In today’s Gospel, Jesus issues what seems to be a simple invitation.  “If you give even a cup of cold water to someone in need, you will receive your reward.”  (Contrast this with much harder-hitting message in James).  Doesn’t sound too onerous, does it?  Surely, all of us can manage a glass of water, a smile, a welcome to someone in need.  But in order to offer these simple gifts, we have to take the time to see the person, create the space in our lives to receive them. 

Our parish mission statement challenges us to live out the invitation to “act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with our God.”  Rich or poor, man or woman, young or old, healthy or disabled, mainstream or marginal – we are all God’s children, worthy of dignity and respect.  We are called to reflect this in our dealings with one another, in the welcome we extend to all who come, in our outreach beyond the walls of this church.  We can’t solve every problem.  But we can make a difference. We can build bridges of solidarity, as Pope Francis has been doing so beautifully in his apostolic visit to the U.S. this week, whether he has been speaking to the U.S.  Congress and the United Nations, or to the bishops and priests and religious of the Church, or at a D.C. homeless shelter or inner-city Harlem school or Philadelphia correctional facility.  He preaches peace, trusting in Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel: “Whoever is not against us is for us.”  Pope Francis gives us hope to believe that indeed, we can “be the change we want to see in the world.”

In his witness talk before the readings, Iain spoke to us of the gift of time.  Most of us have, for lack of a better word, a chronological understanding of time.  Time is precious.  Time is money.  Time flies by.  There is never enough time.  Timelines and deadlines at work.  Schedules for school and activities.  No time to stop and taste the coffee, to smell the roses, even to take a deep breath and count to ten.  If a year in our life is just, as the song from the musical “Rent” goes, 525,600 minutes – then there never seem to be quite enough of them.

In the Bible, the word “chronos” is used to describe time as measured in days and weeks and months and years.  But another word is used as well, especially by St. Paul.  That word is “Kairos”.  (Those of you who have done the Loyola High School grad retreat should know this word already!) When Paul told the Corinthians, who were quite clever at finding all kinds of reasons to delay their commitment to live as disciples of Christ, he says to them: “now is the acceptable time – now is the day of salvation.”  It’s the time to which expressions like “seize the day”, “strike while the iron is hot”, or “live in the moment” refer: time as a precious opportunity. 

Kairos-time is the recognition that time is not just some finite thing that you measure on a clock: of which there is either never quite enough, or which drags on interminably, depending on the circumstances in which we find ourselves.  We experience Kairos-time when we realize that time – all time – is a gift of God, and that if we learn to look in the right way, we can truly experience God not just in special religious moments, but in every moment.  It is what St. Ignatius famously calls “finding God in all things.”  

Let’s unpack that a bit.  Time is not something I own.  Time belongs to God, and God entrusts that time to us.  None of us knows the length of our days – whether we will be called home at the age of 20 or 50 or 80 or 100.  What matters is how we have used that time, the work we have done with it, the relationships we have cultivated, the love and tenderness we have shared.  Do we believe that God is present to us in all of those experiences and activities?  Or do we fall into the temptation of putting “God’s time” into some little compartment called “Christmas and Easter”, or “Sunday Mass”, or “church”, or “catechism”, or even “grace and bedtime prayers.” 

These are all good things, and I encourage you, as individuals and as families, to carve out those special moments each day, that hour every Sunday, for praise and worship, connecting with the Lord.  We need them. The problem arises when we see this time as somehow “in competition with” or “taken away from” the time demanded by the many duties, tasks, relationships, and – let’s be honest – time-wasting escape valves and distractions that fill our days. (My own weaknesses include Facebook, YouTube, old movies on the PVR, and PBS dramas.)

As many of you know only too well, this is a particular temptation in the hectic pace of modern family life.  With all the pressures of work, school, family, sports, and activities, Sabbath time – not just Sunday, but the time all of us need each day to rest and be refreshed, to nourish our spirits and deepen our faith, to spend quality time with family and friends, is often relegated to the bottom of the priority list.  

Maybe this week, we could prayerfully reflect on the use we make of our time, and ask for the grace to become more aware of how each part of our day, every moment, is filled with the presence and glory of God – and then, strive to consciously live out of that awareness.   There is an old saying that reminds us that the future cannot be controlled, so we needn’t worry about it; the past cannot be changed, so we shouldn’t get upset about it.  All we can do is consciously experience each day, each hour, each moment as God’s precious gift.  And what’s another word for gift?  “The present”!

Today is also Catechetical Sunday.  As we welcome back the children of this community and their families, we are all invited to put “Faith First”, to renew our own commitment to Christ, to “be his disciples”.  For Jesus is the One who shows us the way, who entrusts to us gifts of faith, hope and love.

In a recent letter to all those involved in catechetical ministry in the diocese, our Archbishop Christian Lépine expresses his trust in those who have embraced this challenge: "Your involvement in this ministry will allow children, teenagers, adults, and families to discover Jesus; to experience the love of God as Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit; to share with them the Word of God; and to pray and live as Christians in the world."  If, as the saying goes, “it takes a village to raise a child”, it also takes “a family, and a parish, to raise a child in the ways of faith.”  We are partners in this task of the new evangelization, each with our own distinctive role to play, and we need each other.    

Two weeks ago, Brent Walker used a Latin phrase: “Nemo dat quod non habet.”  We cannot give what we do not have.  If we are to transmit faith to a new generation, we must also be open to a deeper experience and an adult understanding of our Catholic faith.  After communion, Anna Diodati, our pastoral associate, will lead us through the adult faith brochure which you will find in your pews, and which you are encouraged to take home with you today.  Retreats, CAFÉ evenings, panel discussions, movie nights, faith-sharing, prayer groups, social outreach: so many opportunities to grow and deepen our faith, to put it into practice, to be transformed and empowered to go out and transform the world. 

I’d like to close with a message of encouragement to the parents (and grandparents) who are here today.  Your presence tells me that you love your children so much, that you want them to know Jesus, to form a loving and trusting relationship with God, to be members of his church.  You do this when you teach them, through word and example, to keep Jesus’ commandments of love of God, self, and neighbour.  You do this when you pray with them – by bringing them to church, of course, but also by praying with them at home, before meals, at bedtime, teaching by example the importance of praise and thanks to God for his many blessings. 

You do this when you do your best to “walk the talk”, showing your children by example the importance of prayer and worship, compassion and forgiveness, generosity and service, and above all, love.  Thank you for your special and irreplaceable ministry of Christian parenting.  As extended family and friends, as fellow members of your parish community, we are here to support you in your faith, so that together, we can joyfully share this most precious gift of faith in Jesus Christ with a new generation.