Watch this
homily! (begins at 36:10)
My
friends today’s second reading from the Letter to the Colossians makes
clear that followers of Christ – that is, you and me - are called to see
things from a different point of view and to live lives that reflect a
new vision. It is a vision that comes from dying with Christ and being
raised with him in Baptism.
So we are to set our minds and
hearts on what is above, not simply on what is on earth. Those things of
earth, as the author of Ecclesiastes tells us, can be so much vanity, or
as the Latin root of that word illustrates even better, all of these
earthly cares can be mere vapor – that is, empty, meaningless.
At the same time, we all live a physical life here on earth. We have an
obligation to provide what we and our families need. So, we can’t give
up all care about material possessions.
However, we are called
to put those possessions in the right perspective. Once again this week
Jesus gives us a powerful parable in response to a person seeking him
out. “Teacher,’ the person says, “tell my brother to share the
inheritance with me.” Jesus refuses to be the arbiter, the divider.
Instead, he uses this as an opportunity to caution his listeners,
including us, to “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one
may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” The parable
that follows, of the rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest,
illustrates his point.
For this man, full barns were not
enough. He had to build bigger ones. He found his security in excess.
Once he had way more than he needed, he was finally able to sit back and
“rest, eat, drink and be merry.” What was truly necessary for his life
was the possession of an abundance of material security.
What
did he do with excess? Did he look for opportunities to help others, to
be generous, to give some of his wealth away? No, he used it to pad his
wealth. Today we might call him a “me first” kind of guy. But he would
lose it all in an instant when the Lord called him home.
Jesus
concludes today’s gospel passage by saying, “Thus will it be for all who
store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to
God.” How can you and I become rich in what matters to God? I think it
is by striving to place God first in all things. It is in God that we
find our ultimate security. Often that is easier said than done.
In today’s parable, and at the heart of all greed, is placing not God,
but myself, first in all things. That’s why the Letter to the Colossians
calls greed idolatry. All greed is fundamentally a violation of the
first commandment, of worshipping the false God of material possessions
and seeing in them our ultimate security.
As followers of
Jesus, you and I are called to see things from a different point of view
and to trust the true provider of everything we need. The good news is
that we have the power to do that. For you and I have, indeed died with
Christ in the waters of baptism, and the life we now have within us is
his risen life. It is in that life that our ultimate security is found.
Knowing that, we can trust the Lord more and more and weave
into the fabric of our lives an instinct that prompts us to share with
others the good things God has blessed us with. Yes, we are called to be
prudent with our resources so that we can provide for ourselves and for
those who depend upon us.
At the same time, the one who places
God first always looks beyond themselves and their small inner circle
and asks, how can I help? So many of you do that in so many ways in your
lives and in our parish – and you are an inspiration to me and to many.
The man who poses the question about his inheritance and the
rich man in Jesus’s parable were not interested in looking beyond
themselves. They were interested in enriching themselves. They were “me
first” people. They were not rich in what matters to God. Nothing would
really be enough to provide the security they were seeking.
For
Jesus, his “enough” will be spoken from the cross, as he prays, “Father,
into your hands I commend my spirit.” For Jesus, his “enough” is found
in the life he gives away, not in what he holds onto.
As we
approach this sacred altar, may the Lord help us to resist the “me
first” mentality that draws us away from him. May our sharing in this
Eucharist broaden our vision and strengthen our life in Christ so that
we may become rich in those things that matter to God – giving ourselves
away as God does.
Father Gary F. Lazzeroni, Pastor
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