Faith-Christian life-Attitude towards wealth

HOMILY SUNDAY 18 – C

Being Rich towards God

(Ecclesiastes 1:2, 2:21-23; Psalm 90; Col 3:1-5; 9-11; Luke 12:13-21)

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A group of Oblates once organized a weekend trip from the renewal program in Aix-en-Provence, France, to Lyons where we viewed a basilica with marvelous, rich tile work, then on to Cluny where we viewed the ruins of the medieval monastery and basilica that was only nine feet shorter than St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

After that we visited the small community of Ars where we celebrated mass at the shrine of St. John Vianney, the Cure of Ars, whose incorrupt body is preserved in a glass casket in full view, and whose motto was to give everything away. Our last stop was Taizé, where thousands of youth from all over the world converge to meet, pray, and share around life issues and for some, discern their future. We learned that the monks of Taizé subsist on the work of their hands and do not accept any patrimony.

Reflecting back on our weekend journey, we realized we had experienced two different kinds of Church – on the one hand, the opulence of Lyon and Cluny, and on the other, the poverty and simplicity of Ars and Taizé. Given the readings today, the latter model of Church is certainly more what Jesus had in mind during his time here on earth.

The readings give us a double message today: we are to be rich towards God, and to seek the things that are above. Let us explore what that really means, with the help of the readings.

Bing rich towards God means using our possessions as God desires, for the good of others. The parable in the Gospel warns us to avoid falling into greed. It does not say that possessions themselves are evil. It does, however, subordinate possessions to our relationship with God and others. The danger in becoming rich is that we may forget God, others, or even both.

In the Gospel, Jesus refuses to get involved in a domestic estate dispute. Instead, he warns us against the greed he labels as idolatry, or worshipping a false god. In recounting the parable of building bigger barns, the man he portrays is totally self-centered, showing no concern for the poor. His problem is not that he has wealth, but his self-centeredness, his focus only on that wealth, without thought to others.

As Wanda Conway puts it in a past reflection for this Sunday in Living with Christ, it is not how much we have that matters, but our attitude to what we have. We are in danger if we confuse possessions with true human worth, or if we confuse security with happiness. It is not what we carry in our pockets or bank account that makes us rich or secure, but what we carry in our hearts. Our true worth cannot be measured in dollars, stock certificates or insurance policies, but rather in the way we live our lives as sons and daughters of the generous openhanded Giver of Life.

St Paul, in the second reading, speaks about seeking for the things that are above. Paul is clear with who we are; he establishes our identity. We are those who in baptism have died with Christ, and have been raised up with Christ.

That identity calls us to certain behaviors and action. We must seek the things that are above. To be baptized in Christ is to put an end to any sinful activity in our lives that are now hidden in Christ. We are to put death all sin, passion, impurity, greed. We are not to lie, but live in the truth. We must practice the spirituality of letting go, because for Paul, as for Jesus, greed is idolatry, worshipping a false God.

John McLaughlin, in his book Parables of Jesus, states that Jesus’ attitude towards money is generally at odds with our modern materialistic society. He knew that money could become an end in itself, with people desiring to possess it for their own benefit, like the fool in the gospel, or worse, simply for the sake of having it. A fool biblically is one who has rejected the way of life God has planned for the world as a whole and for Israel in particular.  By thinking that happiness and wellbeing comes from possessions, the fool denies that God is the source and preserver of life. We, on the other hand, are called to live out our baptism by a life of holiness, caring and service.

Ron is a wealthy retired businessman in Quebec. At one point, he owned and ran a trucking company of over 400 tractors and 700 trailers. He invented the banana boat, a low-slung trailer with a flat deck on top that allowed hauling oil one way and lumber on the return trip, maximizing profits and also minimizing pollution.

Upon retirement, he kept a promise to a friend who was dying to look after that friend’s wife in Cody, Wyoming after his death. Rod phoned the widow each day, and flew to Cody once a month to look after her affairs. When he learned of and visited a camp for youth run by a group of brothers in Quebec, and saw their need, he responded. He spent $14,000 improving their access road, $40,000 on a shed for their bus and equipment, and at the age of 82, cuts and cords their wood. Generous with his wealth, he is biblically a wise man and a model for us.

May our celebration of the Eucharist today lead us to differentiate between our needs and our wants. May it empower us to share our lives and our wealth more openly with others who are in need.

Then we will be rich in all that really counts. We will be rich towards God as we seek the things that are above.