Caution

Homily for September 27, 2015 (26th Sunday in Ordinary Time)
Numbers 11:25-29; Psalm 19; James 5:1-6; Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

One of the sure signs that autumn is upon us is that slowly (perhaps too slowly) the many road construction zones that have disrupted our travel for the past several months are starting to disappear as crews finish their projects.  I can’t even begin to count the number of extra hours of travel or the orange signs and barrels, concrete barriers and rumble strips that I encountered over the summer as I traveled through Chicagoland and various states.

Nobody really wants or likes to deal with these things, yet we accept them because we trust or at least hope that they will be temporary and lead to better and safer streets and roads. If you have recently traveled under one of Chicago’s crumbling bridges or decrepit underpasses (the ones with the exposed rebar) as I have, you will also appreciate that our nation’s infrastructure is in desperate need of attention.  So we slow down (more or less) when the signs tell us to reduce our speeds; we watch out for the construction crews; we move over when the lanes are reduced; and we get comfortable driving close to cement walls.

Perhaps the cover of our Lectionary should have orange reflective tape this morning, for our scripture readings for today’s liturgy are almost like a big construction zone.  They call us to exercise caution as we move forward in our lives as disciples:

Caution in judging who our friends and allies may be.—In our first reading, we are reminded that those whom we consider outsiders, including people of other faith traditions or those of no faith, can also be blessed and, in their own ways (perhaps even without knowing it) can carry out God’s will.  We once taught that “outside the Church there is no salvation;” but since Vatican II we have been encouraged to engage others in dialog and cooperation, respecting religious liberty while unapologetically seeking to fulfill the mission that Christ has given us.

Caution in how we use our bodily members and senses.  Jesus’ admonitions in the gospel reading are stern; but thankfully we don’t have to take them literally.  Otherwise, our churches—and altars(!)— would be filled with one-eyed people with prosthetic limbs!  Instead, the Lord calls us to prudence, modesty and a careful consideration of how we use the great gifts that are our bodies.

Caution in the example we set for others (gospel).  The Greek verb used in Jesus’ admonition against leading others into sin can also be translated as placing obstacles in their way or causing them scandal; and while the “little ones” he refers to include children it can also apply more broadly, even to other disciples.  In any case we need to be aware that what we say and do as followers of Jesus is never just a personal matter.  That’s underscored in our Liturgy of Infant Baptism, when parents and godparents are entrusted to carry and nurture for a time the light of Christ for the child.

Caution in our attitudes about wealth and money.  St. James uses some very vivid imagery—rotted wealth, moth-eaten clothes, corroded precious metals—to describe not only the dangers and consequences of what Pope Francis has called “the idolatry of money” but also to decry the injustices like wage theft and other ways that workers are exploited and which ultimately undermine our economic system and the sense of solidarity that is essential to any health community or nation.  The Pope underscored that point in his recent messages to the U.S. Congress and the United Nations.

So yes, we are called to be cautious in some ways—but only to discipline ourselves to surrender more fully to the reign of God in our lives and to share it with the world.  +