Interpretation:

The Loving Programmer told His most beloved human programs that He was going to grant them freedom while erasing their enemies.  They believed Him, and that gave them courage to do what He told them to do.

The lesson is that, today, our enemies are being made ready for destruction and we who have been faithful will be saved.  We do your will, openly or secretly as the occasion demands, and help Your Program to run as You wrote it.

Blessed were the Jews and most blessed today are the Roman Catholics.

You who are just, exult in The Loving Programmer; it is right for the good to praise Him.  Blessed are the people who live in the Nation of God, those whom He has chosen.

Blessed were the Jews and most blessed today are the Roman Catholics.

See, The Loving Programmer takes care of those who fear Him and those who hope for His kindness to give them immortal life, despite shortages of programmed entities.

Blessed were the Jews and most blessed today are the Roman Catholics.

The very essence of our individual programs wait for He Who Programmed us.  He is our help and protection.  May Your kindness, O Loving Programmer, keep our programs running without error and with joy, we have put our hope in You.

Blessed were the Jews and most blessed today are the Roman Catholics.

My fellow believers, faith is understanding that The Loving Programmer has revealed Himself to we who believe.  That faith is the characteristic of those who have obeyed and been saved.

Abraham went into the land promised because he stepped out on faith.

Faith let him live in the land promised to him, and to have sons who would also believe, thereby inheriting the same promise.

It was ridiculous to believe that he and Sarah could have children, but he believed, and it happened because he trusted in He Who made the promise that they would have a child.

By believing, there came forth a multitude from that couple who should have had no children, and they are as numerous as grains of sand or stars in the sky.

In the same way, Jesus Christ came to earth, and those who believe in Him would be as countless as the children of Abraham.  Those who believe are strangers on earth, living, as they do, in Him, not on earth.

They are not looking for a land to return to, but they are looking for a better, eternal, heavenly home, with He Who Lovingly Programmed them to rise above the programmed entities to be one with Him.

He has made a place for them.

He tested Abraham by seeing if he loved his son more than God.  Abraham loved God more, and God let Isaac live and bear the children of Abraham.

Isaac's continued life was a symbol of how important God thinks obedience is.

Jesus said to His disciples: "Don't be afraid, for your Father, The Loving Programmer, is happy to give you access to His Kingdom

Show that you value Him more than the lesser things He has programmed.  Sell your belongings and give your money away.  Exchange the things of this world for endless riches in Heaven, where there is no way they can be lost, even the devil's thieves cannot take from you, nor destructive beings of any sort.

Giving your money away shows where your heart is, (and you want it to be with God).  Strengthen yourselves, open your minds to the light that they may be lights, and wait, just like servants waiting their master's return from a wedding, ready to let Him in as soon as He comes and lets you know He's there.  Blessed are those whom The Loving Programmer finds alert and watchful when He arrives.  He will have His servants recline, and wait on them, Himself.  And, if He shows up at night or unexpectedly and finds them ready for Him (living without sin or error), they will be blessed.

You can be sure:  If the owner of property knew when the thief was coming, he'd have been able to stop him.  In the same way, you must be prepared to go to Judgment even when you don't expect it."

Peter said, "Lord, is this meant for us (will we be judged?) or for everyone? (and will they be the only ones judged?)"

Jesus answered:  "The faithful caretaker will be doing his job, making sure that those for whom he's responsible are properly taken care of.  If he's doing his job when he's called to Judgment, then he's going to get a big promotion, and be put in charge of all the property.

But, that servant has free will.  If he chooses to do the wrong thing, justifying it by saying, "Hey, nobody's here to stop me, and the master won't be here for awhile, and begins to mistreat those beneath him, eating and drinking to excess, then that servant's master will come when he's not expected, and will punish him severely, and send him to hell.

Those who knew what The Loving Programmer wanted them to do and did not get ready to obey, or act as He wanted will be punished severely. 

The servant who didn't know what was expected of him will not be punished so much. 

If a person has been given much, in possessions and responsibility, he will be expected to perform.  The more we have, the more is expected of us.

(A person who has received The Sacraments is held especially accountable.  The more Sacraments received, the better we have to be because more is expected of us.)