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Homily for the Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Oct 15, 2006)
Gospel intro: It was
an accepted belief of Jesus’ day that if you were wealthy God was
looking favorably on you. They thought that it would be much easier for
a wealthy person to serve God. How shocked they are when Jesus tells
them that wealth could be an obstacle to being a disciple or even to
your salvation.
Homily intro: For
most Americans this Gospel is very painful to hear. James warned us in
the second reading that the Word of God is sharp and active, like a
sword cutting to the quick.
You may not
always like it, but you come here because you want to hear the Word of
God.
When the Word of God penetrates your spirit, and challenges the common
assumptions of our 21st Century culture, it will be very
painful. When God asks me to cut something out which is very close to my
heart, I am tempted to run away so I don’t have to listen to God’s
Word; tempted to seek out preachers who will sooth my soul.
Jesus warned that riches can lead one to miss out on the
happiness of the
Kingdom
of
God
.
Then he added: “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of
the needle than for one who is rich to enter the
Kingdom
of
God
.” Why did Jesus say
that?
5:30
All gifts come from God and are
to be given for the good of the
community.
If
we hang on to our gifts they can become an impediment to following Jesus
10;00
What strikes you on the Reflection sheet –
** Those who seek security
in earthly wealth, can begin to worship their wealth Whatever
Jesus had in mind with this shocking saying, the words are meant to
pierce our defenses. It is a strong warning to people of his time and
our times. Not only is wealth not necessarily a sign of God’s blessing
on you, but it can be a definite impediment to following Jesus; a
barrier to getting through the gate into heaven.
Story: The powerful
preacher, John Wesley, who was winning people to Christ our of the lower
socioeconomic strata of English society, found that those who were
converted stopped boozing, gambling and wasting their money. Instead the
became diligent and hardworking, little by little creeping up the
socioeconomic ladder. Wesley found however, that the more successful the
new converts became, the more they turned away from Jesus and gospel
values, because these made them uncomfortable.
Story: Speaking of
comfortable, E. Stanley Jones tells the story of two retired people seeking a
life of comfort on a cruise ship. He observed that this very overweight
couple seemed to live from one meal until the next. They obviously had
plenty of money, but seemed to never be happy and always complaining at
the table stewards for not getting the super service the demanded. They
apparently did not read or go out on the deck to look at the ocean or
the people. They just sat waiting for their next meal. One night Jones
observed the man go over to the mantel, picked up the vases and looked
into them. He went back to his wife and in a complaining tone stated:
“They’re empty!” From
what Jones could see the souls of these two passengers were what was
empty. They had a lot in
their purses, but something radical was lacking in their persons.
How sad.
Conclusion: Those who stake
their security and happiness
on their hen we make our wealth, riches, homes or savings into our gods,
the only way we can find true happiness is for The Word of God to
separate us from our earthly treasures to make room for the Lord at the
center of our hearts.
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