IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT THE MONEY

Homily for the 18^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Fr. Marcel Emeka Divine Okwara CSsR

African Catholic Community in Memphis

August 1, 2010

Sisters and brothers, let me begin by telling you a story about a man called Joe. Joe worked in a factory in town, but also had a small farm of 30 acres where he planted vegetables that he and his wife Shirley would sell at a roadside stand. Now Joe would get up early in the morning to work on his farm; after which he would go to town to work at the factory. And when he returned home in the evening, he would work in his farm till nightfall. At night, as they sat down to eat dinner, Joe’s wife Shirley would say to him, “Joe, we are really blessed, see our vegetables grow so well. People buy everything we grow.”

But Joe was not satisfied. He wanted more land. Shortly afterward he borrowed some money and bought another 30 acres next to his property. With this, Joe spent more hours in the morning and even in the evening working in his farm because of the extra 30 acres of land he purchased. Still he kept his job at the factory. Joe’s farm was doing really well, and people were buying everything he and his wife brought to their roadside store. One night after returning late from the fields Joe’s wife said, “Joe, God has been good to us. The warm sun and the abundant rainfall have filled our stand, and still people buy all we grow.”

But Joe was not satisfied. He wanted more land. Soon afterward Joe was able to buy another 140 acres for his farm. This time he quit his job at the factory so he could work full time on the farm. But even though he worked full time- there were not enough hours of the day to get everything done. Then one night, his ever grateful wife again said to him “Joe, I don’t think there is anyone more fortunate than us. Our fields are full and we sell everything we grow.”

But Joe was not satisfied. Soon he was able to buy another 250 acres of land. He closed his roadside stand, hired people to help out and manage the farm. He built refrigerated storage buildings to store his crops. His wife worked on the books. One night after retiring from work, Joe’s wife Shirley said to him “God is so good to us, Joe. See, we don’t lack anything.”

Again, Joe was not satisfied. He started complaining “I do not have enough land. If I can buy land in the south, we could grow crops that our climate will not allow.” Soon Joe was able to buy 300 acres of land in the south. He started driving back and forth between farms and working long hours on weekends. After a very long day, Joe suffered a heart attack and died. He was buried in a small cemetery plot, seven feet long, four feet wide, and six feet deep. That was just enough land!

Dearest beloved, in today’s gospel taken from Luke 12: 13-21, Jesus speaks about the root-cause of sin, suffering and death. Our insatiable desires, unsatisfactory craving, thirst, attachment to transitory things lead us to sin. Sin comes from the quest to acquire what one does not have and from not being satisfied with what one has. We always want more- more security, more respect, more beauty, more money, more clothes, more knowledge, more recognition and fame, more health, and more power. All these desires and cravings lead to us to sin.

The gospel begins with the story of a man from the crowd who said to Jesus “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” It seems that the man’s older brother had refused to give him what he felt was due to him. The law of inheritance in Jesus’ day stipulated that the older brother would receive a double portion of the legacy, then whatever remains will be shared by the rest. For whatever reason this man was feeling cheated, and he wanted the Rabbi of all Rabbis, Jesus to deliver judgment that will favor him. But settling land disputes was not the reason why Jesus came, and he refused to be dragged into it. But from the man’s request came an opportunity for Jesus to lay down what his followers’ attitude to material things should be. Jesus had something to say both to those who had an abundant supply of material possessions and to those who had not.

With the parable of the Rich Fool, Jesus speaks to those who have an abundant supply of possessions. He tells them not to be like the rich fool in the parable who never saw beyond himself. The rich fool was obviously a man of I, me, my, and mine. He was aggressively self-centered. After accruing so much wealth, more than he actually needed, the one thing that never entered his head was to give some away. His entire action was the very opposite of Christianity. Instead of showing appreciation to God, the source of everything that is good, by giving some of his wealth away to the needy, he showed appreciation to himself. Instead of finding joy in giving, he was aggressively selfish and happy to “rest, eat, drink, and merry.” Now due to his refusal to acknowledge God, and due to his refusal to think of the little guy, instant judgment was pronounced on him: “You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?”

