HOMILY WEEK 31 06 – Year II
An Attitude of Gratitude
(Phil 4:10-19; Ps 112; Lk 16:9-15)
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“You cannot serve God and wealth.”
That cryptic statement by Jesus in the gospel brings to mind the story of a hundred-dollar bill, a twenty-dollar bill and a Loonie having a serious conversation about life one day. The hundred-dollar bill shared how it had a great life, including a couple cruises around the world. The twenty-dollar bill shared how it also had a great life including some fancy restaurants and symphony performances. For its part, the Loonie complained, “Boy, I envy you guys – all I get to do is go to church, church, church!”
The readings today encourage us to put people first (PPF), to check our attitude towards material things, and to use money wisely to build lasting relationships, including our relationship with God.
An overly great and unhealthy attachment to money is one of the three temptations Jesus faced in the desert (“Turn these rocks into bread”) and one of the three false gods mentioned in the program of A.A. – money, fame and power. I like to label them possessions and pleasure, prestige and fame, power and control. The one Jesus focuses on today in the gospel is money, as he invites us to check out our attitude to wealth and material things.
Are we living to make money for the sake of just making more money, or are we using the money we make to live quality lives of service? Do we live for money, or do we use money to live? Can we live simply so others can simply live? Can we look at money the way God looks at it, as a tool to do good, and not as a goal or a false god?
In the gospel, Jesus is not suggesting we all take a vow of poverty, but he does want us to take a close look at our perspective on money and possessions. He wants us to see in itself, money is neither the worst thing in the world, nor a trivial matter to be ignored. He is telling us money is simply secondary when compared to our essential purpose which is to give glory to God and to help other people come to know Jesus personally, as well as those in dire poverty.
In a practical sense, this means money fits into the bigger picture of Christian living. As with anything else God gives to us, money is something we can use as a means to a greater end. By being careful on our spending and saving habits, we can use it as a tool to glorify the Lord. At the same time, by guarding against the temptation to value money too much, we don’t let it become a snare drawing us away from Jesus.
Let me quote a sermon of St. John Chrysostom on the right approach to money: “Those who love money are fierce in the pursuit of it, like wild animals pursuing their prey. They betray, cheat, or exploit their closest friend when there is gold and silver to be gained. They learn to make their consciences as numb as fingers on a cold day. Their eyes become blind to the suffering they cause, and their ears deaf to the cries of those whose lives are ruined by them.”
Those are strong words, and they shook the people at the time who heard them. And they shake us today. But can you hear he’s speaking in the tones of Jesus? What’s the ground of all this for John Chrysostom? Why does he say it? It’s very clear. Because everything we have—our bodies, our life, our breath, our minds, our accomplishments, and, yes, our wealth—is a sheer gift given to us by a generous God and, therefore, it ought never to be hoarded for our own purposes but always used for God’s purposes.
Vancouver psychologist Gabor Maté, in his book The Myth of Normal, echoes St. John Chrysostom regarding the lack of ethics in the corporate world of business and medicine, where in the logic of profit, greed is creed. “It’s not that they want you to die,” the endocrinologist Rob Lustig told him, “They only want your money. They just don’t care if it kills you.”
St. Paul, in the reading from Philippians, models for us a healthy attitude towards wealth and material things. Grounded in his faith and experience of Jesus Christ, and in his warm relationship with his fellow believers the Philippians, truly a friendship in the Lord, Paul can take or leave wealth and be quite ambivalent towards riches. He knows how to live poorly and simply, and also how to handle plenty if that is what presents itself to him. What is important to him is the faith of the Philippians in Jesus, and their caring and generosity towards him, stating quite openly he doesn’t really need their gift, but is grateful for it, and for how that generosity strengthens their relationship with the Lord. His is an attitude of gratitude.
The Portugese have a saying, “What we spend our time and money on is what is important to us.” We may say all kind of wonderful things, but the bottom line, beyond all our words, is that what we spend our money and time on will reveal our priorities. The aligns closely with a saying attributed to Sir Winston Churchill – “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give away.”
A friend Wesley is a good example of someone who lives by this Word of God. When he was surveying in northern Saskatchewan as part of his work, he would stay with me in my humble rectory. Every evening he would phone his wife in the south, just to check on her day. After about a week of this, I asked him if he did this every night. When he replied affirmatively, I asked him did it not get expensive? He looked at me and replied simply, “It isn’t an expense, its an investment.” I was struck by that statement, and the wisdom behind it – he was investing time and money into what was important to him – his relationship with his wife.
The Eucharist is a gift to us from God through Jesus, making present the unconditional, freely given love of God for us. It also is our best gift of gratitude back to God, given its nature of thanksgiving at its core.
May our celebration today empower us to strive for an attitude of gratitude, to have a sense of detachment and motivate us to give of ourselves to help others, out of faith, hope and love.
