O. T. 28 (B) Oct 13, 2024 Sunday homily (2024)

OT XXVIII [B] Sunday (Oct 13) One-page synopsis (L/24)

Central theme: We must give priority to God in our lives, not to our possessions. Today’s readings remind us thatwe do not possess anything in our life that we refuse to surrender to the Lord.These things often possess us, for when we give our “things” top priority in our lives, we become the prisoners of our possessions. Thus, we violate the First Great Commandment, “You shall not have other gods beside me” which demands that we give absolute and unconditional priority to God.

Scripture lessons summarized: The first reading advises us to use the God-given virtue of prudence in order to seek true wisdom and to distinguish them from vanishing earthly realities, like riches or political and social influence. Solomon chose Wisdom before everything else — and he received “everything else” along with it! Since Jesus is Wisdom Incarnate, when we put following Jesus ahead of everything else, we, too, receive “everything else” along with Jesus. In the Responsorial Psalm(Ps 90), we beg God to teach us how to make proper judgments and choices in our lives that we may live with Him forever.

The second reading warns us that we are accountable to God for our use, or misuse, of His blessings, and that the “living and effective word of God” must be our guide in evaluating our use of His blessings.

In today’s Gospel selection (Mk 10:17-30), we find three sections: a narrative about Jesus’ encounter with a rich man, Jesus’ sayings about wealth as a possible obstacle to discipleship, and Jesus’ promise of reward for those who share their material possessions with the needy. Reminding the rich man of the commandments that deal with relationships with other people, Jesus challenged him to sell what he had, and to give the money to the poor. The disciples were shocked by this challenge. But Jesus declared that true religion consisted in one’s sharing one’s blessings with others rather than hoarding and/or getting inordinately attached to them.

Life messages: 1) We need to accept the invitation to generous sharing. Initially, Jesus, in generous, sacrificial love, gave us His very self; in response, we find rising in our hearts the desire to give Jesus our own total selves, and so to enter the Faith relationship which Jesus offers us. God does not ask us to give up our riches, but He does ask us to use them wisely in His service, not allowing them to gain control over our hearts. God gives us time, talents, health, wealth, and riches that we may use them as good stewards in the service of others. 2) Let us make a check list of our priorities and attachments, and give God top priority: Are anger, lust, gluttony, evil habits, addictions, jealousy, holding grudges, infidelity, or cheating among our habits as priorities? Let us invite God into our lives daily by praying for His strengthening grace and the anointing of His Holy Spirit so that we may give God top priority, keeping Bible as our guide. 3) We need to gain eternal life by living out our Faith in Jesus as our God and Savior, and, with God’s strengthening grace, detaching ourselves from unnecessary attachments.

OT XXVIII [B] Oct 13: Wis 7:7-11; Heb 4:12-13; Mk 10:17-30 (or 10:17-27)

Homily starter anecdotes: #1:“It is Tough to be Billionaire.”Paul Getty, (b. 1902), the founder and CEO of Getty Oil company and owner of several other companies died at 83 of cardiac arrest in 1976, leaving his wealth, $3-4 billion, to his three sons. He was the wealthiest man of his days. Born and brought up in the USA, he established his oil empire headquarters in London and led the corporation for 25 years. He spoke most European languages and understood Russian and Arabic, Latin, and Greek. He married five times and each marriage ended in divorce. He told an interviewer, “I would give all my wealth for a successful marriage. I hate being a failure. I hate not being able to make a success of marriage.” He admitted that money could not buy him happiness, and often it gave him more unhappiness. He refused to give his money to charities arguing that it made people lazy. Besides, he saw giving money to needy people as unrewarding and wrong. He even wrote an article called, “It is Tough to be Billionaire.”His books are “My Life and Fortune” and “How to be Rich.”– In today’s Gospel, Jesus advises a rich young man to share his riches with the needy to gain eternal life and never-ending happiness. (https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/1215.html). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

# 2: Aladdin’s magic lamp and Solomon’s dream: Ala’ Ad-Din is the Arabic title of one of the best-known stories in The Thousand and One Nights. The chief protagonist of the tale, Ala’ Ad-Din, or Aladdin, chances upon an African magician who claims to be his uncle. At the magician’s request, Aladdin retrieves a lamp from a cave and discovers that he can summon up powerful jinn or genies to do his bidding. “Your wish is my command,” Aladdin is told, and he satisfies his desires for wealth, power and long life. Aladdin’s adventures and good fortune have left many young readers dreaming of sharing similar experiences. Imagine that you are Aladdin and that magic lamps and genies do exist. . . what would you ask for? — Solomon found himself in just such a situation in today’s first reading. Although magic did not factor into the equation, God Himself appeared to the young king Solomon in a dream, asking for his wishes. In 1 Kgs 3:5-14, Israel’s great king was told by Yahweh in a dream: “Ask something of Me and I will give it to you.” When Solomon asked for wisdom, i.e., for “an understanding heart to judge the people and to distinguish right from wrong,” he was praised by God. He had not asked for long life or riches or for the life of his enemies; because of this he was given the gift of wisdom. (Sanchez Archives). – He received the rest besides! (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

#3: How can you trap a monkey? With a coconut,some roasted peanuts or rice and a string, tribal people living in the border of forests in Africa, Sri Lanka, and India have been trapping monkeys for centuries. At one end ofthe coconut, they open a hole that is big enough to allow a monkey’s hand topush inside. However, the hole is too small for a monkeyto remove his hand when he makes a fist. On the other end of the coconut, a string is firmly attached andtied to a tree trunk. The coconut trap, with roasted peanuts or roasted rice inside,is placed along a monkey’s trail, and the trapper hides behind bushes with a net.The monkey smells the peanuts and is attracted to them. Heputshis hand through the hole and grabs a handful of peanuts, after which it is impossible forhim to remove his handsince he is unwilling to let go of the peanuts. Suddenly the trapper casts the net over the monkey and traps it. — We too are attracted by different “peanuts” that can be detrimental to our spiritual and physical pursuits. Today’s Gospel presents a rich young man who wants eternal life but will not relinquish “the peanuts” of riches. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

#4: “Sir, we’ll take the one with the happy ending.” There was a father who one day took his little son to buy a puppy. When they arrived at the home where the puppies were sold … they walked around to the back yard where the puppies were. There they saw inside a fenced in area, seven little puppies. As the Father and son looked at them, they noticed one little puppy whose little tail was wagging faster than the tails of the other little puppies. The father then said to the owner of the puppies,“Sir, we’ll take the one with the happy ending.” — Isuppose everybody likes a story with a happy ending. When we look at the personal encounters Jesus had, while on earth, we see that most of them ended gloriously, for most often, the people who met Jesus were healed, saved, and eternally changed. However, not every meeting ended so gloriously. In the Gospel Reading of today from St. Mark, we are presented with a man –young & rich– who had a personal encounter with the Jesus that ended in disappointment–“… his countenance fell, and he went away sad, …” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

