25th Sunday In Ordinary Time

Here is the homily that my father "Deacon Joe" delivered at St. Anne's church yesterday.

25TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
SEPTEMBER 23, 2007
LUKE 16:1-13

THERE IS A STORY OF A PASTOR WHO GOT UP ONE SUNDAY AND ANNOUNCED TO HIS CONGREGATION: “I HAVE GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS. THE GOOD NEWS IS, WE HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO PAY FOR OUR NEW BUILDING PROGRAM. THE BAD NEWS IS, IT’S STILL OUT THERE IN YOUR POCKETS.

IN OUR FIRST READING TODAY, AMOS (A MINOR PROPHET) DESCRIBES THE GREED OF MERCHANTS AND OF THE RICH, THE EXPLOITATION OF THE NEEDY, THE LUXURY OF THE WEALTHY, THE BRIBING OF THE JUDGES. THIS WAS WRITTEN TOWARDS THE MIDDLE OF THE EIGHTH CENTURY BEFORE CHRIST. WEALTH WAS IN THE HANDS OF A FEW RICH PEOPLE, WHILE THE POOR WERE INCREASING.

PAUL’S LETTER TO TIMOTHY IN CHAPTER 6:17-20 FITS IN VERY WELL WITH TODAY’S THEME OF “YOU CANNOT GIVE YOURSELF TO GOD AND MONEY.” PAUL TELLS TIMOTHY TO TELL THE RICH OF THIS WORLD NOT BE ARROGANT OR TO PUT THEIR TRUST IN THE UNCERTAINTY OF WEALTH. LET THEM RATHER TRUST IN GOD WHO GENEROUSLY GIVES ALL WE NEED FOR OUR HAPPINESS. LET THEM DO GOOD, BE RICH IN GOOD DEEDS AND BE GENEROUS, LET THEM SHARE WITH OTHERS. IN THIS WAY, THEY SHALL HEAP UP A SOUND CAPITAL FOR THE FUTURE AND GAIN TRUE LIFE.

TODAY’S LOTTERIES AND POWERBALLS WITH PRIZES WORTH MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ARE OPERATING ALL OVER NORTH AMERICA. MILLIONS OF PEOPLE RISK THEIR MONEY EVEN THOUGH THEY STAND A BETTER CHANCE OF BEING HIT BY LIGHTENING THAN WINNING A LARGE LOTTERY. OR MAYBE THEY FEEL LIKE – PLAYING THE LOTTERY IS LIKE HEAVING A HAIL MARY PASS, WHICH MIGHT TRANSFORM THEIR LIVES AND MAKE ALL OF THEIR FINANCIAL TROUBLES GO AWAY.

BUT WAIT A MINUTE, PLAYING THE LOTTERY IS BAD ENOUGH, BUT WINNING IS EVEN WORSE.

BASED ON INTERVIEWS, OVER THREE FIFTHS OF LOTTERY WINNERS FILE FOR BANKRUPTCY WITHIN THREE YEARS. MONEY NOT ONLY “DOESN’T BUY THEIR HAPPINESS, IT DOESN’T EVEN NECESSARILY BUY A GOOD TIME.” THE INTERVIEWS REVEALED THAT LOTTERY WINNERS “AFTER THE INITIAL FLUSH WEARS OFF” OFTEN ARE MISERABLE. ONE WINNER (WHO WON A BIG JACKPOT) THREW A PARTY FOR HER “FRIENDS”. “OF ALL THE PEOPLE WHO CAME,” SHE TOLD THE INTERVIEWER A FEW YEARS LATER, “NOT ONE OF THEM SPEAKS TO ME NOW.” JACK W. WHITAKER, WON A $314 MILLION JACKPOT A FEW YEARS AGO AND HIS RECENT COMMENT WAS “I’M GOING TO BE REMEMBERED AS THE LUNATIC WHO WON A LOTTERY.” BY MEANS OF THIS AND SIMILAR STORIES AND LOTS OF OTHER EVIDENCE AS WELL AS ARTICLES – LET IT BE KNOWN THAT MONEY DOESN’T BUY HAPPINESS. TO WHICH ANYONE FAMILIAR WITH THE TEACHING OF JESUS MIGHT WELL ASK. “SO WHAT ELSE IS NEW?”

