(Homily
18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Yr. C)
The overriding themes emanating from the
first reading and the Gospel are that of avarice,
and the futility of the human earthly toil, especially when God is relegated to
the background. No doubt, these two elements seem unfortunately to be the
portrait or image of our contemporary society. Avarice, the idolatry of things
and the desire for insatiable acquisition seem to be the major drive in our
society today. It leads man/woman to
self-deception, many a times of banking for our eternal life in the life
without future. Little wonder, in the first reading the author asks: “What
has a man from all the toil and strain with which he toils beneath the sun?” (v.22). Similarly, in the Gospel Jesus
takes up this theme of vanity, but from a different perspective: “Watch, and be
on your guard against avarice of any kind, for life does not consist in
possession, even when someone has more than he needs” (v. 15). And the second reading on its part, serves as a
complementary admonition to the invitation of Jesus: “if you have been raised
with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the
right hand of God” (v.1). Thus, the three readings present two ways
of living. There is the way of
living of the old man and the way of
living of the new man. The new man recognizes everything as vanity and as
such everything comes from God (first reading), the old man that accumulated
wealth for himself without reference and reverence to God (Gospel) and indeed,
the new man that seeks things that are above.
In the first reading (Eccl. 1:2; 2:21-23) the sacred author asks: “What has a man from
all the toil and strain with which he toils beneath the sun?” (v.22). What is the purpose for all
these toils, if at the end he abandons all for another person? Does it worth
it? This question raised by the sacred
author ought to be a pertinent question that every wise person has to ask
himself/herself. The sacred author is not a pessimist, he is not in
despair, rather a wise person, who reflects, a realistic spiritual guide who desires to lead man/woman out from the
enchantment of ephemeral things, material things that often erode peace form
the heart. They create torment and inquietude. And he comes up with a
solution thus: that man/woman should enjoy life as a gift from God, has to live
in the holy fear of God, that is with the worry of not displeasing him and to
trust in him by obeying his commandments. The
book of Ecclesiastes exposes in an eloquent manner what human life is apart
from God, and as such, it prepares
the ground for the advent of the Gospel of Christ. On a closer look, it
does appear that the message of this book is a discomforting message that paves
way for the Good news. Be that as it may, human
life is meaningless if considered in itself, apart from God.
However, the most exhausting response to
the question raised by the sacred writer in the first reading was given by
Jesus in the Gospel periscope (Lk.
12:13-21). To the question: “What has a man from all the toil and strain
with which he toils beneath the sun?”. Jesus says: “Watch, and be on your guard
against avarice of any kind, for life does not consist in possession, even when
someone has more than he needs” (v.19).
Indeed, man has no profit of all his
toils on earth, if during his life on earth he is occupied and worried only
on how to accumulate wealth for himself egoistically, if one thinks that
everything in this life revolves around possession and acquisition, if during
his life he does not make effort to enrich himself with good works before God. We are called therefore, not to put our
trust and confidence in things that pass away, but to anchor one’s life in
eternal values.
In the passage of today’s Gospel it is
quite surprising the initiative of a certain man that approached Jesus inviting
him to come and settle the land dispute between him and the his brother. We may cursorily ask: what concerns Jesus
with this? But for every Jew it was very much natural to go to the
religious authority to resolve even juridical issues. As a matter of fact, the
Mosaic Law does not make a clear cut distinction between the civil,
ecclesiastical and the moral laws. However, Jesus refused to intervene as a judge
in such legal issues. He did not come to settle disagreements of legal or
juridical characters, or to reform the society temporally. That notwithstanding Jesus gives a response with general moral imports
which touches the heart of every disagreement.
What is the general moral character that
Jesus gives to this particular case? On this Jesus said: “Watch, and be on your
guard against avarice of any kind, for life does not consist in possession,
even when someone has more than he needs” (v.15).
The ultimate cause of contrast or disagreement,
be it at the family or social level is avarice, the inordinate desire for
possession. As a matter of fact, many a times, discords and
misunderstanding in the families arise as a result of material interest, or the
case maybe that one part or the other is not contended with what is just. In
the same vein, social contrasts and
class struggles are equally caused by insatiability and personal interest,
which goes on to create social disequilibrium. It is as a result of all
this that Jesus warned: “guard against avarice of every kind”. We should make
effort not to be slave(s) to avarice and to uproot it from our hearts.
