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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
At one time or another, as human beings we tend to compare ourselves to others, “I am smarter” or “he/she is better than me”, or “I am a hardworking and conscientious individual and they are not.” Constantly comparing ourselves to others can easily lead to feelings of pride, jealousy, resentment towards others, friends, colleagues, or even our loved ones. The habit of comparison can stain relationships and create a sense of competition rather than fostering genuine connections and support. Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of Joy.” In today’s gospel, we have laborers who worked all day and received their payment, complaining to the master for paying the same wage to those who came later in the day. The issue being, how could those who did less than a day’s work be entitled to a day’s wage? Yet, all were paid what had been agreed upon prior to starting work. They are getting worked up because they are comparing the amount of time and energy invested in the whole day as opposed to just a few hours or minutes.
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Today, both our First Reading and the Gospel confront the dangerous illusion of self-sufficiency. They confront the notion that we human beings feel we have acquired so much power, fame, and wealth that we no longer need God in our lives! It is the illusion we see in the life of the Prince of Tyre who acquired so much wealth and power that he declared: “I am a god!” It is the difficulty the Lord addresses when he said, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.” Human history has shown that whenever individuals, families, and even countries become so successful in wealth, power, and fame, they grow so comfortable that they start questioning whether they still need God in their lives! It is at that point that you start to see celebrities who were raised in the Church, educated by the Church, and given a big head start in life, stop attending Church.
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There are some people who become extremely efficient in a crisis. The house could be on fire, the roof collapsing, and they can calmly ask, “Has anyone turned off the coffee machine?” Every family seems to have one. At a funeral, while everyone else is crying, this person is locating the cemetery paperwork, counting sandwiches, finding the missing uncle, checking who needs a ride from the airport, and asking whether the visiting priest has been given lunch. The same thing happens in ordinary crises. A relationship is struggling, a parent is sick, a child is in trouble, or someone has just received terrible news, but the person is concerned about the groceries that have to be bought, the dog that has to be taken out, the bills that have to be paid. Sometimes we mistake this competence for strength. We say, “Look at her. She is holding up beautifully.” Or He is handling it so well.” But occasionally “holding up beautifully” or handling so well simply means that the heart has not yet been given a safe moment to fall apart or to grieve.
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Strongest stories in our families are built from certain landmarks. And many occasions are about those moments we managed to come out something that we thought we could not make it. When people gather as family, they always recall these stories, And they will begin like… “Do you remember how far we have come from? Do you remember that moment I did not want to speak to you for a week, but I could not resist. Do you remember when you borrowed me money I lent you even when you had not paid previous debt. Do you remember when you I bought you that beautiful golden wedding ring….and the story continues with do you remember…
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Bishop Lumen Monterio, C.S.C., Bishop of the Diocese of Agartala (India), celebrated Mass at the Father Peyton Center. Following his inspiring homily on today's Readings, Bishop Lumen offered a moving tribute to the late Father Willy Raymond, C.S.C. The parable Jesus tells in response to Peter’s question offers deeper insight into His meaning. It echoes the fifth petition of the Lord’s Prayer: “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” When the servant begs for patience, the king goes beyond all expectation: he forgives the entire debt out of compassion. But that same servant, having just received mercy, encounters a fellow servant who owes him only a small amount. Rather than extending the mercy he himself had received, he becomes violent, demanding repayment and imprisoning the man.
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Some time ago I remember reading the extraordinary testimony of a Rwandan Jesuit, Fr. Marcel Uwineza, titled, Risen from the Ashes. Marcel was only fourteen when Rwanda descended into genocide in 1994. His family was devastated; his parents, two brothers and a sister were among those were killed, and more than forty members of his extended family were dead too. For a teenager who had grown up in a deeply Christian home, what disappeared was not simply his family. For a time, even God seemed to disappear Years later Marcel joined the Jesuits. In 2003, before being sent abroad for further studies, he returned to his village to pray at the graves of his family. There he suddenly encountered the man who had killed his family. The man had served time in prison and had been released. Marcel later said something striking: the man had been released by the government, but he had not yet been released by Marcel’s heart. Then the killer knelt before him and asked, “Marcel… do you have space in your heart to forgive me?”
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