OUR GOSPEL READING FROM LUKE IS A DIFFICULT PARABLE FOR MANY BECAUSE IT SEEMS THAT JESUS IS ENDORSING THE ACTS OF SCAM ARTIST. CERTAINLY, JESUS DOES NO SUCH THING, YET, WITHOUT A LITTLE BACKGROUND, THE PARABLE CAN SEEM CONFUSING.

IT’S INTERESTING THAT MONEY IS THE SUBJECT JESUS TALKED ABOUT MORE THAN ANY OTHER SUBJECT, EXCEPT, THE KINGDOM OF GOD ITSELF. THE KINGDOM (OR RULE OF GOD) IS THE REALITY OF HIS LIVING PRESENCE IN EVERY AREA OF OUR LIVES. GOD MAKES IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO COME ALIVE. OUR WILLINGNESS TO LIVE UNDER THE RULE OF GOD MAKES IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO BE SENSITIVE, FEELING, LAUGHING, CRYING, LOVING PEOPLE IN THE FULLEST SENSE OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN. THAT IS JESUS’ NUMBER ONE SUBJECT. BUT NUMBER TWO IS MONEY AND POSSESSIONS. WHY DID HE TALK ABOUT MONEY SO MUCH? BECAUSE HE WAS PERFECTLY AWARE OF HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO US AND HOW RELUCTANT WE ARE TO PLACE IT UNDER THE RULE OF GOD.

JESUS HAD TWO WAYS OF COMING AT THE SUBJECT OF OUR MONEY: WARNING AND OPPORTUNITY. THERE ARE AT LEAST FIFTEEN PASSAGES IN THE GOSPELS IN WHICH JESUS WARNS US THAT OUR MONEY AND POSSESSIONS CAN DESTROY US.

IN TODAY’S GOSPEL, JESUS WANTED TO COMPARE THE WAY PEOPLE SHOW INITIATIVE IN SITUATIONS HAVING TO DO WITH WORLDLY MATTERS WITH THE WAY THEY TREAT THINGS RELATED TO SPIRITUAL AFFAIRS. JESUS OBSERVED THAT IN WORLDLY AFFAIRS PEOPLE ARE VERY GOOD AT MAKING THE MOST OF EVEN DIFFICULT SITUATIONS. JESUS DOES NOT APPROVE OF THE STEWARD’S METHODS, BUT HE DOES CREDIT HIS ATTEMPT TO DERIVE A DIVIDEND FROM WHAT SEEMED TO BA A BAD STATE OF AFFAIRS. WHEN HE WAS FIRED, THE STEWARD DID NOT GIVE IN TO THE DISCOURAGEMENT AND DEFEAT BUT IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO SCHEME IN ORDER TO PROTECT HIS FUTURE SECURITY.

JESUS USES THIS PARABLE OF THE CRAFTY MANAGER TO REMIND US THAT OUR HOPE AND SECURITY MUST BE IN GOD, NOT THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD. WORLDLY POSSESSIONS WILL ALWAYS FAIL US; BUT THEY CAN WORK TO OUR ADVANTAGE IF THEY ARE USED TO FURTHER THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

OUR MONEY OR DESIRE FOR IT IS THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY FOR MOST OF US. AND WE MIGHT AS WELL ADMIT IT SO THAT WE CAN BEGIN TO DEAL WITH IT. “YOU CANNOT SERVE GOD AND MONEY”, JESUS WARNS US.

