Will the Lord say 'Woe' to us? (Sunday homily)

Note: this is the unedited version.

This weekend, at all Masses, the Sisters of Reparation to the Sacred Heart are here promoting the message of Divine Mercy. (They will give a presentation tomorrow afternoon, at 3 pm, along with Exposition and Benediction, at St. Mary. Feel free to come!) So, at the end of Mass, Sister Mary Grace came forward to give a preview. Well, I forgot about that when I wrote this, so when I delivered this homily, I cut it short for her sake...

The Lord’s words just now are shocking—
at least, they should be.
If they didn’t hit us like cold water in our faces,
we aren’t listening!

“Woe to you, rich!”

Are we rich? Many of us in this community are hurting.
Not enough work, and many can’t pay their bills.

Compared with the rest of the world, we’re blessed.
Yet the burden of debt is still crushing.
Being out of work is soul-bruising;
not being able to provide for your children—
I cannot imagine that pain.

This is an opportunity to talk about
the Church’s social teaching.
Caring for the poor; doing justly;
making the world a better place.

We don’t talk about this enough;
it can be rather overwhelming,
talking about poverty, racism, economic justice.
And it often becomes too political.

In the Gospel, Jesus didn’t say anything
about politics or minimum-wage laws,
taxes or government programs.
Yet Scripture says, failing to pay a worker’s wages
is a sin that cries out to heaven!

Some make it all politics;
some say it has nothing to do with politics.

Both are wrong!

As I said, this topic can be rather abstract.

So let me be very concrete:
Here’s what Archbishop Chaput of Denver said—
“If we forget the poor, we will go to hell.”

I repeat:
“If we forget the poor, we will go to hell.”

We can legitimately disagree about how to do it;
but if we think we don’t have to do it all;
the “woe” the Lord promised will fall on us.

Let’s stay concrete.
Our Catholic Faith says
everyone deserves a “just” wage.

We can debate government policy and get nowhere.
But as a parish, we can do something, immediately.
So, let’s ask the question: Do we pay a just wage
to our school employees and parish staff?
We try—but I think we come short.
Our battle against deficits tells us
we can’t afford what we’re doing now,
and we surely can’t afford to do more.

So—what shall I do?
Raise school tuition $500 a year?

No? Then we get more from the parish?
Only the parish doesn’t have it.

No, I know how generous many are.
Some can give a lot—and they do;
Others struggle to give $5—and yet, they do!
Still others give sacrificially of their time.

I am grateful.

You have heard me make the pitch for buying SCRIP,
as a truly pain-free way to help our parish and school.

Again—many do that.
But I have to tell you, many do not.
Many do far less than they could.

This parish could raise over $100,000 a year
from SCRIP—but we don’t come close to that.


Some say—the line is too long;
my answer: you volunteer to help sell it!

Some say, I don’t what to do; you can ask!

See, we can get all theoretical about this,
but this is as nuts-and-bolts as it gets:
Buy SCRIP! How’s that for practical?

If we had the money, I wouldn’t push SCRIP.
(I wouldn’t beg you to work Bingo.)

But we, as a Catholic community,
aren’t providing just wages—
because we don’t have the money.

SCRIP is a remedy in our hands, already.
And yet…

I use SCRIP to buy all my groceries.
I know most of you don’t—because if you did,
We’d already have $100,000 or more a year!

So what else, really, is there to say?

Now—I didn’t decide to talk about SCRIP
until Saturday afternoon.
So I didn’t arrange extra volunteers to sell SCRIP.
So, obviously, everyone can’t respond, today.
Here is what I’m asking you to do, right now:
Will you commit yourself, right now?
Will you make it your own, personal responsibility
to buy SCRIP, especially for your groceries,
since, obviously, we all have to eat?

Folks say, “be practical”—this is practical.

SCRIP is easy, costs you nothing, it’s pain-free!
The minor inconvenience
isn’t even worth complaining about,
when you consider people’s wages are at stake!
Together, we’re the employers—we’ll answer for it!

On Judgment Day, what will you say?
“I’d like to have helped,
but Father Martin didn’t ask enough times;
he didn’t ask the right way;
he didn’t make it easy enough.”

I don’t know what the Lord will say;
But we did just hear him say, “Woe to you.”
Please God, let it not be for us.