Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
I used this anecdote sometime back, so pardon me if this is a repetition for you. I often read the daily cartoon Pearls before Swine. The main characters in this cartoon are the rat, the pig, the goat and crocodiles. In one of the clips the goat asks the pig, “Do you have any religious beliefs? …Things you know in your heart are true?” The pig answered, “Just Nachofication.” The goat asks, “What is Nachofication?” The pig replies, “The belief that everything tastes better with melted cheese.” The goat looks disgusted as he turns around and exclaims, “I was hoping for something deeper than the church of cheese.” Our life is more than food, sports, and the daily drudgery of life, is it not? Meaning, purpose, character, a vision and goal in life, faith, relationship… these are the things that add flavor to life, is it not?
Here is what struck me as I read today’s second reading: Paul addresses Timothy as “man of God.” In other words, Paul is laying out a vision, a goal, and a character for Timothy. Timothy was the administrator of the Ephesian community and Paul did not want a “church of cheese” – a church concerned with superficials. Paul wanted Timothy to be a man of God as a leader so that he can be shepherd to a church that was rooted in Christ. To get a sense of Paul’s instruction we must read the sections before and after the reading we have today. “Indeed, religion with contentment is a great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, just as we shall not be able to take anything out of it. If we have food and clothing, we shall be content with that. Those who want to be rich are falling into temptation and into a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evils, and some people in their desire for it have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains.” Then Paul says, “But you, man of God…” Today’s passage is followed by this: “Tell the rich in the present age not to be proud and not to rely on so uncertain a thing as wealth but rather on God, who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment. Tell them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, ready to share, thus accumulating as treasure a good foundation for the future, so as to win the life that is true life.” If riches are the context of this reading, then, the first reading and the gospel fit in perfectly within this context. In other words, in spite of riches or anything else that can hinder us from a Christian character, we must strive to be men and women of God.
Three practical implications:
a) It seems to me that the readings are not about riches but the obstacle that riches present as we strive to men and women of God. And it is my opinion that the message is very relevant for today. Did you know that the wealth gap between the top 1% and the bottom 99% in the U.S. is as wide as it's been in nearly 100 years? For starters, between 1993 and 2012, the real incomes of the 1% grew 86.1%, while those of the 99% grew 6.6%, according to the study, based on Internal Revenue Service statistics examined by economists at UC Berkeley, the Paris School of Economics and Oxford University. I am not going to ask the question, “Why?” It is beyond the scope of this homily. Today’s readings warn us that riches have the power to rob us of our humanity. Wealth has the potential to rob a person of his or her Christian character. We should not underestimate the power wealth and riches can have over us. That is exactly what happened to the rich people of Amos’ time and hence his words, “Woe to the complacent in Zion! Lying upon beds of ivory, stretched comfortably on their couches, they eat lambs taken from the flock, and calves from the stall!” (Amos 6: 1a, 4) Riches had made the rich man blind to Lazarus in today’s gospel reading? The scriptures are not saying do not be rich; but they are telling us that the lure of riches is strong. If you happen to be rich, watch out what the possession of wealth can do to you. If you are gorgeous looking or stunningly handsome, watch out for beauty and good looks can do to you. If you are a person in authority, watch out what the exercise of power can do to you.
b) I was celebrating the Eucharist with the kids at IC. I asked the kids, if someone asked them their name what would they say? They all said, “My name.” And then I asked them, “And if someone asked you, “Who are you?” what do you think they want you to say?” A second grader said, “The kind of person I am.” So here is my question for each of us here. What kind of person are you? What are the hallmarks of your character? Who are you? Who are you becoming? Hopefully each of us is becoming as, Paul suggests, “a man/woman of God.” Paul defines man of God as one who pursues “righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.” That worked for Paul and perhaps Timothy as well. I suggest that each of us take the time this week to work out our own set of virtues that describe us. I hope we can stand before God and confess that indeed we have become men and women of God.
c) The end of the today’s gospel parable is rather alarming. The rich man wanted to come down and warn his family and friends about the consequences of a shallow and complacent life. Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.' He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' Then Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'" In other words, God has given us all the resources, all the examples, all the help we need to develop into men and women of God. At the end of our lives we will not have any excuses, if we did not become the kind of person God intends for us to be. Our journey to eternity began the day we were born. We are at a different point of this journey at present. The alarming thing is that we do not know when this journey will end. But when it does – we better be men and women of God.
As we gather around this altar we realize that the greatest gift that God has given us is God’s own self. In very few moments we will receive Jesus himself. If each one of us can receive Jesus consciously and allow God to transform us, shape us into men and women and God, then we will make it into eternity with God. Let us worship and our communion with Jesus be a way to become the kind of person that God wants us to be. Amen.
- Fr. Satish Joseph