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A
Job For Somebody
March
11, 2007
Fr.
George Smiga
Luke
13:1-9
I'd
like to tell you a story today about four people: Everybody,
Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. In the story there was a very
important job which had to be done. Everybody was asked to
do it. But Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Everybody
knew that it was a job that Anybody could do. But in the end
Nobody did it. Now this caused Somebody to become quite angry,
because after all it was Everybody's job. But Everybody kept
insisting, “Anybody can do it.” And Nobody seemed to realize
that Everybody would never do it. Only Somebody would.
Today's
gospel calls us to be that Somebody who acts. It calls us
to do this because there is an extremely important job that
needs to be done: the building of God's Kingdom. All of us
through our baptism have been called to cooperate with God
in recreating the world. Now clearly, Everybody has been called,
but Everybody is not going to do it. That is why Somebody
has to act. Perhaps because we know that it is Everybody's
job or perhaps because we know Anybody can do it, that so
little action happens.
Today's
gospel is all about that lack of action. We are compared to
barren fig trees, trees that produce no fruit. God is that
patient gardener who keeps fertilizing, and cultivating, and
hoping that Someone would act to build God's Kingdom. Now
the actions that build God's Kingdom are actions that Anybody
can do, but Somebody needs to do them.
This
is the third Sunday of Lent. We are about halfway through
the Lenten season. How many of us can identify in our lives,
over the last three weeks, some actions that have helped to
build God's Kingdom? Are they there or do we find that it's
pretty much business as usual (with maybe a little less chocolate
and alcohol)? The challenge then that I give to each of you
here today is this: identify one action, one action which
you can do that will build God's Kingdom. Choose one action
which will move the world a bit closer to unity, to peace,
to justice. It might be picking up the phone to call a relative
from whom you are estranged and simply letting that person
know that the door is still open to reconciliation. It might
be taking a few moments to educate yourself on current political
or social issues that have a bearing upon the welfare our
country or of the world. It might be giving a bit of your
time or energy to some group that is working against poverty
or violence. It might be speaking up to someone in authority
who is abusing their power and insisting you will not cooperate.
It might be reaching out to someone in your neighborhood who
is in need—a person who you have thought for some time could
use some help, but so far you have never acted to help.
Now
is the time for action. Now is the time to do at least one
thing to produce fruit, so that there might be at least one
fig on the branch of the tree which was previously barren.
Any action we do builds God's Kingdom. I know that it's Everybody's
job, and I know that Anybody can do it. But Somebody has to
do it. That Somebody is you.
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