Introduction: Today’s readings remind us that we do not possess anything in our life that we refuse to surrender to the Lord, but, in reality, our “possessions”often possess us, and we become their prisoners. That is because what we are doing is giving our “things” top priority in our lives. Thus, we violate the First Great Commandment, which demands that we give absolute and unconditional priority to God. The first reading advises us to use the God-given virtue of prudence in order to to seek true wisdom rather than rush after vanishing, unsatisfatory realities like riches or political and social influence. Solomon chose Wisdom before everything else. But when he accepted Wisdom, he received “everything else” along with her! Since Jesus is Wisdom Incarnate, when we put following Jesus ahead of everything else, we receive “everything else” along with Jesus. In the Responsorial Psalm (Ps 90), we beg God to teach us how to make proper judgments and choices in our lives, so that we may live with Him forever. The second reading warns us that we are accountable to God for how we use His blessings and that the “living and effective word of God” must be our guide in evaluating our use of God’s blessings. Today’s Gospel selection (Mk 10:17-30), gives us Jesus’ teaching on the dangers of attachment to riches and the rewards awaiting those who put Jesus and the Good News before their earthly ambitions. Here we find three sections: a narrative about Jesus’ encounter with a rich man, Jesus’ sayings about wealth as a possible obstacle to discipleship, and Jesus’ promised reward for those who share their material possessions with the needy. In today’s Gospel, a rich young man encounters Jesus, the Incarnate Word of God, and Jesus remindsthe him of the commandments that deal with our relationships with other people, challenging him to sell what he has and to give the money to the poor. Jesus’ challenge exposes two missing pieces in the rich young man’s life: a sense of compassion for the poor and a willingness to share his blessings with the needy. Jesus shocks the disciples with this challenge to the Jewish belief that material wealth and prosperity are signs of God’s blessings, while poverty and difficulties signal His displeasure. Instead, Jesus declares that true religion consists in sharing one’s blessings with others rather than hoarding them and/or getting inordinately attached to them. Jesus’ teaching exposes the shallowness of our own easy assumptions about wealth and raises questions about the real basis of our security and hopes.

First reading, Wisdom 7:7-11, explained: About a hundred years before the birth of Jesus, the Jewish community was a minority in the great cosmopolitan city of Alexandria,Egypt, cut off from the comforting religious institutions of Jerusalem, and subject to great cultural pressure from the majority who shaped and ruled this pagan Greek society. The Jews were in danger of losing their identity because of the constant temptation to follow Greek philosophy and Greek morality rather than their Faith traditions. A learned and faithful Jew assessed the situation of his fellow Jews in first century BC Alexandria, and he tried to bolster their faith with a book, now called Wisdom, which offered them a virtuousway of life. By “wisdom” the author meant not just worldly wisdom but a spiritual wisdom that included adherence to older Jewish traditions. Today’s first reading, taken from the book of Wisdom, teaches, somewhat analogously, that one should prefer wisdom to every other good thing. It quotes from King Solomon’s personal valuation of wisdom: “I preferred her [true wisdom] to scepter and throne and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her.” This prayer for wisdom, identifies wisdom as the greatest possession of all, and contrasts it with material possessions. True Wisdom, which comes from God, is the ability to see things as God sees them and to understand things as God understandsthem. Only Divine wisdom can teach us how to live wisely and successfully in life, making wise choices. We are also invited to see Jesus as Wisdom Incarnate and, so, to give Jesus priority over everyone and everything else in our life. In the Responsorial Psalm (Ps 90), we beg God to teach us how to use prudence to make proper judgments and choices in our lives that we may live with Him forever: “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart”(Ps 90: 12). According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC: #1806), the Cardinal moral Virtue of Prudence enables a person to do two things: to see one’s “true good” in any given circumstances and so recognize which good, among many, to aim for, and then helps one to discern and then choose the means to reach this “true good”. After humility, prudence is the second-most foundational virtue.

Second Reading, Hebrews 4:12-13 explained: The Letter to the Hebrews was written to bolster the Faith of Jewish converts to Christianity. These converts faced the contempt of their former Jewish friends, and they felt nostalgia for the institutions of Judaism (rituals, sacrifices, priesthood, etc.), that were either absent or greatly transformed in their new religion, namely Christianity. This letter tries to show them in what ways the new religion of Christianity is better than their old Jewish faith. St. Paul tells them, “The word of God is something alive and active: it cuts like any double-edged sword.” The living and effective word of God has the power to penetrate our body and soul like a double-edge sword. We should allow the word of God in all its vital power and effectiveness to challenge us and our priorities and goals in life. The sharp word of God confronts, chastises, encourages, challenges, nourishes, and inspires all who will hear and receive it. Like a double-edge sword, the word has the dual capacity of revealing God to the believer and revealing the believer to him/herself. No wonder the “two-edged sword” in today’s Gospel story of the young rich man, cuts through all our conventional ways of thinking and drives us to reflect on the things that really matter!

Gospel exegesis: The rich, “good” young man’s sins of omission. Obviously, this young man who came to Jesus in search of eternal life really wanted to be accepted by Jesus as a disciple.The words “inherit eternal life” not only means life with God after death, but also entering a deeper kind of life with God here on earth through prayer and the following of Jesus, and through deep relationships with other people, or involvement with some noble cause. However, Jesus did not want this young man as a disciple on his own terms, but rather on Jesus’ terms.The young man claimed that, from his youth, he had observed all thecommandments Jesus mentioned,including the fourth commandment. His tragedy was that he loved “things” more than people. He was trapped by the erroneous idea that he couldkeep his possessions for himself and still obtain God’s mercy. He failed to realize the fact that his richeshad built a wall between himself and God. In other words, his possessions “possessed” him. Even though the rich young man had never killed, stolen, or committed adultery, he was breaking both the commandment forbidding idolatry and the one commanding love of neighbor. He worshiped his wealth more than God. That is why Jesus challenged him to rid himself of the attachment to wealth, wherein lay what the young man saw as his security and social status, and trust himself completely to God by following Jesus.

Why should Jesus seemingly reject the title of “good teacher” telling the young man that God alone is good? According to Venerable Bede, the One and Undivided Trinity itself—Father, Son, and Holy Ghost—is the Only and One Good God. The Lord, therefore, does not deny Himself to be good, but implies that He is God; He does not deny that He is ‘good Teacher [Master],’ but He declares that no master is good except God.” Fr. John Foley S. J. (Center for Liturgy) suggests a much simpler explanation. Jesus, seeing the seeds of Faith in this man, was trying to grow that Faith. The logic of Jesus’ response would be: (1) Only God is (fully) good. (2) You have called me good. (3) Are you, perhaps, sensing the Godliness in me? Jesus’ injunction to this man was the inspiration for many saints, who have taken Jesus at His word. Perhaps the two most famous were St. Anthony of Egypt (the “Father of Monks” and writer of the first monastic rule; ca. 250-356), and St. Francis of Assisi (ca. 1182-1226), who committed himself to live a life of radical Gospel poverty.

