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10 Oct 2010 - Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!" Besides the words of the lepers, only two other times in the gospels is Jesus addressed only by his name. "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me," the blind man at Jericho says (Luke 18:38, see also Matthew 20:31). And one of the thieves crucified with Jesus cries out, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." In the latter case, the plea comes from a sinner, a man executed for crimes--just like the lepers' call for healing from a disease associated at the time with sin. In both cases, Jesus shows the how their faith leads to salvation: "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise," and "Your faith has made you well." Homily points Hierarchy is something the church is famous for. But it is understood badly by those who enjoy it as often as by those who view it from the outside. Biblical examples abound in which those of lowly station are more powerful, knowledgeable, and capable than their more obvious superiors. The story of the 10 lepers is one of many gospel examples of the last being revealed as first in faith. Our place in the spectrum of power is not as important as what we do with what we have been given.

hierarchy master Salvation Faith

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Homily stories

18 Sep 2016 - Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Some seminarians were sitting around in the recreation room. Their casual conversation soon turned to kidding one another, as young men do. Each one got ragged over some minor matter: One was a champion at procrastination, another getting caught up in fantasy football, and so on. Finally, they turned to John. John had recently taken a part-time job at a local women’s college, working in the library. Knowing that John was a solid guy, who also really enjoyed women’s company, they held forth on how he should be concerned about his vows. After all, several nights a week, he was “surrounded by all those young women.” John played along, finally saying “Well, if you guys can compromise on poverty with expensive cell phones or obedience by sneaking out to bars after hours, then so can I with celibacy.” A priest who was in the room pretty much unnoticed noisily put down his newspaper and looked directly at all the young men: “If you compromise one vow, you compromise them all.” There was silence. No one became defensive or argumentative or justified their behavior saying, “We were just kidding.” They knew he was right. They recalled Jesus’ words: “You cannot serve two masters.”

Authors Father Larry Janowski O.F.M.

serving two masters

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21 Sep 2025 - Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

I know from experience that you can’t serve two masters—or at least two bosses. At the final interview for a position that I thought was going to be a dream job, the hiring manager told me that she wanted to make me an offer—but that the position was going to be somewhat different than originally described. She said I would report to her for most of my responsibilities but also to the head of the organization for other tasks that were being newly added to the job. This last-minute change and vague reporting arrangement felt like a red flag (and there were others as well), but for a variety of reasons, this opportunity seemed golden, so I said yes. Huge mistake. I quickly realized that when you have two bosses, they each expect to be your priority. My primary manager consumed all of my time with mounting demands—while the organization head was exasperated with me for not adequately addressing what she wanted. When I tried to talk to them both about my impossible situation, neither thought it was her issue to solve. Thankfully, I was able to move on to an employer with a clear chain of command, reasonable expectations, and healthy collaboration. With great relief, I could earn mammon with priorities in order.

Authors Jennifer Tomshack

serving two masters

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