If you are wealthy, do not be scared. Do not think that Jesus is anti-riches. Jesus is not against the rich. After all, the book of Haggai 2: 8 says “Silver and gold belong to God.” Even though sometimes we erroneously claim to own this and that, but all the treasures of this world belong to God. Even though Satan claims to own this world, let us always remember that the world was created by God. The 2 Corinthians 4: 4 says that the earth belongs to God. Brethren, the Lord is not against the wealthy. But he is against the pride and the arrogance of the rich. He is against their refusal to appreciate and acknowledge God as the source of all they have. The book of Deuteronomy 8: 18 says “But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth…” Jesus is against the selfishness of the rich; he is against the way they use their money to control and dominate the poor. The 2 Corinthians 9: 11 says “You will be made rich every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” No matter how intelligent and successful you are, God is still responsible for all your excellence and for every means to make a living. Are you a farmer? You plant God’s seeds in God’s earth, and rely upon God’s rain and sunshine to ripen them to harvest. Are you an auto-worker? All the steels, glass, rubber, plastic, oil, and gasoline are products from God’s earth. Are you a medical doctor, a nurse, a teacher, a banker, a financial consultant, a craftsman? Your intelligence, talent, and skill to work is given by God. God has given you your brain, eyes, ears, mouth, hands, fingers, legs, and feet that you use to earn a living. Even the silver and copper in our coins, and the wood pulp in our paper currency comes from God’s earth. So it is extremely fair to show gratitude to God. And one of the ways of showing appreciation to God is sharing with others, giving back to human community and not to conserve and accumulate for the I, me, mine and myself.

With the parable, Jesus warns us not to be like the rich fool who never saw beyond this world. He made all his plans on the basis of life here. He did not consider the meaning and the purpose of human life. He refused to consider that just as the sun rises, it will also set. He did not think about the different stages of life, that his life would some day expire. The Rich Fool was ignorant of the fact that "when all is said and done, there is just one thing that matters, did he do his best to live for truth, and did he live his life for God." He was ignorant of the fact that "when all is said and done, when all the treasures will mean nothing, only what one has done for love’s reward, will stand the test of time."

Dearest beloved, do not forget our destiny. We came from God, and ought to return to God. Do not let earthly treasures that are transient constitute obstacles to our homeward journey to God. Material prosperity is good, but spiritual prosperity is greater. Earthly achievement is good, but attainment of heaven is greater. The Celebration of wealth in the form of eating, drinking and partying is not necessarily a bad thing, but the enjoyment of God is greater. No wonder our brother St. Augustine made the distinction between enjoyment and use: “Some things are to be enjoyed, others to be used, and there are others which are to be used and enjoyed. Those things which are to be enjoyed make us blessed. Those things which are to be used help and, as it were, sustain us as we move toward blessedness in order that we may gain and cling to those things which make us blessed…To enjoy something is to cling to it with love, for its own sake. To use something, however, is to employ it in obtaining that which you love, provided it is worthy of love.” For St. Augustine, the only “thing” worthy of his love, the only “thing” to be enjoyed for its own sake is God. Whatever we do, remember this enduring and perennial quotation of our brother, St. Augustine: “To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him is the greatest adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement.”

In this gospel, Jesus also speaks to those who have few possessions. He warns against anxious thought or worry. Do not slip into depression because you do not have extravagant wealth. All that Jesus expects from us is to do our best and then leave the rest to God. If God cares about the lilies and the birds, giving them rain and sunshine to blossom, how much more will he care for us? All fingers are not of the same height and size; not everyone will be massively wealthy. But Jesus expects that we “Seek first the kingdom of God.” Turn your life to obeying God’s will, and I assure you that God will not abandon you. If you are a friend of God, you can “Call upon him in the day of your trouble, and he will surely come to deliver you, so that you honor him all the more” (Psalm 50: 15). While so many people will use all their effort piling up wealth that are transitory, work for the things which last forever, things which you are not going to leave behind when you leave this earth, but which you can take with you. Remember, it’s not all about the money. God’s matters matter.