Homily
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time C
Christ the King Catholic Parish
21/22 September 2013
Daily Readings
Jesus shows us several times in the Gospels that we must be clever enough to get things done. Specifically, we are to be clever enough to get to heaven using whatever means are available to us, even dishonest wealth. He tells us since we find the resources to get many things done, we must also find a way to detach ourselves from material things, especially our money, and attach ourselves to things that last forever. He tells us lovingly but plainly that there are no excuses for not getting it done. We are to be children of heaven, not of the earth, and we are not to be owned by our insecurities and possessions.
In every parable there is something highlighted and something hidden. The hero of today's parable is not an honest man. He is despicable. A Scoundrel. He cheats his boss. Then when he is fired, he cheats him more so that he will have friends to take care of him, so that he does not have to find honest work. Yet Jesus gives this man to us as a hero. Not for his honesty, but for his cleverness. Even the man's boss was impressed at how clever he was. Jesus uses him to remind us that we don't have any excuses for not getting things done, especially in our spiritual life, for the things we prioritize and put our minds and hearts to, are the things that get done.
Specifically, Jesus tells us to make our way to heaven by making friends with dishonest wealth. What in the world could he mean by this? He means detaching ourselves from our money and stuff, and being known for our charity, especially to people who cannot pay us back. Pope Francis has been challenging us in powerful ways in his time as pope. He tells us to be simpler, to be closer to the poor, to be more merciful and charitable. Pope Francis is tired of other people telling the Gospel story for the Catholic Church. He is tired of the Catholic Church being caricatured by those who don't understand her as a place of moral judgment - a Church that has all the answers and stands in judgment of the world rather than in solidarity with it. Pope Francis is not wishing to water down our moral teaching. The Catholic Church has the strongest moral teaching in the world, and she will never change or water down her teaching of the truth, especially in areas like marriage, contraception, abortion and religious freedom. Yet Pope Francis says that we need to write our own story, and a different one, and that the Catholic Church must always first by known for its mercy and charity. We are to be known not only for our moral teaching and incredible tradition, but also for our action. We are to be known not as the Church that changes the least, but as the Church that through her charity changes the world the most.
Jesus reminds us today that money provides no lasting security. It is always something that passes away, so we should always be giving it away. What is more, he calls wealth dishonest. He reminds us that even though each one of us tries to earn our money honestly and virtuously, without taking advantage of the poor, that money properly belongs to a world that is broken, a world where things are not equal and people do not have the same opportunities, and a world that is passing away. So we should never put our trust in money, or as he says it, to serve mammon. Jesus tells us to give our money away, to show charity, to be detached from our money. Specifically he tells us to give it to people who cannot pay us back - to make friends with dishonest wealth, friends with the poor, and marginalized, and vulnerable, friends who will one day welcome us to our secure and eternal home in heaven.
10% is the biblical standard for showing that we are not attached to our money, that we are not trying to serve God and mammon, that we own our money instead of our money owning us. 10% is the minimum standard, and yet it is a standard hard for many of us to reach, including myself. I say this today not to ask you for more money, at least not today, but to remind us all, including myself, that we must be spiritually free in order to call ourselves children of the kingdom of heaven. Even if the world was perfectly just, and everyone including the Church had everything they needed, still we would need to give away at least 10% of what we have, because giving is ultimately not measured by the need of others but by our internal need to love and to give.
One guy told me once that he wouldn't go to Church anymore until he met a priest who was poor. So I'm not just preaching at you all, I'm also preaching to myself. What if I as your priest started every confession of mine confessing the sin of greed - with a money sin - a sin that frankly I do not confess as much as I should. Pope Francis, would like that, I think of all of his priests.
We can make a million rationalizations and excuses for not being more charitable. We are constantly measuring what we need versus what we can do. There are of course hardships and conditions that make it impossible for some to give money and be charitable. And that's ok. But for the vast majority of us most of the time, it is true that the more we manage to give away, the more spiritually free we become, and we also become more prudent and less likely to waste money on things we don't really need. So let us consider being more charitable, of making friends for ourselves with dishonest wealth. May we as Catholic Christians be known first in the world for our mercy and charity, and let us be more clever in prioritizing our desire to attain to the kingdom of heaven. Amen.
