July 31, 2016

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time C
Ecclesiastes 1: 2, 2: 21-23; Colossians 3: 1-5, 9-11; Luke 12: 13-21
Today’s readings ask me where are my priorities? It goes deeper in asking me a simple but deep question,
‘What am I rich in? Where do my riches lie?’ What is precious to me? How do I view life in the future? What
are my plans for the future? What am I afraid of? When I review these questions and reflect on them do I come
up with material possessions as being what is precious to me? Do I feel that my health and that of my loved
ones is the most important? If it is…what happens when illness or disease or accident happen that put a sudden
change to my hopes and dreams? Am I rich in possessions…am I rich in a steady job and the income it
provides? Am I rich in position in life and my importance? Msgr. Chet Michael said so frequently that the
three evils in society that constantly drag people into sin and away from God are power…possessions…
pleasure. He said that the three opposites that we must focus on that keep us more in contact with God and in
being gracious and thankful for His gifts are prayer (it is God’s power that helps me) almsgiving (being people
who give and not concentrating on receiving and hoarding) fasting (giving up…being without…sacrificing to
help with not being attached and thus being mindful of those who are hurting and don’t have).
Where do I spend my time? What do I find my mind being constantly absorbed in? What is an obsession in my
life? Today’s first reading is taken from one of the many ‘wisdom’ literary books in the Old Testament:
Proverbs, Job, Sirach, Wisdom, Song of Songs and the Psalms. People invest a tremendous amount of time and
energy in searching to find meaning, satisfaction and fulfillment in their lives. For the most part we all do
this…but often this does not satisfy us. The bottom line problem is that each of our lives has an end. We want
to pass on to our loved ones what was not available to us when we were growing up or we want to share the
fruits of our labors. The bottom line is that these are all Things…and things as the book of Ecclesiastes says
‘You can’t take it with you,’ and ‘There’s nothing new under the sun.’ The book was written in the first persona
and claimed to be advice gleaned from the experiences of life. It begins with the words, “Vanity of vanities, says
Qoheleth, all things are vanity“ (1:2) and the concluding words before the Epilogue are “Vanity of vanities, says
Qoheleth, all things are vanity.” (12:5). Th message is if we are obsessed with the world we are on the absolute
wrong track. ‘Vanity’ is the word associated with this obsession and it appears nearly forty times in the book.
The point is this: the things of this world ultimately will not satisfy. Why? We were created not for this world
but for God’s world: to be happy forever with God forever in heaven. Is that where we want to be? Jesus said
that we will definitely be in heaven if we love: love God, the people in our world we have direct contact with,
all others and love ourselves. This love isn’t selfish but is giving, caring and sharing.
Paul goes deeper in his instructions to the Colossians when he tells us that our ‘call from God in our Baptism’
means that our focus must be on Jesus: His life, His teachings, His love, His example and His supreme sacrifice
on the Cross for each of us. So if that is our focus, Jesus is reminding us that we are rich in what matters to
God. St. Anthony Messenger Press in Sunday Homily Helps sums it up in these words: “The prize worth striving
for is our life with God, our victory over sin and death, and our becoming holy with the help of the Spirit.” I have to remind
myself constantly that this is my daly focus.
Two wonderful quotes help me keep my focus on my daily living God’s life moment by moment. The first is
from Exploring the Sunday readings by Alice Camille commenting on “Take care to guard against all greed.” She
says, “The pile of evidence mounts. Qoheleth discovers worldly achievements don’t mean much. Paul says attachment to
earthly stuff won’t prepare us for the all-in-all of Christ. Now Jesus gets into the act, cautioning His audience not to pin their
hopes on a future inheritance or a nifty retirement plan. How invested are we in the tangible aspects of life?
I’d say every generation produces about three holy people who won’t brush a fly from their faces while they meditate on
sacred realities. The rest of us will, because the fly is a bother, and human life is full of bothers, and this one can be easily
dealt with. We can’t help but be aware when our backs hurt, our feelings are hurt, when the room is too hot or the stomach
too empty. But if we’re still willing to make dinner for the kids, to give the seat to the elder on the bus, to share with the
stranger, the world doesn’t own us quite yet. How much of your retirement plan is invested in the tangible, and how much in
the infinite?”
The second is from Living the Word, Scripture Reflections sand Commentaries for Sundays and Holy Days it
says: Where do you place your trust? God, money, things, a certain political party or philosophy of life, or Church, yourself,
someone or something else? Jesus’ parable makes clear that trusting in anyone or anything other than God will leave us
empty alone. That’s the ultimate vanity of vanities. We can’t buy love or happiness. Even the things we buy or in which we
invest our time, money and energy won’t ultimately make us happy without a relationship with the God in whom we live,
move and have our being. We can lose everything we value and our lives can change in an instant, whether confronted
with natural disasters, health crises, or the loss of loved ones, reputation, or money. At those times we have only our faith in
God. Faith is bolstered by people who come to our aid. But in the end, only our relationship with God accompanies us at all
times, even when we make the journey from death to eternal life.
St. Paul advised us to put to death whatever is not of God in our lives and attend to the values of Jesus that we put on in
baptism. Baptism does not promise a life without tears or suffering. It promises that because we belong to Christ, we are
not alone and can find hope in every situation, even pending death. One of my confreres, recently diagnosed with terminal
cancer, prays to be able to embrace death as Joseph Cardinal Bernardin did, (his book—The Gift of Peace) so that he
will be ready when Jesus comes to take him home. Trust in God and those who lead you to God, invest your time, money,
and energy there and you will be truly rich, whatever today brings.”
This article begins our reflections:
• “What have I lost that I thought would bring me happiness but did not? If I knew that my life would end today, what would
I change to be ready to meet God?
• What are my riches: My education? My vacation home? My job and position in life? My friends?
Knowing that I am loved by God? Being a person who loves?
• I reflect on when and where I feel that I am rich in God’s eyes?
• Is my gratitude to God my treasure?
Sacred Space 2016 shares:
Whenever Jesus meets the crowds, He meets many different needs. People present their sicknesses, tell Him of the
illnesses of others, seek out God’s ways, and, here, speak of their ordinary concerns. It is often so for me as I pray: needs
of different kinds come into my head, petitions surface, and arguments come to mind. As Jesus replied to the person in the
crowd, He speaks to me to help me see what is of lasting importance. Help me, Jesus, not to be distracted by the waves on
the surface but to be sensitive to the deeper current that draws me to You.
Jesus is asked to settle an inheritance case, He cautions His listeners against any kind of greed. He tells them that their
lives are not made secure by what they own They must grow into a true sense of values and recognize that their real life
cannot be measured in terms of material possessions. Jesus, how patient You are with us as we struggle with our earthly
desires. We want more and yet more. We look with envy on what other seem to have—better homes, better jobs, better
ways of living. Help us instead to be grateful for what we have, for Your goodness to us, and for who we are as children of
God.”