Gospel Reflection 20070805
Anxiety is the mark of a life preoccupied with material things.----------
Making material things our top priority is absolute foolishness… work to become Rich in the matters of God.
August 5, 2007
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Gospel
Lk 12:13-21
Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,
“Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.”
He replied to him,
“Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?”
Then he said to the crowd,
“Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one’s life does not consist of possessions.”
Then he told them a parable.
“There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.
He asked himself, ‘What shall I do,
for I do not have space to store my harvest?’
And he said, ‘This is what I shall do:
I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.
There I shall store all my grain and other goods
and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you,
you have so many good things stored up for many years,
rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’
But God said to him,
‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;
and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’
Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves
but are not rich in what matters to God.”
A preacher notices a woman in the congregation who begins to weep as soon as he begins to preach. Thinking he has made a big catch he preaches with even greater fervor. The more he preaches, the more the woman cries. Finally, the preaching over, it is time to give testimonies. The preacher points to the woman and says, “Sister, I can see you were mightily moved as we proclaimed the word of God. Now can you please share with us what it was that convicted your spirit so much.” The woman hesitates, but the pastor insists so she comes up and takes the microphone. “You see,” she begins, “Last year I lost my he-goat, the most precious thing I possessed. I prayed and cried much over it and then I forgot all about it. But as soon as you came out to preach and I saw your beard, it reminded me all over again of the he-goat. I still cry whenever I remember it.” She did not remember one word of what the preacher said.
Possessions are necessary for life. But possessions can assume such an importance in one’s life that they become obsessions. When one is so consumed with the things that one could have, so much so that one no longer hears the urgent call of God, then one has indeed got one’s priorities all mixed up. Such is the man in today’s gospel who asks Jesus to come and make his brother give him his share of the family inheritance. Jesus is not against him having more wealth, nor is he against justice being done between the man and his brother. Jesus is rather disappointed that after listening to all his preaching, the first concern of this man still remains his share of the inheritance. This man is in the same position as the woman who has brooding over her lost goat while the words of life were falling on deaf ears. Like the woman, this man also could probably not remember one word of what the preacher said.
Jesus, fearing there could be more people in the crowd like this man, turns and says to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:15). Greed? What greed? The man was only asking for justice to be done between him and his brother. Shouldn’t a man of God be concerned about fairness? O, yes. Jesus warns us that greed comes in different guises, even in the guise of justice. Have you ever heard a respectable man opposing plans to improve conditions for welfare recipients: “I’ve worked and paid taxes all my life. How can the government spend my money on welfare recipients who do nothing but sit down and do drugs everyday?” Sounds like an argument for justice and fairness. But it could indeed be greed in disguise. That is why Jesus warns us and emphasizes it: “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed” Greed can be upfront or subtle, conscious or unconscious. We must be on our guard against greed in all its forms.
To illustrate his point Jesus tells the Parable of the Rich Fool. When you read the parable you ask yourself, “What wrong did this man do?” Think about it. The man did his honest work on his farmland. The land gave a good harvest, as expected. The man decided to build a larger storage for the crop so that he could live the rest of his life on Easy Street. Except he did not know that the rest of his life was less than twenty-four hours. Jesus uses him as an illustration of greed even though he took nobody’s money. He did not do something wrong. His greed lies in what he did not do. Sir Fred Catherwood is quoted as saying that greed is “the belief that there is no life after death. We grab what we can while we can however we can and then hold on to it hard.” Now you see why the rich man qualifies as an example of greed. Now you see why Jesus was so hard on greed. Greed is the worship of another god. The name of that god is Mammon or Money or Materialism. Today’s gospel invites us to believe in the God of Jesus Christ who alone can give eternal life and not in the god of this world who gives us the false promise of immortality through accumulation of possessions.
Greed arises when our heart loves material things and possessions in selfish and disordered ways. God created “things” - material reality - for a purpose: to help me fulfill my mission in this life. Jesus has called us to “love the Lord your God with your whole heart, your whole soul, with all your strength and with all your mind.” But we only have one heart, one soul, one will and one mind. If I love material wealth in a disordered way, then my one heart, one soul, etc. will be divided and pulled in many directions simultaneously. Love becomes diluted by disordered affection for the things God created. Our heart is capable of loving multiple persons and things (God, parents, children, friends), but only to the degree it is capable of focusing on one of them. When we focus our love on God first, our love for others and the world increases in intensity.
