If we fail to open others' eyes, who will?

August 12, 2007 -- 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By Fr. Michael Stubbs

	Fr. Mike Stubbs

What if Hitler had won WWII? What would the world look like? Just imagine for a moment.

There would not be any question of the Republicans and the Democrats vying with each other to run our country. There would be no need for any elections. The Nazis would control the government.

Anyone belonging to a minority group would be out of luck. They would probably just quietly disappear. Suddenly, our country would no longer have any racial problems. We just wouldn't have those "people."

And what would happen to them? There would be rumors, of concentration camps and final solutions. But we wouldn't know for sure. The government would tightly censor all news. No one would know the unsavory details.

The government would also censor all that rubbish about democracy and freedom. It would protect the population from such ideas, which could only upset them. The government would do all it could to wipe out any trace of the American dream, the vision promoted by our Constitution, of liberty and justice for all.

And that would be a tragedy. If we were not able to promote that vision of freedom, who would? If we could not enable others to also see that vision, it could be lost forever. That vision is a great treasure entrusted to us.

Similarly, as Christians and as Catholics, we have been entrusted with another great treasure. That is why Jesus tells the disciples in Sunday's gospel reading (longer form), "Your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom." It is our responsibility to care for this treasure. One day, we will be held accountable concerning that responsibility. The Son of Man will return like a thief in the night. And if a thief cannot find his treasure, he is very unhappy.

This treasure entrusted to us is Christ's vision of a new world, the kingdom of God. Christ looked forward to a world where all people would treat each other as brothers and sisters, a world where they would revere their common humanity as the reflection of the loving God who had created them. Christ looked forward to a world where they would value each other as much as they did themselves, and far more than any material possession.

Christ sketched the outlines of his vision of a new world through his teachings. He told parables, which so often begin with the words, "the kingdom of God is like ..." so that his disciples could imaginatively enter into that kingdom. He wanted to give the disciples a glimpse of that new world, so that they also could share that vision with others.

That is how that vision has come down to us. "Your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom." That is how we have inherited this great treasure, and the responsibility that goes with it. "Where your treasure is, there also will be your heart."

Because if we do not hold this vision deep in our hearts, it could vanish from our midst. If we do not pay close attention to it, it could fade away and be lost. That would be a great tragedy. For if we do not open the eyes of others to see Christ's vision of a new world, who will? And if we do not share our faith with others, can that faith last?

(Fr. Stubbs, a priest of the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, has a master's degree in theology from Harvard.)