Homily
for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
11 October 2015
11 October 2015
A
few days ago, I had the opportunity to celebrate the birthday of one of my
Godsons. He is at that wonderful age of four, where the world is still so full
of wonder. Yet while he is still learning much, he is also a wonderful teacher.
At
his party, he was excited – as most children are – to open his presents. He
couldn’t wait! (And neither could his little brother.) There was the
anticipation to see what he would be getting, and what he could call his own.
He was, of course, more excited to get the gifts that he could play with
instead of wear, but he presented us with a great teachable moment,
nonetheless.
How
much are we like my Godson or the man in today’s Gospel? We are happy to have
“things” that we can call our own: our house, our car, our phone, our clothing.
But if we are asked to give one of these “things” up or go without them for a
period of time, we sulk like the young man in the Gospel, or we throw a temper
tantrum like my Godson. We like our “stuff”; we like to spend time with our
“stuff”. The “stuff” and the “things” of our lives preoccupy us, and keep us
diverted from what really matters in this life.
When
Jesus talks about how difficult it is for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of
God, He wasn’t necessarily talking about everyone who has a lot of material
wealth. Rather, our Lord was referring to those who are preoccupied with the
“stuff” of this life. While it is necessary to have a certain amount of
material goods for one’s basic survival, it is important for us to not be
dragged down by the “stuff” of life. As it’s been said before: The possessions
of one’s life should not possess us; that which we consume to survive in this
life should not consume us.
Yet,
this holds true for us even in living out our spiritual lives. This is why our
Gospel is paired so wonderfully with our First Reading from the Book of Wisdom.
What should really preoccupy us in this life is discerning the Mind and the
Heart of our God. The rich young man could not allow himself to deny his
Earthly life so as to pursue the Wisdom of God. And how much are we like that
young man?
Even
in the pursuit and discernment of the Heart and Mind of God, we tend to hold on
to the “things” which ought to help us grow closer in our relationship to the
Lord, and when we misplace or lose them, we are preoccupied in finding them
instead of taking the opportunity to grow in our spiritual life. Have you lost
your favorite set of Rosary beads? Use your fingers, reminding yourself of how
you are made in the image and likeness of God. Misplaced your favorite
devotional book? Take this opportunity to seek out a new one, opening yourself
to a new way for the Lord to speak to you.
Even
as a parish family, we must be able to move beyond the “stuff” of life, always
seeking how to best spread the Gospel and minister to our brothers and sisters
in the best ways possible. [This weekend / At this Mass], we will be
commissioning two new members of our Pastoral Council, praying that they will
continue to discern and deepen their commitment to dwelling in the Heart and
Mind of God for the good of our parish community. At the same time, we, as the
Resurrection Parish family, must continue to dive deeper in our discernment of
what God is calling us to, to not only serve and be the presence of the Risen
Lord to those in our particular parish territory, but also for how the Lord is
calling us to minister to those in our cluster community of Brookline and
Beechview.
To
paraphrase the opening lines of our First Reading: “We prayed, and prudence was
given us; we pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to us.” This is the “stuff”
– the prudence, the wisdom – that we need to be filling our lives with.
Everything in this life is transitory, is temporary. The wisdom that comes from
the Heart and Mind of God is eternal, and that is what we should be yearning
for, seeking for, and desiring after. It is when we possess these things that
we are able to discern the Mind and Heart of God, but we are also able to live
out our call and promise to be the disciples of Christ.
The
rich young man left Jesus because he couldn’t let go of the “stuff”, of the
“things” that are temporary and transitory in this life. He couldn’t see the
eternal promises that Jesus was offering because of his lack of ability to
discern the Mind and the Heart of God – even when God, Himself, was standing
before him. My four-year-old Godson can’t yet comprehend a life without “stuff”
– but eventually he’ll learn what it is to discern the words of Jesus. Yet you
and I, who are gathered here today, have the understanding – and hopefully the
desire – to discern where God is calling us.
In
discerning the Mind and Heart of God, we need to be able to let go of all the
“stuff” of this life and the “things” that possess or consume us. As we prepare
to receive the Eucharist in a few moments, we need to turn over to the Lord all
those things of this world that possess and / or consume us. We cannot consume
the Lord and hope that He will consume us if there are “things” blocking our
discernment of His Mind and Heart.
How
are you and I like the rich young man? How are you and I like my Godson? Probably
in more ways than we would like to admit. Nevertheless, if we only desire the
“things” of this world, then we will never open ourselves to desire to know the
Mind or Heart or will of the Lord. To truly be people of the Resurrection, we
only need to be a people united to His Heart, His Mind; we only need to be
people desiring His will. Let us not walk away from the Lord downtrodden, but,
instead, be the people of hope and mercy that the Gospel urges us to be and to
become.
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Enjoy the journey . . .
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