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time C
Christ the King Catholic Parish
21/22 September 2013
Daily Readings
Jesus shows us several times in the Gospels that we must be clever enough to get things done. Specifically, we are to be clever enough to get to heaven using whatever means are available to us, even dishonest wealth. He tells us since we find the resources to get many things done, we must also find a way to detach ourselves from material things, especially our money, and attach ourselves to things that last forever. He tells us lovingly but plainly that there are no excuses for not getting it done. We are to be children of heaven, not of the earth, and we are not to be owned by our insecurities and possessions.
In every parable there is something highlighted and something hidden. The hero of today's parable is not an honest man. He is despicable. A Scoundrel. He cheats his boss. Then when he is fired, he cheats him more so that he will have friends to take care of him, so that he does not have to find honest work. Yet Jesus gives this man to us as a hero. Not for his honesty, but for his cleverness. Even the man's boss was impressed at how clever he was. Jesus uses him to remind us that we don't have any excuses for not getting things done, especially in our spiritual life, for the things we prioritize and put our minds and hearts to, are the things that get done.
Specifically, Jesus tells us to make our way to heaven by making friends with dishonest wealth. What in the world could he mean by this? He means detaching ourselves from our money and stuff, and being known for our charity, especially to people who cannot pay us back. Pope Francis has been challenging us in powerful ways in his time as pope. He tells us to be simpler, to be closer to the poor, to be more merciful and charitable. Pope Francis is tired of other people telling the Gospel story for the Catholic Church. He is tired of the Catholic Church being caricatured by those who don't understand her as a place of moral judgment - a Church that has all the answers and stands in judgment of the world rather than in solidarity with it. Pope Francis is not wishing to water down our moral teaching. The Catholic Church has the strongest moral teaching in the world, and she will never change or water down her teaching of the truth, especially in areas like marriage, contraception, abortion and religious freedom. Yet Pope Francis says that we need to write our own story, and a different one, and that the Catholic Church must always first by known for its mercy and charity. We are to be known not only for our moral teaching and incredible tradition, but also for our action. We are to be known not as the Church that changes the least, but as the Church that through her charity changes the world the most.
Jesus reminds us today that money provides no lasting security. It is always something that passes away, so we should always be giving it away. What is more, he calls wealth dishonest. He reminds us that even though each one of us tries to earn our money honestly and virtuously, without taking advantage of the poor, that money properly belongs to a world that is broken, a world where things are not equal and people do not have the same opportunities, and a world that is passing away. So we should never put our trust in money, or as he says it, to serve mammon. Jesus tells us to give our money away, to show charity, to be detached from our money. Specifically he tells us to give it to people who cannot pay us back - to make friends with dishonest wealth, friends with the poor, and marginalized, and vulnerable, friends who will one day welcome us to our secure and eternal home in heaven.
10% is the biblical standard for showing that we are not attached to our money, that we are not trying to serve God and mammon, that we own our money instead of our money owning us. 10% is the minimum standard, and yet it is a standard hard for many of us to reach, including myself. I say this today not to ask you for more money, at least not today, but to remind us all, including myself, that we must be spiritually free in order to call ourselves children of the kingdom of heaven. Even if the world was perfectly just, and everyone including the Church had everything they needed, still we would need to give away at least 10% of what we have, because giving is ultimately not measured by the need of others but by our internal need to love and to give.
One guy told me once that he wouldn't go to Church anymore until he met a priest who was poor. So I'm not just preaching at you all, I'm also preaching to myself. What if I as your priest started every confession of mine confessing the sin of greed - with a money sin - a sin that frankly I do not confess as much as I should. Pope Francis, would like that, I think of all of his priests.
We can make a million rationalizations and excuses for not being more charitable. We are constantly measuring what we need versus what we can do. There are of course hardships and conditions that make it impossible for some to give money and be charitable. And that's ok. But for the vast majority of us most of the time, it is true that the more we manage to give away, the more spiritually free we become, and we also become more prudent and less likely to waste money on things we don't really need. So let us consider being more charitable, of making friends for ourselves with dishonest wealth. May we as Catholic Christians be known first in the world for our mercy and charity, and let us be more clever in prioritizing our desire to attain to the kingdom of heaven. Amen.
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