The unaccepted challenge: Jesus realizes that this rich young man is shackledby his possessions. So, he challenges the young man by listing those precepts of the Decalogue that deal with social and familial relations. Then Jesus tells the young man that, if he wants to be perfect, keeping the commandments is notenough. He challenges the young man to share his riches with the poor: “Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘There is one thing lacking. Sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven. After that, come, follow Me.’” Jesus thusmakes it clear that a true followerwho wants to possess eternal lifemust not only be a respectable gentleman who hurts nobody, but also someone who shares his riches, talents, andother blessings with the less fortunate. In other words, Jesus tells the young man that life is a matter of priorities. God must be the first priority in our lives. Unfortunately, the rich man is unwilling to accept Jesus’ idea that wealth is not something to be owned but rather something to be shared with others, so “his face fell and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.” Jesus challenges us to do what He asked of the rich young man —to breakour selfish attachment to our “wealth” (time, talents, treasure), by sharing everything with our brothers and sisters, and, so, to follow Him. Our following of Jesus has to be totally and absolutely unconditional. Our attachment may be to money or material goods, to another person, a job,our health, or our reputation. Wemust be ready to cut off any suchattachment in order to become true Christian disciples, sharing our blessings with others. We are called to be so much more than rule-followers; we are called to be Christ’s followers.

Camel through the eye of a needle: Jesus uses a vividhyperbole, or “word cartoon,” to show how riches bar people from Heaven. The camel was the largest animal the Jews knew, and the eye of a needle the smallest hole. The needle’s eye is variously interpreted. Most probably Jesus used it literally. The little, low, narrow pedestrian gate on the outer wall of the city of Jerusalem through which even a man on foot could hardly pass erect, was also called “The Needle’s Eye” in Jesus’ time. Others have suggested that kamelos (camel) could have been a scribal or copyist’s error and should have read kamilos or cable (a ship’s thick cable or hawser rope). In either case, the difficulty of dealing carefully and conscientiously with riches is clearly affirmed. Some modern Bible scholars think that both of these interpretations are attempts to “water” down the impossibility of getting a camel through the eye of a needle, but Jesus is saying that it is not impossible, by the grace of God, for a wealthy person to keep his spiritual integrity, though it is extremely difficult and uncommon.

Why doriches prevent man from reaching God? First, riches encourage a false sense of independence. The rich think that they can buy their way to happiness and buy their way out of sorrow and, hence, that they don’t need God. Second, riches shackle a man to this earth (Mt. 6:21). If a man’s interests are all earth-bound, he never thinks ofthe hereafter. Instead of having security and tranquility, he is an eternal hostage of his money.Third, riches tend to make a man selfish. Fourth, Avarice, the greed for money, in addition to being idolatry, is also the source of unhappiness. The avaricious person is an unhappy one. Distrusting everyone else, the miser isolates himself.But we need to understand that Jesus is not against riches as such, nor against the rich. Zacchaeus, Joseph of Arimathaea, and Nicodemus were Jesus’ close friends, and they were rich.Jesus never condemned wealth or earthly goods in themselves. What Jesus condemns is that disordered attachment to money and property which views acquiring, possessing, and hoarding them for oneself alone, as absolutely essential to maintain one’s life (Lk 12:13-21). In other words, Jesus is talking about our attitude towards wealth. There are very rich men who have acquired their wealth honestly and justly and who spend much of their wealth on charitable causes. Their wealth will not hinder them from reaching Heaven. On the other hand, there are many in the middle and lower income-bracket who may be offending against justice through the means they use to acquire, and then to keep, what they have, and in the little deeds of assistance which they refuse to give to a needy neighbor. The Bible doesn’t say that money is the root of all evil; it says that the love of moneyis the root of all evil. Jesus also challenges the Jewish belief that material wealth and prosperity are signs of God’s blessings, while poverty is the sign of His displeasure. Jesus here condemns a value system that makes “things” more valuable than people. Finally, Jesus asserts that those who have made the kingdom of God their priority, will be well compensated both in this life with earthly blessings (accompanied by pains and suffering – this is the fallen world!), and in the next life with everlasting life.

Life messages: 1) We need to “Do something beautiful for God” by reaching out to others. That’s the message of St. Teresa of Calcuttae we need to reflect on. Our most precious possession is our soul. Let us give ourselves away and give lavishly. Mother Teresa puts it in a different way: “Do SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL for God. Do it with your life. Do it every day. Do it in your own way. But do it!”

2) We need to accept the invitation to generous sharing. Jesus’ generosity led to His free gift of His very self to save our lives eternally. The crucifix is “ExhibitA.” To follow Jesus, wemust havethe same kind of generosity, and be willing to give our money, time, talents, and even our life, away to serve the needs of others. In the heart of every Christian there should be a desire to give. Martin Luther says that the man who has given his heart to God will also give God his wallet. God does not have to extort money from those who love him. God does not ask us to give up our riches, but He does ask us to use them wisely in His service. We must manage our possessions wisely, so that they do not gain control over our hearts. Almsgiving and donations to charities are no longer the only way to use wealth for the common good, or perhaps the most advisable. There is also honesty in paying one’s taxes, creating new jobs, giving a more generous salary to workers when the situation allows it, initiating local enterprises in developing countries, and the like. Let us also ask the question: “How do I use my talents?” God gives us talents. Hence, they are not really ours. He lends them to us to be used in this world. How do we use our talents? What about time – do we use it for God? We each get 168 hours every week. How do we use our time? Are we too busy to pray each day? Do we pray for others’ needs as well as our own?

3) “You are lacking one thing.” We all have something in our lives that serves as a major obstacle to happiness and peace.We must recognize this obstacle and address it head-on. It may not be riches — it may be anger, holding grudges, alcohol, drugs, lust, apathy, lies, unfaithfulness,theft, orfraud. Let us invite God into our lives and into our efforts to face and remove that one obstacle to holiness. We have a decision to make: whether to go away sad like the rich young man,or to follow Jesus and be happy. Let us choose happiness.

