In today’s gospel, St. Luke the Evangelist mentions a certain “Theophilus”— who he calls “excellent.” St. Luke adds that he’s “decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received.”
Biblical scholars believe Theophilus wasn’t a particular person. Instead, Theophilus pointed to what the word means in Greek: “One who loves God.” For St. Luke, that constitutes excellence. Or, as we’re considering this kind of excellence during this Church year, a “WOKE” Catholic.
St. Luke wrote his gospel so that people like you and me can be “excellent”—people who love God and “realize the certainty of the teachings we have received.”
Today’s readings from scripture point out what excellence requires of “WOKE” Catholics: Keeping the Sabbath holy.
In the first reading, the prophet Nehemiah recalls a Sabbath ritual wherein Ezra the priest stood on a high wooden platform and, beginning at daybreak, he read from the Book of the Law until noon. That’s about six hours! The people weren’t seated in pews but bowed down and prostrated, their faces to the ground. Then, after reading and interpreting the Law, Nehemiah, Ezra, and the Levites who were instructing the people said:
Today is holy to the LORD your God.Do not be sad, and do not weep.
Quite rightly, it might be asked: “Why were the people weeping?”
It wasn’t due to the fact they were lying face down on the ground for those six hours. It seems they were weeping because, upon hearing the Law and its explanation, they realized how much they had failed to pattern their lives and abide by its regulations. For this reason, they knew their exile into a foreign land as well as their discouragement, demoralization, discouragement, and despair was their own fault.
Nehemiah then said:
Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks,and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared;for today is holy to our LORD.
Do not be saddened this day,for rejoicing in the LORD must be your strength!
Yes, keeping the Sabbath holy requires hearing the Law and that oftentimes points out how far each of us has wandered away from living as God has commanded. Perhaps some of us feel guilty and perhaps sad for our transgressions. But rather than be sad and go home feeling like a bunch of miserable failures, we’re to go home each Sabbath rejoicing in the Lord and celebrate with a great feast!
“This must be our strength,” Nehemiah said to the Israelites…and his words remind us today.
In a former era, for many Catholics that meant families and relatives gathering every Sunday for a family feast at 3:00 in the afternoon. It was a ritual—a real liturgy—where everyone gathered and enjoyed God’s gift of family life. Yes, the ritual could be crazy at times. Yes, it could be tense at times. Yes, it could be serious at times. And, yes, it could be hilarious at times. For anyone who has experienced and can reflect upon what Nehemiah’s reminder, it’s easy to conclude: Unfortunate is the person who hasn’t or doesn’t regularly partake of this experience.
So, what does it mean to keep the Sabbath holy?
Here’s how “WOKE” Catholics do it: They come to Mass, reflect upon the truth of their lives, are strengthened by Word and Sacrament to do better the coming week, and then go home not sad or weeping but rejoicing in God as their strength. Then, it’s time them to get everything ready for enjoying a family feast...and let the good times roll! In this way, “WOKE” Catholics become encouraged, renewed, revived in spirit, and excited about the upcoming week…by having restored God to His proper place in their lives.
What’s interesting about Nehemiah’s life’s story is that he was a layman who served the Persian king before leading a group of Jews back to Jerusalem to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls. The expertise Nehemiah developed in the king’s court equipped him to lead the reconstruction project necessary for the remnant of Jews to survive. Nehemiah led by example, giving up a respected position in the palace for arduous work as the Governor of a politically insignificant district of the Persian kingdom.
Partnering with Ezra, Nehemiah successfully solidified the political and spiritual foundations of the Jewish people. His humility, exhibited by not claiming glory for himself but always giving God the credit for his successes, as well as his steadfast determination to achieve his goals, enabled Nehemiah to revive the Jews spiritually as well as to direct the Jews’ political and religious restoration in their homeland following their 40-year Babylonian captivity.
Nehemiah’s efforts are instructive about “WOKE” Catholic leadership. Opposed on every front, Nehemiah exercised his administrative skills in his strategy to use 50% of the Jews for the construction project while the other 50% kept watch for the Samaritans who were threatening to attack them. As the Governor of the territory of Judah, Nehemiah negotiated peace among the Jews who were threatening to revolt having to pay taxes to the Persian king. Accomplishing those goals resulted in people who were encouraged, renewed, and excited about their future.
What Nehemiah demonstrates is the kind of significant impact each of us can have when we introduce order and stability into our lives by keeping holy the Sabbath and restoring God to His rightful place—first place—in our lives. Making God the “Anchor” of each week, God can restore us to bring to completion the particular purpose for which God has created us: To serve others by making our lives a ministry of service for others, as Nehemiah did.
This requires becoming “WOKE” Catholic leaders—using the talents, interests, and capabilities God has endowed us with to solidify the political and spiritual foundations of the people living in exile from God and God has placed in our midst. Like Nehemiah, we must be humble yet determined to perform this important ministry, always giving God—whose “words are spirit and life”—the credit for the successes God is able to achieve through us.
St. Paul described this excellence as “Christ’s body” of which we individually are parts. God has constructed this body, St. Paul wrote, so that the parts may have the same concern for one another. “If one part suffers, he writes, “all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.”
With so many people—especially “sleepy” Catholics—living in exile from God today as this is evident in their discouragement, lethargy, and listlessness of spirit, who see only dark clouds on the horizons of their lives, how will they restore God to His proper place in their lives?
Here’s how: Take up this week’s challenge from scripture and begin to keep holy the Sabbath.
How can we do that?
First: Remember there are two ways to wake up each morning. According to Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, one way is to say, “Good morning, God!” The other way is to say, “Good God, it’s morning.” Upon awakening each day this week, be a Theophilus—begin with excellence—by saying “Good morning, God!” Then, make a “memento mori”—recall “I will die”—and identify the one thing you will do this day to prepare to make the Sabbath holy.
Second: On Monday, make it a point to invite some “sleepy” Catholics to dinner at your home next Sunday.
Third: With God as your strength and realizing the certainty of the teachings each of us has received, prepare each day this week so those “sleepy” Catholics will experience the joy of a great Sunday feast, become encouraged, renewed, and revived in spirit, and excited about the upcoming week.
As “WOKE” Catholic families, first purpose is to restore God to His proper place in our lives. When we do that “in memory of me” as Jesus taught, our Catholic leadership will offer at least one droplet of faith and hope that the Holy Spirit will stir in those “sleepy” Catholics to restore God to His proper place in their lives. It may not happen immediately but, at a minimum, they will have experienced the Sabbath feast.
This form of Catholic leadership—authentic witness to the faith—is how “WOKE” Catholic families evangelize others. They bring some light into the darkness of those who, like the Israelites, have exiled themselves from God and because of that are discouraged, demoralized, and despairing through their own fault.
But, it all hinges on “WOKE” Catholics—that’s you and me—demonstrating excellence as Catholic leaders by keeping holy the Sabbath.
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