“We was robbed.” No that isn’t what the rich man said just before he died in today’s gospel.
It was what one of those quotable baseball managers of the 1950s or 60s said after a game in which an umpire made a call that cost his team the game.
The quote does however apply to you and me today. We have been robbed.
The U. S. government at some point began to take care of the poor. Government programs, like welfare and emergency programs for those who suffer floods and earthquakes are some examples.
Then the church through Catholic Charities, the parish through tithing, food pantries, and in other social service ways take on the responsibilities of taking care of those in need. We’ve been robbed!
Write a check pay your taxes and be relieved of the rewards and joy of meeting the needs of others. We’ve been robbed.
Satan is very tricky. He has used this to lull us into the trap of, “others in need are being taken care of, and thus all we need to do is store up for ourselves and perhaps our families. Relieved of the responsibilities we become myopic-- self-centered and individualistic.
We’ve been tricked and we have been robbed!
Today’s gospel repeats a basic truth. God wants us to take care of others and he will in turn take care of us. God wants us to depend on him, not our possessions, our family, our friends our portfolio. Give and it will be given to you. Less is more, lilies of the field, sparrows of the sky. Stop taking care of you and start helping others in need. Every one who has will tell you that they can’t out generous God.
Satan uses this good work of the government and the church and convinces us we should just focus on our bigger barns or homes with stored up antiques or stock or cash.
God is saying to me and you, help others in need to the point of using some of your of what you think you need and not just out of excess and thus become dependent on me and I will be your God, not your money or house or car or portfolio.
It is a cruel, twisting hoax that Satan has used on us to rob us of a giant part of our personal and community relationships with God. He is so subtle, so devious, so cultural!
We are being called, again today, to give up making ourselves happy. We are called to help others and then God will take care of us.
Spiritually the healthiest place we can be is when we forget about taking care of ourselves, when we become dependant on God. That’s why God didn’t like the golden calf, the Israelites in the dessert wanted to depend on the calf for their needs and not on the God that was giving them manna and birds to eat and water from a rock, shade from the sun by the cloud that represented him in the day and fire to warm them at night that also represented his very presence.
Entering into a relationship that God wants with us requires us to not build bigger barns, but to deny that bigger houses and better and more degrees and savings accounts and retirement plans and portfolios will take care of us, will be our gods.
It is not that you can’t have these things, because I believe God will give you all you need and more than you probably can imagine. You see if you earn it by your self it is hard not to become dependant on your self for your needs and you become your own God.
It is not that you can’t have nice things it is if you do they become the things that control your life. If they control how much you can do for your neighbor and those in need then they are your dependence and your god.
If your house payments are so big you can’t do for others, or even support your Church, then they control your life and that that controls your life is your God.
If your car payment is so big there is nothing to give the poor--it controls your life--it becomes the golden calf the bigger barn.
You cannot out give God. God wants your dependence so he can be generous and give you more than you know what to do with. The man in the parable chooses to build bigger barns when God gave him so much, barns that he could thus depend on instead of God.
God’s chosen relationship with us is we fulfill each other’s needs and he takes care of us by having us take care of others who take care of us.
It is dependence, it is attaining peace, it is attaining heaven together not alone. It is the communion of saints.
Our world says, NO our world says independence, self care, pull your self up by the boot straps, be your own person, be your own man, don’t even look into the eyes of others as you pass them on the sidewalk, get your self the biggest house, newest car, biggest portfolio.
We are called to be counter cultural and until we believe and begin to act our beliefs we will be self centered, self indulgent, unhappy deep down, baptized, church going Christians.
Want to be happy on earth? Want your children and grandchildren to be happy? Teach them by demonstrating for them to give them selves away and trust in God’s care and watch the generosity and love of God fill them with happiness and peace and joy.
OR
Build bigger houses to store up and suddenly reach life’s end with a nagging feeling that you wasted your life. A feeling that, you robbed yourself.
The passage from Luke’s Gospel begins by taking up the theme: unnecessary abundance of material goods is no final guarantee of possession of the riches that really matter. The parable of the rich fool illustrates how fleeting the possession of material riches can be. Our goal should be to make ourselves rich with the things that God considers to be riches.