33 Additional anecdotes:

1) The sin of over-consumption: Instead of glaring accusingly at those countries struggling to control their population growth, we must squarely attack the monster we ourselves have let ravage the world. On average, a U.S. citizen causes over 100 times more damage to the global environment than a person in a poor country. The average North American consumes five times more than a Mexican, 10 times more than a Chinese person and 30 times more than a person in India. The richest 25 percent of the world’s population uses 86 percent of all forest products, 75 percent of energy, and 72 percent of steel production. The poorest 75 percent uses only two percent of the world’s resources. Workers in the developed world (North America, Western Europe and Japan), represent about 20 percent of the world’s population. This group uses over 67 percent of the natural resources consumed each year and generates over 80 percent of its pollutants. For added perspective, the poorest 20 percent consumes about two percent of resources. (Editorial by Director of Green Cross Fred Krueger in Green Cross, 1, Fall 1995.) Hence, economists like to call consumerism “The Jones Effect” (as in “keeping up with the Joneses”). Others, like Pope St. John Paul II, call consumerism one of those “structures of sin” named “super-development,” which the pope defined as “an excessive availability of material goods for the benefit of certain social groups” [“Pope John Paul II Addresses Over-consumption,” Green Cross, 2 (Summer 1996), 4.] In his 1990 World Day of Peace statement, “The Ecological Crisis: A Common Responsibility,” Pope St. John Paul II tied “super-development” to our polluting and pillaging of the environment, and stated most emphatically, “The ecological crisis is a moral issue.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

2) “Only Christians.” Willi Hoffsuemmer tells of the founder of the Methodist Church, John Wesley, who had a dream. Wesley came to the gates of hell and asked, “What kind of people are here, Catholics?” The answer was, “Yes, many.” “Also, Anglicans?” “Yes, many” was the answer. “Also, Lutherans, Baptists and Orthodox?” The answer was always the same, “Yes, many.” And what about the Methodists?” “Also plenty,” was the answer. Wesley was upset and so he went to the gates of heaven. He knocked at the door and asked the same question. “Are there any Catholics here?” “No, not a single one,” was the answer. “And Anglicans?” “No not one!” “What about Lutherans, Baptists and Orthodox?” “No, none,” was again the answer. Finally, he dared to ask, “What about Methodists?” “No, not a single one here.” Wesley was shocked and in exasperation asked, “Well, what kind of people are there in Heaven anyway?” The answer came, “Only Christians.” — Actually, what Jesus wants from each one of us is the total, faithfully lived-out Baptismal dedication of our being to Him in love for Him and one another: that’s what makes us Christians. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

3) A challenge to make a real commitment: James Lallam tells this amusing story in one of his writings. Years ago, a young door-to-door salesman was assigned a rural area. One day he came upon a farmer seated in a rocking chair on his front porch. The young man went up to the farmer enthusiastically and said, “Sir, I have a book here that will tell you how to farm ten times better than you are doing now.” The farmer didn’t bother to look up. He simply kept on rocking. Finally, after a few minutes, he glanced up at the young salesman and said, “Young man, I don’t need your book. I already know how to farm ten times better than I am doing now.” — The story is a good illustration of what Jesus was talking about in today’s Gospel. The farmer was capable of farming better, but he lacked the commitment to do so. The rich young man was also capable of doing more than just keeping the commandments, but he too lacked the commitment to do so. (Mark Link in Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho).(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

4) “There was no other way for me to keep my loincloth.” There is a story about an old monk who has been mentoring a young disciple. Believing that he has the ability to be on his own, the monk allows the boy to live in a lean-to near the river bank. Each night, happy as a lark, the young disciple puts out his loincloth, his only possession, to dry. One morning he is dismayed to find that it has been torn to shreds by rats. So, he begs for a second loincloth from the villagers. When the rats come to destroy that one, he gets a cat to keep the rats away. But now he has to beg not only for food but also for milk for the cat. To get around that, he buys a cow. But then he has to seek food for the cow. He concludes, finally, that it would be easier to work the land around his hut, so he leaves off his prayers and meditations, and commits himself to growing crops to feed the cow. The operation expands. He hires workers. He marries a wife who keeps the household running smoothly. Pretty soon he is one of the wealthiest people in the village. Several years later the monk comes back to find a mansion where the lean-to had been. “What is the meaning of this?” the monk asks. The disciple replies, “Holy Father, there was no other way for me to keep my loincloth!” (http://www.salemquincy.org/steve/00sermon/00b.prp23.htm ) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

5) The monk and the jewels: A monkwas lost in meditation at a river bank. A rich man offered him two exquisite jewels. As soon as the devotee left, the monk picked up the jewels andthrew one of them into the river. One of his disciples immediately jumped into the river. But he could not find the jewel.The disciple asked the monk to point out the spot wherethe jewel had fallen. The monk picked up the second jewel and tossed it into the river, and said, “Right there.” The monk then added, “Do not allow yourself to be owned by objects. Only then will you be free.” — Like the disciple of the monk, the wealthy gentleman in today’s Gospel story had an inordinate love for his possessions. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

6) Dear Abby: A few years ago, an interchange of letters appeared in a nationally syndicated newspaper column. Dear Abby: We are not overly religious people, but we do like to go to Church once in a while. It seems to me that every time we turn around, we are hit for money. I thought religion was free. I realize that churches have to have some money, but I think it is getting to be a racket. Just what do Churches do with all their money? Curious in North Jersey. Abby wrote back, Dear Curious: Even priests, ministers and rabbis must eat. Since they work full-time at their tasks, their Churches must support them. Staff and musicians must also be paid. Buildings must be maintained, heated, lighted and beautified. Custodial staff members must eat and feed their families. Most Churches engage in philanthropic work (aid to the needy, missions, and education); hence, they have their financial obligations. Even orchids, contrary to folklore, do not live on air. Churches can’t live on air either. Religions, like water, may be free, but when they pipe it to you, you’ve got to help pay for the piping. And the piper. [Abigail Van Buren, “Religions need money too, for Heaven’s sake,” The Scranton Tribune (30 March 1994) C-2.] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

7) Suicide is directly proportional to wealth. Writer and Speaker Matthew Kelly notes that the suicide rate among teens and young adults has increased by 5,000 percent in the last fifty years. More troubling, it is becoming increasingly apparent that suicide is directly proportional to wealth. What does that mean? Studies reveal that the more money you have, the more likely you are to take your own life. Peter Kreeft captured the alarming reality in a recent article of his own: “The richer you are, the richer your family is, and the richer your country is, the more likely it is that you will find life so good that you will choose to blow your brains out.” Economics, says Matthew Kelly, is clearly not a good measure of happiness. [Matthew Kelly, The Rhythm of Life (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999).] — We know that. But how can we disentangle ourselves from the social pressures, as well as the inner greed, that cause us to fill our lives with material things? Jesus has the answer in today’s Gospel. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

8) Destined to drown with his treasure: There is an old story about an 18^th century man who was moving overseas. His life’s savingsof gold and silver coins were carried in a big money belt he wore around his waist. The ship hit an iceberg and started to go down. It was sinking so fast that many people had to jump in the water and swim to the lifeboats already launched. The man jumped in, but because he could not bear the thought of leaving that heavy money belt behind, he went to the bottom of the sea. — The story ends with this haunting question: “Would you say that this man had his money, or that his money had him?” Jesus tells the story of such a man in today’s Gospel. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

