22^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time C.  August 29 2010.  Our Lady of Grace 9:30, 6PM. Sirach 3:17-18.  Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a.  Luke 14:1,7-14. 

Katherine Drexel’s father was a prominent international banker in Philadelphia.  When the family traveled long distances they rode in a private railroad car. Katherine had an excellent education and she traveled widely at her parent’s expense. When she was a young adult her family had a great celebration to publicly welcome her into the society of the wealthy in her city.  Sometime later Katherine cared for her stepmother during her three-year terminal illness.  Katherine saw first hand that all the Drexel money, and all the money in the world, could not save her stepmother from pain and death.  At that point Katherine’s life took a profound turn in another direction.  While Katherine was on a European tour she met the pope.  Katherine had a friend who was working with Native American Indians in Wyoming.  She asked the pope to send more missionaries to work among the Indians.  The pope’s response shocked her.  He said “Why don’t you become a missionary yourself?”  To this point Katherine had been a good Catholic woman who called attention to the poor and even gave considerable amounts of money to them.  The pope suggested that God wanted something more from her.   God wanted her to spend her life personally serving the poor. 

Jesus said, “When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends, or your brothers and sisters, or your relatives or wealthy neighbors, in case that they may invite you back and you will have repayment.  Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.  For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

When Katherine Drexel returned home she went to the Dakota’s to visit the leader of the Sioux tribes.  She began by giving 7 million dollars of the family assets for work among the Indians – that was a lot more money when she gave it.  But that was only the beginning.  After three and a half years of training, Katherine and her first groups of followers opened a boarding school for Indians in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Katherine had left everything and became the founder of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for the care of Indians and African Americans.  By 1942, the year after I was born, Katherine had founded a system of Catholic Schools for African American children in 13 states, plus 40 mission centers and 23 rural schools. Over and above this, she established 50 missions for Indians in 16 states.  She was not universally loved and appreciated. Anti-Black segregationalists burned down one of her schools in Pennsylvania.  In the end Katherine Drexel gave over 20 million dollars of the Drexel fortune to the poor.  Most importantly Katherine Drexel gave her heart to the poor and renounced everything else in her life to put herself at their service.  She had been born rich in the eyes of the world.  She chose to make herself poor out of love for the downtrodden and the despised among God’s people. Katherine Drexel died in 1955 at the age of 97.  She was declared a Saint by Pope John Paul in 2000 – She is the second native born American to be declared a Saint. 

Our first reading from the Book of Sirach says:  “My child, conduct your affairs with humility and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts.  Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor with God.”

In the year 258 the Roman Emperor ordered that all bishops, priests and deacons should be put to death.  The Deacon Lawrence was in charge of the material possessions of the Church in Rome.  When Lawrence was arrested he was told to turn over the treasure of the Church.  Lawrence immediately sent for the poor, the crippled and the lame and presented them to the Roman authorities.  Lawrence said, “These are the treasure of the Church – the poor are the treasure of the Church.”   The Roman authorities did not think that this was very funny.  They ordered that Lawrence be roasted on a red hot grill.  According to tradition Lawrence told his murderers, “You can turn me over now.  I am cooked enough on this side.”

There are always stories that the Catholic Church has all kinds of money and wealth hidden somewhere.  What we have as a Church or as a parish in terms of money, property and buildings belongs to the poor, because the true treasure of the Church is always the poor. The Church serves the poor in each of us as we seek to live true and lasting values, beyond what earthly wealth can give.   The Church serves the poor in our children who are in need of Christian formation and education.  The Church serves the poor in the sick, the dying and the disheartened.  This parish serves the needs of the poor in our inner city, in Ghana, and at an orphanage in Nicaragua. All we have and all we own is about serving the poor, both those who know that they are poor and the poverty of those who think that being materially rich will bring lasting happiness.

Jesus said, “When you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.  For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

For the wisdom to know what it means to be rich in the eyes of God we give God thanks and praise.