Oct. 14, 2018 28th Sunday B
Oct. 14, 2018 28th Sunday B
Do you ever pray for a safe and secure life free of any worry? What does a secure and worry-free life look like for you? Some companies have made it their business model to sell a chance to win a version of a “secure life.” For example, I saw a TV ad for a sweepstakes company. The crew knocked on the door of a house ready to present a giant check reading, “You’ve Won $2,500 Per Week for Life!.” Apparently this sweepstakes is real, and real people register to win. The only caveat is that the odds of winning this sweepstakes is about 2.4 billion to one; the odds of winning a Powerball jackpot are better (e.g. 1 in 300 million). One has a significantly better chance of becoming a movie star or to be drafted by the NBA than winning this sweepstakes. Most of us dismiss the notion that money buys happiness and security. However, many of us of may have at least given a thought to, “If I won the Powerball, I would…” fill in the blank. If I won the Powerball now, I would help the folks in Florida, who in the matter of hours, lost their homes, livelihood, and the entire community. If we reflect on why we work so hard and spend so much time worrying, our desire for a secure life may be at the heart. What is evoked in us when Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also”? (Matt 6:21)
In our readings today, we encounter two young men desiring for something more than what they already have. Both King Solomon in the First Reading and the Rich Young Man in the Gospel have enough wealth to feel secure and satisfied in their material needs. What more could they need or want? The Rich Young Man asked Jesus for guidance on how he could gain eternal life. He was a religious young man, practicing his faith and not breaking any commandments. He still didn’t feel satisfied. Jews in Jesus’ day regarded wealth as a blessing and opportunity for doing good. When Jesus challenged him to part with his wealth, however, he was saddened and disappointed. For Jesus, the only real source of security is to store treasure in heaven by trusting and loving God with our whole heart, not just partially. The young man was not ready to part with his attachments to his treasures, for it was the heart of his security and social status. He feared that he would not be happy or joyful if he followed Jesus and left behind his treasures. He could not trust Jesus, and thus could not let go of the control of his life. The man left not knowing the peace and joy that only Jesus can give.
The prayer of Moses in today’s Psalm points us to what should be the source of our security and happiness. The beginning of Psalm 90 reads , “Lord, you have been our refuge through all generations...You turn humanity back into dust, saying, ‘Return, you children of Adam!’...Seventy is the sum of our years, or eighty, if we are strong; Most of them are toil and sorrow; they pass quickly, and we are gone...Teach us to count our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart.” The true wisdom is knowing what truly fills and satisfies us, as verse 14 teaches, “Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!”
Solomon, unlike the Rich Young Man, asked God for something greater than a throne, a crown or gold. He wrote, “I prayed...pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me...all gold, in view of [wisdom], is a little sand...Beyond health and good looks I loved [wisdom]...all good things together came to me in her company, and countless riches at her hands.” Solomon truly understood that to be rich meant to come to know God’s love and to follow in His footsteps. The riches of the Kingdom of Heaven--lasting joy and happiness--are available to everyone, but we must choose to love Our Lord and follow Him. Our prayers, reception of Sacraments, and our love in actions builds up treasure in heaven.
As we follow the Lord, for some the path will be filled with trials and tribulations. When a person is diagnosed with cancer and their neighbor is healthy, doesn’t mean that the Lord favors the neighbor more. When our home is blown away by a hurricane while our neighbor’s home still stands, doesn’t mean that the neighbor was blessed and we were cursed. These works of “storing treasure in heaven” strengthens our trust in God who fills us with peace that no illness, calamity, or disaster can take away. Recently we witnessed another example of faith and trust in the midst of tragedies. On Thursday, in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael, folks in Panama City with their homes severely damaged still came out to celebrate Mass in a church building which was damaged from the storm. In the midst of tragedies one looks deep within and find inspirations to trust and give God thanks. What do we have to give up to gain eternal life? Do we love the Lord completely with our whole hearts to give up control and follow Jesus even when trials befall us?
Do you ever pray for a safe and secure life free of any worry? What does a secure and worry-free life look like for you? Some companies have made it their business model to sell a chance to win a version of a “secure life.” For example, I saw a TV ad for a sweepstakes company. The crew knocked on the door of a house ready to present a giant check reading, “You’ve Won $2,500 Per Week for Life!.” Apparently this sweepstakes is real, and real people register to win. The only caveat is that the odds of winning this sweepstakes is about 2.4 billion to one; the odds of winning a Powerball jackpot are better (e.g. 1 in 300 million). One has a significantly better chance of becoming a movie star or to be drafted by the NBA than winning this sweepstakes. Most of us dismiss the notion that money buys happiness and security. However, many of us of may have at least given a thought to, “If I won the Powerball, I would…” fill in the blank. If I won the Powerball now, I would help the folks in Florida, who in the matter of hours, lost their homes, livelihood, and the entire community. If we reflect on why we work so hard and spend so much time worrying, our desire for a secure life may be at the heart. What is evoked in us when Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also”? (Matt 6:21)
In our readings today, we encounter two young men desiring for something more than what they already have. Both King Solomon in the First Reading and the Rich Young Man in the Gospel have enough wealth to feel secure and satisfied in their material needs. What more could they need or want? The Rich Young Man asked Jesus for guidance on how he could gain eternal life. He was a religious young man, practicing his faith and not breaking any commandments. He still didn’t feel satisfied. Jews in Jesus’ day regarded wealth as a blessing and opportunity for doing good. When Jesus challenged him to part with his wealth, however, he was saddened and disappointed. For Jesus, the only real source of security is to store treasure in heaven by trusting and loving God with our whole heart, not just partially. The young man was not ready to part with his attachments to his treasures, for it was the heart of his security and social status. He feared that he would not be happy or joyful if he followed Jesus and left behind his treasures. He could not trust Jesus, and thus could not let go of the control of his life. The man left not knowing the peace and joy that only Jesus can give.
The prayer of Moses in today’s Psalm points us to what should be the source of our security and happiness. The beginning of Psalm 90 reads , “Lord, you have been our refuge through all generations...You turn humanity back into dust, saying, ‘Return, you children of Adam!’...Seventy is the sum of our years, or eighty, if we are strong; Most of them are toil and sorrow; they pass quickly, and we are gone...Teach us to count our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart.” The true wisdom is knowing what truly fills and satisfies us, as verse 14 teaches, “Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!”
Solomon, unlike the Rich Young Man, asked God for something greater than a throne, a crown or gold. He wrote, “I prayed...pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me...all gold, in view of [wisdom], is a little sand...Beyond health and good looks I loved [wisdom]...all good things together came to me in her company, and countless riches at her hands.” Solomon truly understood that to be rich meant to come to know God’s love and to follow in His footsteps. The riches of the Kingdom of Heaven--lasting joy and happiness--are available to everyone, but we must choose to love Our Lord and follow Him. Our prayers, reception of Sacraments, and our love in actions builds up treasure in heaven.