9) Are you a Faust? The legend of Faust has become part of our heritage. Faust was a man who longed for romance, academic success, and wealth. Unable to find these on his own, he made a pact with the devil. If he could be granted his wishes, have his true worth made public and enjoy its fruits, then he would give his soul to the devil. Sure enough, he enjoyed marvelous romances, fabulous successes, and much wealth. Oddly enough, when the time came, he was unwilling to sustain his part of the bargain. — I wonder if there is a parallel here. We put Jesus off, promising, “Just one more of this and one more of that — then I will be willing to go with you, Jesus.” Are we not like little Fausts, wanting to have it our way? After all, we say, we deserve it! And what do we say to Jesus when He comes to claim us? Today’s Gospel story about the rich, young man gives us a strong warning. (Thomas Peterson in The Needle’s Eye) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

10) The Success Syndrome: Harvard Medical School psychologist Steven Berglas has written a book called The Success Syndrome. He has found that individuals who in his word “suffer” from success have arrogance and a sense of aloneness. Insider-trader Dennis Levine was asked by his wife why he needed the money from insider-trading, and he really had no answer. Levine says that when his income was $100,000, he hungered for $200,000, and when he was making $1 million, he hungered for $3 million. Berglas says that oddly enough people who found that $200,000 did not make them happy, never asked themselves why they thought $300,000 would make them happy.– Asked to prescribe a cure for the success syndrome, Berglas said, “What’s missing in these people (Ivan Boesky, Michael Milken, Leona Helmsley), is deep commitment or religious activity that goes far beyond just writing a check to a charity.” [James W. Fowler, Becoming Adult, Becoming Christian (San Francisco: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1984), p. 88.] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

11) The Midas touch: The ancient Greeks understood this. According to one of their myths, the god Dionysus offered King Midas whatever his heart desired. Without hesitation, King Midas exclaimed, “I wish that everything I touch be turned into gold!” And so it was. Midas was overjoyed. He drew up a handful of sand and it turned into gold dust. He picked up a stone and it turned into gold. He touched a leaf and it was gold. “Ah, I will become the richest man in the world, the happiest man in the world.” He danced all the way back to his home and announced to his servants, “Prepare a banquet. We will celebrate my good fortune.” But as the bread touched his tongue it turned into gold and as the wine touched his lips it turned into gold. The king became more dismayed the hungrier he got. And as he reached out to his beautiful daughter for solace, she, alas, was also turned into gold. And Midas cursed his gift and himself for his foolishness. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

12) Money does not give happiness: Andrew Carnegie was one of the richest men of his time. He was also very generous. Perhaps he explained his generosity when he said, “Millionaires seldom smile.” We are told, by the way, that Carnegie practically became allergic to money as he grew richer and older. He was offended, he said, just by the sight and touch of money, and never carried any. Because he had no money with him with which to pay the fare, Carnegie was once put off a London tram! Did money solve the problems of Howard Hughes or Aristotle Onassis? They died two of the world’s most miserable men. — Why invest your life in something that will only rot or rust? Why invest in something that will someday be left behind? Why invest in something that cannot of its own self bring you peace of mind? Study after study has shown that money is not the key to happiness. In a recent survey of 52,000 men and women, most of whom were in the upper economic brackets, money ranked thirteenth out of sixteen possible sources of happiness for married women. With married men, money ranked tenth. It was ninth with single women; seventh with single men. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

13) “I knew I should have put it in the basement instead of the attic.” An old mountaineer was on his deathbed. He called his wife to him. “Elviry,” he said, “go to the fireplace and take out that loose stone under the mantle.” She did as instructed, and behind that loose stone she found a shoe box crammed full of cash. “That’s all the money I’ve saved through the years,” said the mountaineer. “When I go, I’m goin’ to take it with me. I want you to take that there box up to the attic and set it by the window. I’ll get it as I go by on my way to heaven.” His wife followed his instructions. That night, the old mountaineer died. Several days after the funeral, his wife remembered the shoe box. She climbed up to the attic. There it was, still full of money, sitting by the window. “Oh,” she thought, “I knew it. I knew I should have put it in the basement instead of the attic.” — As someone has said, “We can’t take it with us, but we can send it on ahead.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

14) Earth-bound or Heaven-sent? Here are two persons whose deaths made the papers. The first was a woman who died in London. Her obituary was long, with a picture and bold headline. She was known as the best-dressed woman in Europe. She had over a thousand dresses. But, said Luccock, “in each dress she had the same unseeing eyes, the same deaf ears, the same enameled, painted face.” The second death was also in London. This man’s obituary was short; there was no picture. He owned but one suit, blue with a red collar on the coat. He was William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army. The wealthy woman invested in clothes; not worth much from an eternal perspective. Mr. Booth invested in Kingdom commodities. Now he is enjoying the glories of Heaven while his earthly heritage–the Salvation Army–goes marching on in the name of Jesus. — Where are your key investments? Earth-bound or Heaven-sent? Wherever your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The heavier the purse, the tighter the strings. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

15) “In God We Trust.” The year was 1861. Our nation was engaged in a bloody civil war. Then Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase sent a letter which, in part, said, “No nation can be strong except in the strength of God, or safe except in His defense. The trust of our people should be declared on our national coins.” So originated, the words “In God We Trust” on American currency. — Why? Because what’s impossible for you and me is totally within the realms of possibility for God, for with God nothing is impossible. Even rich people can get in the Kingdom of God if they have the good will to share their wealth with the needy. Thank God for His grace! That’s the Good News in today’s Gospel. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

16) “We’ll be quiet and just watch.” Maya Angelou tells about her Aunt Tee who worked as a housekeeper for a couple in Bel Air, California. She lived with the couple in their spacious fourteen-room ranch house. They were a very quiet couple. As they had gotten older, they had stopped entertaining their friends and even spoke less to each other. “Finally,” Maya says, “they sat in a dry silence.” Aunt Tee, on the other hand, enjoyed entertaining her friends on Saturday evenings. She would cook a pot of pig’s feet, a pot of greens, fry chicken, make potato salad, and make banana pudding for her friends to feast upon. And they would have a marvelous time together. There was always plenty of laughter coming from Aunt Tee’s room. One Saturday as they were playing cards, the old couple called her. “Theresa, we don’t mean to disturb you…” the man whispered, “but you all seem to be having such a good time…” The woman added, “We hear you and your friends laughing every Saturday night, and we’d just like to watch you. We don’t want to bother you. We’ll be quiet and just watch.” At that moment they both won Aunt Tee’s sympathy forever. She agreed to allow them to watch her and her friends. — It was a sad situation, since the couple owned the spacious house, complete with swimming pool and three cars, but they had no joy in their lives. “Money and power can liberate only if they are used to do so,” Maya reflects. “They can imprison and inhibit more, finally, than barred windows and iron chains.” [Maya Angelou, Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now, (New York: Random House, 1993), pp. 62-64.] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