Once I see what the inspired word of God wishes to teach me, it is up to me to see how this teaching can be applied to my life. A certain amount of material possessions are necessary in life. But the search for such possessions can easily degenerate into a mindless quest for more and more and still more. This is a well-known fact that many people spend their lives looking for ever larger bank accounts, ever-grander life styles, ever-richer friends. The fact that they feel compelled to engage in this endless quest is itself an indication of how unsatisfactory such goals are. That which is not yet possessed always seems more desirable than what already is. The process is never-ending. The single-minded quest of subordinating everything to a search for Jesus Christ is the only really satisfying way to live a Christian life, and the more single-mindedly it is centered on Christ, the more content the Christian will be. Christ is endlessly fascinating, but only to those who experience the search for him in the way they live.
Think about it. More to the point, pray about it.
"If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth." Karl Marx said that religion was the opium of the people because it taught them to hope and pray in a "kingdom to come" instead of trying to better their condition on earth. At first blush, this seems to be the intent of our readings today. Yet if we look more closely at the teachings of Jesus, we can see his true intent.
When Mary and John moved out of their apartment into their three bedroom home, they couldn't help but notice the larger four and five bedroom homes just a few blocks away. They seemed like mansions and their own home seemed so small and inconsequential. Then they noticed that their friends, who still lived in apartments, really admired their new home when they came to visit. They also saw that the owners of those big houses seemed to envy their family's loving closeness.
It was then that Mary and John began to think that if we always look for bigger and better things to fill our lives, we will never be able to discover how truly happy we already are!"
The gospel shows even more forcefully the absolute foolishness of making material things our top priority. Jesus refuses to arbitrate a family quarrel over a will. He points out the folly of counting on wealth for security saying: "for though one may be rich, one's life does not consist of possessions." In the end everything that we own ends up owning us, everything that we try to control ends up controlling us. If we think that material things will make us happy, we will soon discover that half our time will be taken up trying to acquire things and the other half trying to protect them. As if to reinforce this idea, Jesus immediately reminds his disciples that the unrelenting search for the means to obtain more material things is useless. All of those things will remain here on earth after we die. And after we die we will be judged by how rich we are "in what matters to God."
God's plan for humanity is not some "pie in the sky" ideal meant to aid the rich at the expense of the poor, as Karl Marx seemed to think. It is a wellspring for new relationships with God and with our fellow sisters and brothers. If we are to call ourselves daughters and sons of God, if the work of our hands is to prosper, we must pay less attention to what the world tells us about the way to be successful and pay more attention to what God has to say. "If today you hear God's voice, harden not your hearts."
Rich In the Matters of God
Avoid the Greed that is Idolatry
In the Gospel, Jesus seems almost perturbed by the request for him to settle a family squabble over inheritance. Jesus warns: “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” Relating the parable of the rich man’s imminent death after he had worked so hard to build larger barns to preserve all the fruits of the exceptional harvest for himself, Jesus observes: “Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God.” The message seems clear, greed is to be avoided. If our heart’s main desire is the acquisition of material things, we are engaging in idolatry. We have allowed material wealth to usurp God’s place in our hearts. The wealth that Jesus exhorts his disciples to seek is what he terms becoming rich in the matters of God.
II
Rich in Comparison to the Rest of the World and in Comparison to the Past
This seems very clear and yet the question arises: How does one determine what is more than one needs or can legitimately use? How does one distinguish: what is prudent planning in providing for oneself and one’s family so that others are not burdened, from what is a lack of faith revealing itself in a perpetual anxiety over never having adequate financial security. No matter how big your bank account, no matter the size of your portfolio, no matter the soundness of your retirement plan, it never seems enough to give peace of mind and heart.
How do you know if you have too much wealth? Our perception of what are necessities and what is excessive wealth can vary from century to century and from continent to continent. Most of us in church this morning do not consider ourselves wealthy people. Yet, compared to most people in the world today, we live very comfortable lives. Most of us are not worried if we are going to be able to eat today or if we will have a safe place to sleep tonight or if we can obtain needed health care. In truth, we are richer than most people in the world today.
We are certainly rich in comparison to people throughout history. The richest person in Jesus’ time could not even conceive of possessing what is commonplace today—running water, central heating and air-conditioning systems in our homes, information and entertainment cabled into our living rooms, the ability to communicate almost instantaneously with anyone else in our community, nation and even world.
