Saint
Francis of Assisi
556 South Jersey Street; Denver, CO 80224
National Catholic Church (PNCC)
St. Francis of Assisi Polish National Catholic Church (PNCC) @2008
Homily - 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
The episode from Jesus’ public life in today’s Gospel is only included in St Luke’s Gospel. Jesus was speaking to a large crowd when someone in the crowd asked him to arbitrate in a family dispute over property. He refused. This interest in property gave him the occasion to teach those around him, and all of us, in a very effective parable, the relative value of this world's goods. The lesson of the parable is obvious, and it’s perhaps as difficult to put into practice as it is obvious. To be in this world and not of it, to collect the necessary goods of this world by honest labor and yet remain detached from them, to possess but not be possessed by worldly riches, is an ideal to which our weak human nature responds very reluctantly.
A large percentage of Christians, however, do respond to the challenge loyally. They earn and use the goods of this world, while at the same time keeping God's laws and earn wealth for heaven. There’re some who renounce their right to possess the necessary things of this world, by taking on the vows of religion. In doing so, they set themselves free to devote their time and energy to the service of God and neighbor. Others, who are more numerous, have to own goods of the world in order to provide for themselves and their dependents, but, while so doing, they never let their worldly possessions come between them and God.
Doing this isn’t easy, but God's helping grace is always available to those who have the desire in their heart. There’s a third group those who resemble the foolish man described in the parable. Like him they’re so enmeshed and ensnared in their desire to collect things for their earthly life, they forget that at any moment they may have to leave this earth and all they possess in it. They may not have large barns or grain bins bursting at the seams with the fruits of their fields or their market dealings, but they’ve allowed their possessions, large or small, to become the keepers of their hearts and thoughts. In their mad rush for earthly treasure they give themselves no time to stop and think of the one really important thing in life, Namely, that soon they must leave this world and all it holds dear to them.
It’s not the departure from this world they should fear. Rather, it’s the arrival at another world for which they are not prepared. That other world they’ve often heard about, but shrugged off as something only fit for the weak minded, will not open before them in all its awe inspiring immensity. They’ll have a momentary glimpse of the eternal beauty and happiness that they lost, Lost for the sake of a "mess of stuff". This has been the fate of foolish men and women in the past. It’ll, also, be the fate of many more in the future. And sadly, it could be your fate as well, unless you remain constantly alert to keep yourselves free from the snare of worldly wealth. You must remember it’s not the quantity of this world's goods which you possess that’ll be your undoing, but the quality of the hold which those goods have on you. It’s this hold St. Paul is speaking of in the 2nd reading when he refers to, “the greed that is idolatry.” We cannot allow want of possessions to become our idols. We must control and eliminate greed for possessions as the driving force in our lives. There are and will be many millionaires in heaven along with many of the poor. There are also many millionaires and many of the poor who find themselves excluded. Be assured, no person will be excluded from heaven because they lawfully possessed some of this world's wealth. But you can also be assured you will exclude yourself from eternal happiness if you let this world's wealth possess you to the exclusion of God. The fate of the rich man in the parable need not, and should not, be your fate. You still have time to stop building larger grain bins and barns, and to turn your attention instead to collecting treasure for heaven.
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
A large percentage of Christians, however, do respond to the challenge loyally. They earn and use the goods of this world, while at the same time keeping God's laws and earn wealth for heaven. There’re some who renounce their right to possess the necessary things of this world, by taking on the vows of religion. In doing so, they set themselves free to devote their time and energy to the service of God and neighbor. Others, who are more numerous, have to own goods of the world in order to provide for themselves and their dependents, but, while so doing, they never let their worldly possessions come between them and God.
Doing this isn’t easy, but God's helping grace is always available to those who have the desire in their heart. There’s a third group those who resemble the foolish man described in the parable. Like him they’re so enmeshed and ensnared in their desire to collect things for their earthly life, they forget that at any moment they may have to leave this earth and all they possess in it. They may not have large barns or grain bins bursting at the seams with the fruits of their fields or their market dealings, but they’ve allowed their possessions, large or small, to become the keepers of their hearts and thoughts. In their mad rush for earthly treasure they give themselves no time to stop and think of the one really important thing in life, Namely, that soon they must leave this world and all it holds dear to them.
It’s not the departure from this world they should fear. Rather, it’s the arrival at another world for which they are not prepared. That other world they’ve often heard about, but shrugged off as something only fit for the weak minded, will not open before them in all its awe inspiring immensity. They’ll have a momentary glimpse of the eternal beauty and happiness that they lost, Lost for the sake of a "mess of stuff". This has been the fate of foolish men and women in the past. It’ll, also, be the fate of many more in the future. And sadly, it could be your fate as well, unless you remain constantly alert to keep yourselves free from the snare of worldly wealth. You must remember it’s not the quantity of this world's goods which you possess that’ll be your undoing, but the quality of the hold which those goods have on you. It’s this hold St. Paul is speaking of in the 2nd reading when he refers to, “the greed that is idolatry.” We cannot allow want of possessions to become our idols. We must control and eliminate greed for possessions as the driving force in our lives. There are and will be many millionaires in heaven along with many of the poor. There are also many millionaires and many of the poor who find themselves excluded. Be assured, no person will be excluded from heaven because they lawfully possessed some of this world's wealth. But you can also be assured you will exclude yourself from eternal happiness if you let this world's wealth possess you to the exclusion of God. The fate of the rich man in the parable need not, and should not, be your fate. You still have time to stop building larger grain bins and barns, and to turn your attention instead to collecting treasure for heaven.
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