17) Who is he? He’s rich. Italian shoes. Tailored suit. His money is invested. His plastic is platinum. He lives the way he flies, first class. He’s young. He pumps away fatigue at the gym and slam-dunks old age on the court. His belly is flat, his eyes sharp. Energy is his trademark, and death is an eternity away. He’s powerful. If you don’t think so, just ask him. You got questions? He’s got answers. You got problems? He’s got solutions. You got dilemmas? He’s got opinions. He knows where he’s going, and he’ll be there tomorrow. He’s the new generation. So, the old had better pick up the pace or pack their bags. He has mastered the three “Ps” of life today. Prosperity. Posterity. Power. [http://bethelfortsmith.org/pages/sermons/2000/sept1000] – Who is he? He is the top salesman in his district, making it up the career ladder. She is the rising lawyer who was just made a partner at her prestigious law firm. He’s the successful real estate broker who has more listings than he can handle-except he can handle them just fine. In today’s Gospel, he is the rich young man who came to Jesus with a question. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

18) Affluenza: Back in the year 2000 the New York Times ran an article describing the disease of “affluenza.” They made it up, but I think it is a great word: Affluenza—the sudden wealth syndrome, the disease everyone would like to have! Affluenza is a dysfunctional or unhealthy relationship with money or wealth or the pursuit of it. If you shrink the world’s population to a village of 100 people then here is what you have: Fifty-seven would be Asians, twenty-one Europeans, fourteen Westerners, eight Africans, fifty-one female, forty-nine male, seventy nonwhite, thirty white, seventy non-Christian and thirty would-be Christian, but 50% of the entire world’s wealth would be in the hands of six people and all six would be citizens of the U.S. Of that hundred people, eighty would be living in substandard housing. Seventy would be unable to read. Fifty would be suffering from malnutrition. One would have a college education. Lest we think the Bible is silent on the subject of money, I remind you that the Bible says more about economics than any other social issue. 1. Proverbs 11:28 says, “He who trusts in his riches shall wither.” 2. Matthew 6:9 says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth.” 3. In Luke 16:3, Jesus says, “You cannot serve God and Mammon.” 4. In I Timothy 3:3 Paul says, “A bishop should not be a lover of money.” — Today’s Gospel gives us Jesus’ teaching on riches. It’s not money itself, but the misuse of money that is the root of all evil. Abraham, Job, David, and Solomon were very rich men. They managed large holdings for the glory of God and the greater public good. Deborah and Lydia were very wealthy women; and God used the first as a Judge in Israel to govern His Kingdom, and the second to help to build His Church. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

19) Exaggerated self-importance: A small passenger plane was cruising through the sky, carrying as its passengers a minister, a Boy Scout, and the president of a computer manufacturing firm. Suddenly, the engine went dead. Frantically, parachutes were passed among the passengers. There was fast breathing, a rush of wind as the door was thrown open. And as the plane tilted and fell through space, there came the horrible realization that there were not enough parachutes. There was one too few. “I have to have a parachute,” cried the pilot. “I have a wife and three kids.” So, he grabbed a parachute, put in on and leaped into the void. The wind whistled, and the three passengers looked at one another. “Well, I certainly should have one of the parachutes,” exclaimed the computer manufacturer. “I’m the smartest man in the world.” And slipping his arms into the shoulder straps, he jumped out. “Son,” said the minister wistfully, “you take the last parachute. I’m old and ready to meet my Maker; you’re a fine youth with all your life ahead of you.” “Relax, Reverend,” said the Boy Scout with a smile. “There’s still a parachute for each of us. The smartest man in the world’ just jumped out wearing my backpack.” — Today’s Gospel explains the foolishness of the rich who are unwilling to share their blessings with the needy. (‘Quote’ – Magazine). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

20) Do all the good you can: Henry Thoreau said, “Be not merely good; be good for something.” That was Jesus’ challenge to the man who wanted to know what he could do to inherit eternal life. He had been good at making money, in being morally upright and keeping the commandments; but that is not the ultimate good: he must also give of himself and what he has in behalf of others. He needed to also realize that, “The gift without the giver is bare.” John Wesley proposed an excellent guide to goodness. He said, and he practiced what he preached:

“Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

At all the times you can,

As long as ever you can.”

Someone else has expressed the ideal of goodness in a wonderful way, saying, “I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore, that I can do, or any goodness that I can show to my fellow creatures, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” (Clement E. Lewis, When It’s Twilight Time) Fr. Kayala. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

21) And his face fell: A college’s star baseball player went up to Jesus and asked: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied, “Go to the local playground and help set up an after-school program for kids at risk.” The baseball star’s face fell, and he went away sad, because his focus was on the making it to the majors. The owner of a small business asked Jesus: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said, “Go and create job opportunities for those who have lost their jobs and whose families are struggling.“ The business owner’s face fell, and he went away sad, because he was barely keeping his own company going. A woman who had just buried her sister who had died of cancer asked Jesus: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” With great compassion for her, Jesus said, “Go, put aside your grief for your dear sister, and give your time to help raise money for cancer research.” The woman’s face fell, and she went away sad, because the loss of her sister was still too painful. — We know how the rich young man feels in today’s Gospel. Yes, Jesus asks everything of us as the cost of being His disciple — but Jesus asks only what we have, not what we don’t have. Each one of us possesses talents and resources, skills and assets that we have been given by God for the work of making the kingdom of God a reality in the here and now. (Fr. Kayala). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

22) Prayer of Thomas Merton: Prayer of Thomas Merton: “My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following Your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this You will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore, will I trust You always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death; I will not fear, for You are ever with me, and You will never leave me to face my perils alone.” (Fr. Kayala). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

23) Give me your spirit of detachment: A story is told of a poor beggar who lived on alms he received from begging. One day on his begging rounds, he came upon a holy man, who was lost in prayer, sitting in seclusion in the forest. Approaching the holy man, the beggar asked for alms. Without a second thought the holy man put his hand into his pocket took out a large precious stone and gave it to the beggar. The beggar could not believe his eyes. Before the holy man could change his mind, the beggar disappeared from the scene holding on to the jewel for dear life. He clutched it so tightly his hands hurt. All along the way, he was suspicious of everyone and reached his hut tense and worried. Once inside his hut he locked himself and was sure that some would come to attack him. He could not sleep at night for a moment for fear of losing the stone. He got up in the morning a mental wreck, exhausted, tense and worried. What was he going to do with this precious stone? He could not mix with others even of his own family lest they ask for it. Finally, he hurried to the holy man in the forest and quickly gave back the stone. The Holy man asked him why he was returning the precious stone. The beggar replied. “I don’t want the stone! It is ruining my life! But I want something else from you. When I asked you for alms, without a second thought you parted with that precious stone. Can you give me that spirit of detachment? Then I will be happy whether I have or don’t have anything!”
(Anonymous; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

24) “…Go, sell what you have and give to the poor ….”