What we consider a necessity today would have been considered a luxury for our grandparents! What is considered bare essentials in our society and in our part of the world would be viewed as the frivolous extravagance elsewhere! Is it possible that a middle class American today could be in the same category with the rich man described in the Gospel? How do we make sure that we are not just piling up wealth? How do we protect ourselves from the idolatry that is greed?
III
An Attitude of the Heart
What Jesus is talking about in the Gospel has less to do with the size of a bank account or the square footage of a home than with the attitude of the heart. Jesus teaches in the Gospel: “…one’s life does not consist of possessions.” The rich man in the Gospel is possessed by his possessions. He was convinced that he needed them for happiness and that he could never possibly have enough.
The wealth that Jesus is criticizing in the Gospel is a desire for things of this world that robs the mind of peace and the heart from recognizing the greater needs of those around us. The desire for wealth and things of this world becomes a poison that deprives us of authentic and enduring happiness. Such greed is idolatry because a desire for the things of this world has displaced God from his rightful place in our hearts.
IV
Rich In the Matters of God/Acknowledging the Lord As the Source of All Good
Jesus counsels the disciples they should be working to become rich in the matters of God rather than rich with the things of this world. What does it mean to be rich in the matters of God? How does one become rich in the matters of God?
Being rich in the matters of God means first of all having God where he belongs in our lives. The person rich in the matters of God has placed God first in his life. It begins by acknowledging that everything has its source in God, everything except sin is His creation. It means recognizing whatever we seemingly possess—life, health, family, friends, food, clothing, housing, medical care, education, job opportunities—actually all comes from God’s hand. They are all His gifts to us.
Rich in the matters of God begins with an attitude of heart that sees ourselves not as owners in the ultimate sense of anything, but rather as stewards of gifts that God has entrusted to us. This is not to devalue our hard work and efforts. It does, however, place our labors in proper perspective. We must ask ourselves where did we get the intelligence, the energy, the ability, the health, the stamina to work hard? In truth is not everything ultimately God’s gift to us?
The person rich in the matters of God has a grateful heart rather than a grasping hand. The person rich in the matters of God is not overwhelmed with anxiety and worry, but trusts that the Lord who has provided in so many ways in the past will not abandon him or her in the present moment or in future years.
Does this mean the person rich in the matters of God does not work hard, because he figures God will take care of everything anyway? Not at all! The person rich in the matters of God has even more energy to bring to every aspect of life. The person rich in the matters of God is not driven by worry and anxiety but by a profound gratitude that desires to use all of his gifts and abilities to their maximum in order to give God glory.
V
Surrendering Worry and Anxiety To the Lord
Several years ago, I was at a dinner honoring a father and son for the work that they had done to help the youth of the community. The father, who was advanced in years, in accepting the award related how when he was a young man with a young family felt quite overwhelmed with the responsibilities of running his own business and caring for his family. He described himself actually on the verge of a nervous breakdown because he was so worried about failing to meet all of his responsibilities.
He found himself in church one day moved to turn all of his life over to the Lord. He acknowledged that he just could not do it on his own anymore.
He immediately felt a profound relief. All of his previous very intense anxieties seem to dissipate. The problems with his business and the challenges with his family had not disappeared, but his attitude had dramatically changed.
He continued to work hard and do his best. Now he possessed this perpetual peace emanating from a blessed assurance that the Lord was with him, would guide him and provide him with what he needed to care for his family. This attitude adjustment made all the difference in the world.
He was no longer an emotional wreck, but became a very successful businessman. He knew that his apparent success was not his own doing and he constantly was seeking ways to share the fruits of his labors with others, particularly the youth in his community. He had grown rich in the matters of God by surrendering all his worries and fears to the Lord.
VI
Giving the Lord First Fruits
Being rich in the matters of God inevitably means that we are looking for ways to share his gifts with others. The person rich in the matters of God is not focused on satisfying every want and creature comfort, before considering the needs of others. In fact, the person rich in the matters of God strives to give the Lord first fruits, not the meager leftovers.
Rich in the matters of God requires sharing generously our resources to assist with God’s work in the world – the Church. It means seeking opportunities to help those who are most in need.
If we have become rich in the matters of God, we are looking for opportunities to make sacrifices of love for the Lord. It may appear that we are giving until it hurts, until it requires some sacrifice on our part. In reality, we are giving until it feels good. We have found a special joy in giving to the Lord and his people. We have discovered there is much more joy in giving than receiving. We have learned, often from painful experience, there is no joy to be found in struggling to hang on to everything the Lord has given to us.