Moreover, Jesus in his response again gives
a more profound motivation for the necessity of guiding oneself from the
avarice of material things, not because it is the cause of political, economic
and social controversies, but because it does not resolve the existential problems
of the individual, little wonder, Jesus said: “for life does not consist in
possession, even when someone has more than he needs”. Life indeed, does not depend on material wealth that one possesses.
This entails that material possession is not a security against death, maybe it
may prolong life in some cases, to some extent, but when death comes, the
person goes! Many a times when death comes it does not give time for one to
enjoy his possessions, as it was the case of the rich man in today’s parable. Therefore,
“What does it profit a man to have gained the whole world, and to have lost or
ruined his very self?” (Lk. 9:25).
The human dignity or a person’s worth is
not based or measured on his material possessions. Your worth is because of what or who you are, not because of what you
have or possess, for who you are as a human being and as a Christian, not
from external appearance. On the other hand, material wealth does not guarantee
happiness, for many a times it creates inquietude, anguish and delusion. Jesus
says: Fool! Foolishness “is when someone stores up treasure for himself instead
of becoming rich in the sight of God” (v.21).
Fool is one who accumulates wealth for himself. For indeed, what matters and
counts is to enrich oneself in the sight of God, with grace, holiness, good
works. The only riches worth pursuing are those that have an eternal value.
“Store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where neither moth nor woodworm
destroys them and thieves cannot break in and steal” (Mt. 6:20).
The second reading (Col. 3:1-5, 9-11) is
suggestive of what a Christian has to do, and that is the invitation to live
simply and effectively our baptismal call. For baptism unites us to and
with Christ, it makes us to participate in his divine life and invites us to
share in his glory, therefore, we have
to fix our gaze on our target: Eternal Life. For this, he admonishes: “seek
the things that are above…set your minds on things that are above” (vv.1-2). In this epistle, St. Paul
acknowledged the risen life as a reality in which the baptized already
participates in. However, he emphasized
on the ethical imperative: “seek those things”, “put to death”, “do not
lie”, that is a transcendent way of
living.
Baptism
is a new birth to a new life in Christ: “you have been raised with Christ” (v.1). And again: “you have put off the
old man with his practices and have put on the new man” (vv.9-10). Here, St. Paul uses the verb in the past tense to
indicate what took place in the baptism of the Christians of Corinth. Every
Christian therefore, has to live his baptismal calling day by day; all his or her existence ought to be a
continuous effort to “put to death what is earth”. The dynamics are “stripping oneself” of vices and sins and “clothing
oneself” with the Christian virtues, with Christ, the New Man, and thus
appropriating his mind and sentiments. Baptism as a newness of life, new
life in Christ, implies a new way of living, acting and relating with others.
And above all, a new way of judging or considering the dignity and value of the
human person, no longer based on race, nationality, colour of the skin and
social prestige, but now with reference to Christ who is the all in all. Above
all, the hit track of the epistle
reading revolves around the words: “your life is hidden with Christ in God”
(v. 3), but interestingly today, the reverse is the case, for in the Eucharist,
God is hidden with Christ in our life!
A proper look at the Gospel periscope
reveals an attempt therein to draw together the messages of the first and the
second readings. The rich fool lived his
life without reference and reverence to God, and as such, was caught up in
the futility and nothingness of this passing world. He lived without reference
to the transcendent; he failed to seek
those things that are above. And suddenly comes the decisional moment:
“this night your soul will be required of you”. For he thought that he had
everything at his beck and call, and that his life was under his control. The rich fool condemned himself to a life
that has no future! Drawing the issue further, the episode of the sudden death of the rich fool reminds us of how
important it is the value of readiness, we cannot but remember the great
midnight cry with eschatological imports: “But at midnight there was a cry,
Look! The bridegroom! Go out and meet him” (Mt.
25:6). May we make effort to overcome the sin of avarice and understand
that our existence and possessions without God are vanity. May our gaze be
continually fixed on the things that are above where Christ is seated at the
right hand of God. Amen!!!
(Fr. Vitus M.C.
Unegbu, SC)
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