TheInternational L’Arche Federation and its linked communities illustrate what happens when a lot of people respond to Jesus’ challenge to the rich young ruler, look around, discover, and begin to meet thephysical, social, spiritual, and political needs of the intellectually challenged, not so much by ministering to as by sharing life with thesechildren of God, our brother and sisters. The website declares, “We believe that people with learning disabilities have much to teach us and contribute to the world.” To this end,“At L’Arche we celebrate people with intellectual disabilities and build circles of support around them. We go beyond supporting people’s basic needs. It is this focus on building relationships and cultivating a sense of belonging that makes us different.”“L’Arche communities hold in balance four elements: service, community, spirituality and outreach. Experience has shown us that each element has an important role to play. L’Arche communities around the world share this common philosophy and approach while reflecting and celebrating the ethnic, cultural and religious composition of the areas in which they exist.”Inviting the intellectually or learning challenged, the website says, “L’Arche is a chance to live with other people, sharing a house together and/or learn new skills in our own workshop and/or enjoy leisure activities with support from a network of friends.L’Arche believes each person has unique abilities and potential. If you join L’Arche, you can expect the community to help you discover your own talents, skills and dreams, so that you can open new doors in your life.L’Arche will invite you to build a community life which includes celebrations, shared meals, and time with other people. There will be many chances to help each other in a spirit of friendly relationships.”

In addition, in each house, there are about twice as many assistants/volunteers as there are challenged members. Of these, the website says,an Assistant can be“anyone who chooses L’Arche as a way of enjoying a shared community life together with our members with and without disabilities. Whether live-in or live-out, assistants are paid according to the employment law of the country, taking into account their role and responsibility. Communities include both volunteers and salaried employees. Whatever their role or status, the commitment to the mission of L’Arche is based on mutual relationships.”

Finally, L’Arche has communities world-wide. “Today there are more than 154 communities and 19 projects in 38 countries around the world from Belgium to Argentina, Uganda to Japan and to the United States.While communities around the world share in the philosophy of L’Arche, each community celebrates and lives its own cultural and spiritual expression of community. At L’Arche, we value and celebrate the diversity within our communities….The experiences we have together can contribute to a better world! We want to share our experiences, because when we bring our weaknesses and strengths together, when we recognize we need each other, these can contribute to building a more human society.– And this is the state of L’Arche today, despite the shock and scandal about sexual abuse which erupted some years ago. The Federation has clung to its ideals, regrouped and, with proper safeguards, has flourished and continues to serve both the disadvantaged and the staff and volunteers. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

25) The Happy Saint: As compared to the rich, sad young man in the Gospels, there is a rich, glad youth revered by people of all faiths, worldwide. Born in Assisi and baptized ‘Giovanni’, he was given another name by his wealthy father, a cloth merchant, who added the name ‘Francesco’ and wanted him to inherit the family business. But young Francesco took Jesus’ words seriously. Not only did he hand over his inheritance and fine attire to the poor, but he also embraced ‘Lady Poverty’ lifelong to give himself fully to God. The novel by Felix Timmerman, The Perfect Joy of St. Francis is one of the finest books ever written. — Was Francis of Assisi poor? Rich? One thing is sure: he was never sad.
(Francis Gonsalves in Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds; quoted by Fr. Botelho).(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

26) Challenge to overcome an obstacle: In June 1997, basketball enthusiasts were thrilled to witness as an obviously flu-stricken Michael Jordan pulled himself from his sickbed to rally his fading energies and lead his Chicago Bulls team to a stunning victory over the Utah Jazz. Stricken with a virus and unable to stand on his own at the end of the game, Jordan had once more borne witness to his conviction, “…obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” For Jordan, on that night in June of 1997, the obstacle, the wall that stood in his way, and that he worked around, was illness. — Today’s Gospel also features a young and gifted man who was challenged to overcome an obstacle. No doubt, his was an obstacle with which many of us would like to be burdened, viz., riches. Unfortunately, the young man was not up to the invitation Jesus extended to him. His riches stood between him and a share in everlasting life. Whether or not he eventually overcame his attachment to his wealth and opted to follow Jesus is not ours to know. Suffice it to say, the rich man’s experience, and others like it, should cause each of us us to ask, “What stands between me and God. . . what obstacle hinders me from becoming all that I have been called to be?” (Patricia Datchuck Sánchez). (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2os-hfXSUlA) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

27) The miraculously widened eye of the needle: There is an interesting expansion of this story in the apocryphal Acts of Peter and Andrew, probably written in the late second or early third century. The text says that, when Peter preached on this teaching, a certain local merchant by the name of Onesiphorus became enraged with him and physically attacked him, saying, “Truly you are a sorcerer … for a camel cannot go through the eye of a needle”. Peter ordered a needle to be brought (refusing a large, wide-eyed needle that someone had offered, hoping to help him). “And after the needle had been brought, and all of the multitude of the city was standing around watching, Peter looked up and saw a camel coming, and ordered her to be brought. Then he fixed the needle in the ground and cried out with a loud voice, saying: ‘In the name of Jesus Christ, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, I order you, O camel, to go through the eye of the needle’. Then the eye of the needle was opened like a gate, and the camel went through it, and all the multitude saw it.” (Dr. Murray Watson) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

28) Wise rich people: In history we see many people who used their wealth as means to glorifying God. Joseph Leek left nearly $1.8 million to an organization that provides guide dogs for the blind, and nobody, not even his own family, had any idea that he had that kind of money. The 90-year-old Britisher lived like a pauper. He watched television at a neighbor’s house to save on electricity, put off home repairs, and bought second-hand clothes. Rev. Vertrue Sharp raised hay and cattle preached and taught, while saving every penny he made. When he died in 1999, he left an estate of $2 million to the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, the University of Tennessee Medical Center, and other charities. English spinster, Mary Guthrie Essame was a retired nurse who lived in an old Victorian house and who clad herself in such worn clothes and old shoes that no one knew how well off she was. Neighbours were shocked to learn that her estate amounted to a whopping $10 million when she died in January 2002. (The money was left to a host of charities.). Benjamin Guggenheim, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was an heir in the wealthy Guggenheim family. He took up the family mining business, gaining the nickname “the Silver Prince”. Returning from a trip to Europe, he decided to sail back to New York on the maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic. Late on the night of April 14, 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg and began to sink. Guggenheim and his secretary dressed in their finest evening clothes and assisted women and children with getting on the lifeboats. He told a crew member, “We’ve dressed up in our best and are prepared to go down like gentlemen.” Guggenheim asked a crew member to deliver a message to his wife Florette. “If anything should happen to me, tell my wife in New York that I’ve done my best in doing my duty.”— Jesus’ challenge to the young man exposed two missing pieces in the rich man’s life: a sense of compassion for the poor and the willingness to share his blessings with the needy. (Fr. Bobby Jose). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