A LOS ANGELES TENNIS PRO TELLS THE STORY OF YOUNG WOMAN WHO CAME TO HIM FOR SOME LESSONS. TENNIS WAS COMPLETELY NEW TO HER. DURING THE FIRST LESSON, THE TENNIS PRO PAIRED HER OFF WITH ANOTHER BEGINNER IN A SHORT “MATCH”, IN ORDER TO FAMILIARIZE THEM WITH THE SCORING METHOD. THE WOMAN WON THE FIRST RALLY WHICH GAVE HER FIFTEEN POINTS TO HER OPPONENT’S ZERO. SINCE IN TENNIS, THE TERM FOR “ZERO” IS “LOVE”, THE CORRECT SCORE WAS FIFTEEN – LOVE. “WHAT’S THE SCORE?” THE TEACHER ASKED. “FIFTEEN – ER – UH,” SHE STAMMERED, UNABLE TO REMEMBER THAT THE TERM FOR “ZERO” IS “LOVE”. THEN THE PRO GAVE HER A BROAD HINT, “WHAT MAKES THE WORLD GO ‘ROUND?”, HE ASKED. WITHOUT HESITATION THE STUDENT REPLIED, “OH FIFTEEN – MONEY.”

IN OUR LIFE SITUATION, IF MONEY, NOT GOD, IS MAKING OUR WORLD GO ‘ROUND, JESUS IS GIVING US MORE THAN A BROAD HINT THAT THE CONSEQUENCES WILL BE DEVASTATING. IN OTHERS WORDS, MONEY CAN BE A VERY DANGEROUS AND DESTRUCTIVE THING IN OUR LIVES. BUT JESUS ALSO TALKS ABOUT MONEY IN TERMS OF OPPORTUNITY. “WHAT I SAY TO YOU IS THIS: MAKE FRIENDS FOR YOURSELVES THROUGH YOUR USE OF THIS WORLD’S GOODS, SO THAT WHEN THEY FAIL YOU, A LASTING RECEPTION WILL BE YOURS.” AND WHO IS JESUS REFERRING TO? HE IS REFERRING TO HIS OWN SPECIAL FRIENDS: THE POOR, THE LONELY, THE OPPRESSED, THE OUTCASTS.

“MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL.” EVERYBODY HAS HEARD THAT OLD SAYING AND MOST EVERYBODY THINK IT COMES FROM THE BIBLE! IT MAY SURPRISE YOU TO LEARN THAT IT DOES NOT. 1ST TIMOTHY, CHAPTER 6, VERSE 10 IS ONE OF THE MOST MISQUOTED PASSAGES IN THE WHOLE BIBLE. IT DOESN’T READ “MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL!” IT READS “THE LOVE OF MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL!” AND THEN GOES ON TO SAY, “IT IS BECAUSE OF THIS GREED THAT SOME HAVE WANDERED AWAY FROM THE FAITH BRINGING ON THEMSELVES AFFLICTIONS OF EVERY KIND.” SAINT PAUL COMMANDED THE RICH “NOT TO BE HAUGHTY, NOR TO SET THEIR HOPES ON UNCERTAIN RICHES, BUT ON GOD WHO RICHLY FURNISHES US WITH EVERYTHING TO ENJOY.”

WE NEED TO PRAY AND ASK GOD HOW WE CAN BEST USE WHAT HE HAS ENTRUSTED TO US. WE HAVE TO ASK OURSELVES: “ARE WE GOOD STEWARDS OF WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN US? DO WE USE IT WISELY TO MEET OUR OWN NEEDS AND THE NEEDS OF OUR FAMILIES? DO WE SEEK CONSOLATION FROM MATERIAL GOODS AND THUS FAIL TO KNOW THE LOVE THAT GOD THE FATHER HAS FOR US? ARE WE AWARE OF OUR DUTY TO SUPPORT THE CHURCH AND OTHER WORTHY CAUSES ACCORDING OUR MEANS? HAS GREED OR SOME OTHER GOAL MADE US SILLY? WILL JESUS LOOK AT US AND CONDEMN US FOR REFUSING TO OFFER OUR TIME, TALENT OR TREASURES FOR HIS KINGDOM?

LET US ASK GOD FOR THE GRACE TO ASSESS WITH HONESTY THE PLACE THAT WORLDLY POSSESSIONS HOLD IN OUR LIVES.

YOU CANNOT GIVE YOURSELF TO GOD AND MONEY.