Homily for Ordinary Sunday 17 C

The Hebrew letter lamed is 30 and the letter vav is six; together, the two letters equal 36 – the number of the righteous in every generation whose virtue keeps the world from destruction. These 36 hidden righteous ones are called Lamed-vavniks. They live both for themselves and for others (twice chai); meeting the world’s suffering with compassion.

I have Mass on Sunday, July 27 at St. Isidore @ 7:30/9:30 am

The 7:30 am Mass will be live-streamed. https://stisidore.church/worship-online/

frjoedailey@gmail.com

Transcript

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke. 

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say, 'Father, hallowed be your name; your kingdom come; give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins; for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test.'" 

And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey, and I have nothing to offer him.'" And he says in reply from within, "Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything." I tell you, if he does not get up to give the visitor the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence. 

And I tell you, ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you; for everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 

What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish, or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you, then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him? 

The Gospel of the Lord. 

The Our Father is probably the prayer most often prayed throughout the world, and although we think of it as a universal prayer, it is, first of all, and primarily, a prayer for Jesus' disciples. "Lord, teach us to pray," as John taught his disciples. Every line is about disciples forgetting their own desires and plans for their lives, and desiring only what God wills. In that sense, it's a dangerous prayer for anyone who prays it. 

Luke's version of the prayer begins simply with a direct address, "Father." In Romans 8, chapter 15, Paul writes, "You have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, 'Abba, Father,' it is that very spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God." The early Christians may have treasured the Aramaic "Abba" because they knew it was Jesus' language. 

The first three petitions are oddly constructed. "Hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done." We don't usually talk that way. We don't say, "May the hallway be swept, but please sweep the hallway." The indirect constructions in the Our Father leave the question of the active subject open. "Hallow'd be your name," we can add, "by you yourself, but just as well by human beings." Both are possible. Both are correct. And apparently, Jesus intended that ambiguity. 

"It is the Father who sustains us with the very air we breathe, and nourishes us with bread, so that our oneness with the Father moves us out of prayer and into action, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us." The simple prayer transforms the one praying and the Father into a unity of being and doing. 

In the Genesis story, Abraham speaks to God as he might speak with anyone. God is depicted in very human terms. God must come down and see for himself. Abraham does not address God as an equal, but reminds God of God's own justice. Abraham argues that if there are but a few righteous people, the righteousness of the few would be enough to save the whole city. 

Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism, expanded on this idea. Hebrew uses letters for numbers, just like Roman numerals. The Hebrew word for life is c-h-a-i, pronounced (k)HI. You've probably heard the famous Jewish toast, L'chaim, "to life." Chai is the number 18 in Hebrew. Twice chai is 36. The Hebrew letter lamed is 30, and the letter vav is 6. Together the two letters equal 36, the number of the righteous in every generation whose virtue keeps the world from destruction. These 36 hidden righteous ones are called lamed vavniks. They live both for themselves and for others twice chai, meeting the world's suffering with compassion. Without their acts of loving-kindness, life on this planet would implode under the weight of human selfishness, anger, ignorance, and greed. 

The American rabbi Rameh Shapiro explains that the tipping point for maintaining human life on this planet is 36 people practicing the sacred art of loving-kindness. Shapiro invites us to be among the 36. Once you realize that the whole world depends on you for its various survival, Shapiro writes, you will not lack in opportunities to serve. Just remember, he adds, that you are a hidden saint. While being a lamed vavnik may be good for your soul, it doesn't belong in a resume. 

Jesus invites us into his relationship with the Father. After all, we call it the Lord's Prayer. When God's image shines out in the depths of our hearts, God's kingdom has come to us. The bread for which we are to pray isn't just material bread, but at the same time the bread of friendship. In a Palestinian village in which there are no shops, every house provides its own food. A visitor arrives in the middle of the night and there is nothing to offer him. So the householder goes to his friend and knocks on the door. Hospitality is a sacred duty, so he will get up and give his friend all he needs. 

Jesus wants to tell us that God is our friend. Luke interprets this parable like a Greek philosopher. We Christians are God's friends. Praying is speaking to God as to a friend. We may make requests of God as shamelessly as of a friend. God will not turn us away, for the friendship between God and us is far firmer than that between human beings. God is, at the very least, a decent human being. In the human world, even those who are evil give good sustenance to their children. Both the parent in bed and the evil parents are people who give food despite serious obstacles in their willingness and ability to give. Against all odds, giving happens. 

We are not petitioning God for something God may or may not be willing to give. We are opening ourselves to receive the Holy Spirit, whom the Father was to communicate. In giving us the Holy Spirit, God is giving us God's self. As Paul describes in Romans 8, verse 26, "The Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words."