29) “Take back your coins and give back my songs.” The French have a story about a millionaire, who spent his days counting his gold coins. Beside his palace was a poor cobbler who spent his days singing as he repaired people’s shoes. The joyful singing irritated the rich man. One day he decided to give some gold coins to the cobbler. At first the cobbler was overjoyed, and he took the coins and hid them. But then heworried about the coin and was constantly going backto make sure the coins were still there. Then heworried in case someone had seen him and might steal the coins. Consequently, he ceased to sing. Then one day he realized that he had ceased to sing because of the gold coins. He took them back to the rich man and said, “Take back your coins and give me back my songs.” — Inordinate attachment to riches can take away our freedom and joy. (Gerry Pierse, Detachment and Freedom). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

30) Heroic poverty of St. Francis and St. Clare: As we know very well, St. Francis of Assisi found complete freedom and joy only when he gave up all his possessions. Clare of Assisi agreed. When this noble young fellow-townsman of St. Francis first heard Francis preach on the Gospel invitation “sell what we have and give to the poor,” she was fired with the same desire to put her life and her needs wholly in the hands of God. Francis assisted her in her decision and she became the foundress of the first convent of Franciscans of the Second Order, commonly called the “Poor Clares.” Her nuns could not go forth from the convent on apostolic missions as the Franciscan friars did. But they could practice within the convent walls the most drastic poverty. Clare’s reward, like that of Francis, was a radiant sense of liberation. She emptied herself, and then asked God, as we do in today’s response, “Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!” When she finally came to the end of her life of poverty, penance, and prayer, Clare bore her last illness with sublime patience. One day she was heard to say to herself, “Go forth in peace, for you have followed the good road. Go forth without fear, for He that created you has sanctified you, has always protected you, and loves you like a mother.” “Blessed be you, O God,” she exclaimed, “for having created me!”– God does not call all of us to the heroic poverty that St. Francis and St. Clare practiced. But even if we do become poor, whether through vow or through financial loss, there is one possession we can never be deprived of: the gift of being – and of being ourselves and nobody else. For that gift we can always sing for joy and gladness! –(Fr. Robert F. McNamara). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

31) The eye of the needle: There is a legend that says that there was a gate called‘the eye of the needle’that led into the holy city of Jerusalem. This gate was actually shaped like the eye of a needle and a camel walking upright could not pass through it. However, if the camel stooped and had all its baggage removed, it could pass through the entrance. After dark, when the main gates were shut, travelers would have to use this smaller gate, through which the camel could only enter unencumbered and crawling on its knees! — The idea here is to show that we must humble ourselves, become free of our worldly goods, and be unburdened by sins to pass into the Kingdom of Heaven. It also implies that even rich people can get into heaven provided they approach God on their knees without all their baggage.“Travel light on your life-long journey to the Kingdom of Heaven!” (Fr. Lakra). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

32) The Man Who Went to Hell With Heaven on His Mind. Does that really happen? We certainly can not judge, we know, for only God can read the human heart and we are not God! The Church tells us that we can not know the final fate of anyone. For Saints and Heaven, she has a rigorous process of testing for heroic virtue and will proclaim people as eing in Heaven, but does not claim that any human being has gone to Hell whatever sins may have been committed, not even Judas Iscariot– who betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, tried to undo that betrayal by returning the money and, horrified by what he had done hanged himself in what looks like despair –Mt 26:49, Acts 1:25. As for Felix, the governor, he listened to Paul frequently but made no decision; his future life may have led him to conversion (Acts 24:25) King Herod Agrippa and his wife Bernice also listened to Paul and concluded, with Festus, (the new Governor who had at first responded to Paul’s defense as madness brought on by too great learning), that he could have been released, exept that he had appealed to Rome, that he had done nothing to deserve death or imprisonment, an attitude that may well have led him, his wife Berenice and Festus to come to belief later–Acts 26:24, 30.— In this text, the young man who comes to Jesus seeking to do more than just keep the Commandments and desiring to be His disciple it seems. But when Jesus tells him, “If you want to be perfect, go sell what you have, give to the poor, and come, follow Me,” he turns away “sad” because he does not want to let go of his riches. Jesus was concerned about him and identified his riches as a real obstacle, but that could well have changed later. We can hope, and pray, that this young man, touched by Jesus, rethought his priorities and came later to the Church and so to Jesus again. For ourselves, the same challenge rises. Will we come to Him? Will we say yes? Will we take the second and third and thousandth chance Jesus gives us and receive His Love fully by giving Him our selves? When? The sooner we do, the happier we will be! (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

33) Americans are rich, when compared to the majority of world’s population: Americans are rich, compared with the rest of the world. Fifty-six percent of the world’s population, or 3.4 billion people, live in extreme poverty. They survive on an income of less than $730.00 per year or $2.00 per day. Half of that number, or 1.7 billion people, live on less than $1.00 per day. At minimum wage, the average American worker earns over fifty times more than that. The average American spends $0.20 per day on cosmetics, perfume, and skin and hair products; over $0.50 on jewelry; nearly $3.00 on furniture and household goods; over $3.00 per day on clothing; over $6.00 per day gambling; $7.00 per day on automobiles; and over $9.00 per day on food. Over three billion people got up this morning not knowing where their next meal was coming from. Many do not have adequate clothing and shelter. Yet, most of us got up today with a good home, plenty of clothing, some money and enough food to keep us alive for many days. If you compare yourself to some people you know, you might not think you are rich, but the fact is, you are. — Our financial problems like our debts and our payments would be welcomed luxuries by most of the world’s population. Jesus in today’s Gospel challenges the rich countries to share their resources generously with the poor countries. (SNB) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)..L/24

“Scriptural Homilies” Cycle B (No 54) by Fr. Tony: [email protected]

Visit my website by clicking on https://frtonyshomilies.com/ for missed or previous Cycle A homilies, 141 Year of Faith “Adult Faith Formation Lessons” (useful for RCIA classes too) & 197 “Question of the Week.” Since Google suspended my id [email protected], please contact me only at [email protected]. Visit https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homiliesunder CBCI or Fr. Tony for my website version.(Special thanks to Vatican Radio website– http://www.vaticannews.va/en/church.html -which completed uploading my Cycle A, B and C homilies in May 2020) Fr. Anthony Kadavil, Fr. Anthony Kadavil, C/o Fr. Joseph M. C. , St. Agatha Church, 1001 Hand Avenue, Bay Minette, Al 36507