VII
Viper Evangelization
Being rich in the matters of God is seeking in every circumstance for opportunities to use our earthly possessions to do the Lord’s work.
A man who had been born into a family of very modest material means, but rich in the matters of God, had become incredibly successful in the high tech communications business. In the process, he had become wealthy beyond his wildest expectations.
From the faith that his family had given him, he understood that the material blessings he now enjoyed were to be shared with others. He continued to live a modest lifestyle. However, he did indulge himself by purchasing his dream car, a Dodge Viper.
The man and his brother were driving the Viper in a very remote rural area. A young man in a very old car kept pulling up alongside to get a look at the Viper. Eventually, they stopped at a gas station to refuel. The young man in the old car stopped also. He could not restrain himself from gawking at the car.
The man began to talk with the youth. He found out it was the young man’s 18th birthday. The man asked the youth if he would like a ride in the Viper. The young man was thrilled. The man’s brother drove the old car while the man and the youth drove the Viper to the young man’s home.
As they approached his home, the young man asked: “What does one have to do to get a Viper?” The man said without hesitation: “Do what God wants you to do with your life. God may or may not allow you to own a Viper, but He will give you even better things.”
The man could see this was not the kind of answer the young man wanted. He said to the youth: “You could have worked and schemed to find a way to get a ride in a Viper and never succeeded. Yet God, without you doing anything, arranged for you to have ride in a Viper on your 18th birthday.”
When you are rich in the matters of God, you recognize opportunities to use whatever God has given you to share His love and His good news with others. Everything in life becomes oriented to the service of the Lord.
Conclusion
Let us pray today for the grace and the wisdom to grow rich in the matters of God.
For some of us, this means acknowledging that whatever successes we enjoy and whatever things we possess, they are all God’s gifts to us. It requires of us to open our hearts to be filled with a profound gratitude for God’s goodness to us.
For some, the Lord is asking us to begin to return to Him the first fruits of our labors for the building up of His kingdom and to help those in need. It means realizing that the leftovers are not adequate to express our gratitude to the Lord for all that He has done for us.
For others, it means surrendering the worries and anxieties that burden our hearts to Him. It means entrusting our lives to His provident love.
For some, the Lord is asking us to open our eyes to recognize the opportunities He is giving us to share the gift of faith with others. It means seizing the chances to share what is most precious with others, giving them the opportunity to grow rich in the matters of God.
----------
St. John Vianney
(1786-1859)
A man with vision overcomes obstacles and performs deeds that seem impossible. John Vianney was a man with vision: He wanted to become a priest. But he had to overcome his meager formal schooling, which inadequately prepared him for seminary studies.
His failure to comprehend Latin lectures forced him to discontinue. But his vision of being a priest urged him to seek private tutoring. After a lengthy battle with the books, John was ordained.
Situations calling for "impossible" deeds followed him everywhere. As pastor of the parish at Ars, John encountered people who were indifferent and quite comfortable with their style of living. His vision led him through severe fasts and short nights of sleep.
With Catherine Lassagne and Benedicta Lardet, he established La Providence, a home for girls. Only a man of vision could have such trust that God would provide for the spiritual and material needs of all those who came to make La Providence their home.
His work as a confessor is John Vianney's most remarkable accomplishment. In the winter months he was to spend 11 to 12 hours daily reconciling people with God. In the summer months this time was increased to 16 hours. Unless a man was dedicated to his vision of a priestly vocation, he could not have endured this giving of self day after day.
Many people look forward to retirement and taking it easy, doing the things they always wanted to do but never had the time. But John Vianney had no thoughts of retirement. As his fame spread, more hours were consumed in serving God's people. Even the few hours he would allow himself for sleep were disturbed frequently by the devil.
Who, but a man with vision, could keep going with ever-increasing strength?
Comment:
Indifference toward religion, coupled with a love for material comfort, seem to be common signs of our times. A person from another planet observing us would not likely judge us to be pilgrim people, on our way to somewhere else. John Vianney, on the other hand, was a man on a journey with his goal before him at all times.
Quote:
Recommending liturgical prayer, John Vianney would say, "Private prayer is like straw scattered here and there: If you set it on fire it makes a lot of little flames. But gather these straws into a bundle and light them, and you get a mighty fire, rising like a column into the sky; public prayer is like that."
posted by Mike Young @ 1:40 PM
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