Spiritual Prosperity is Greater
Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR
Homily for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
St. Mary of Assumption Church, Whittier, CA
Sunday, July 31, 2016
An unnamed man from the crowd wanted Jesus’ intervention in a land dispute between him and his brother, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” It seems his 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 wanted Jesus to deliver a judgment that will favor him. But Jesus did not come to settle land disputes, so he refused to be dragged into it. Instead, he used the occasion to address those with great riches and those with little.
He told a parable of a rich man whose land produced abundant harvest. Today, we can say that the man’s business ventures are very successful. His stock has risen. His investments have doubled. His liquid cash in multiple banks have tripled. By every standard, he is a very successful man. Everything he touched had become a goldmine. After a particular year of incredible turnover of wealth, he began to think, “What shall I do with all this wealth? I have made so much money. There is no big company out there that I did not invest in. What shall I do with all I have?” As he was asking himself those questions, he quickly provided a bizarre answer: “You know what, since I have built an enduring business empire, since I have invested huge sums of money in so many great companies, since the stock market is really doing so well now, and I have lots of stock there, since I owe 15% shares in companies like Apple, Microsoft, Google, Boeing, eBay, Amazon, Coca Cola, Samsung etc, since my real estate business has gone economically viral, since my farms are really doing well now, I think I will retire, used the remainder of my life resting, eating, drinking, traveling and making merry.” But even before he settled down to begin his life of debauchery, he was summoned by God to come and give an account of his stewardship on earth: “You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?”
Some of us may say, “But that’s unfair. What wrong has he done? Doesn’t a man deserve to enjoy his wealth after working so hard? Didn’t Jesus say that a laborer deserves his wages? What’s wrong with what he had planned to do?” If that’s your thinking, your questions are not out of place. The rich man deserved to enjoy the fruits of his labor. He deserved to rest, eat, drink, and make merry. But God also deserved to be praised and thanked by him. He deserved appreciation and gratitude from him. It is also deserving of the rich man to think beyond himself, but he never did. What mattered to him was himself alone. After stacking so much wealth, more than he actually needed, he never thought of giving back to the community. He never taught of sharing with others. He never thought of showing appreciation to God, the Source of everything that is good. Rather than finding joy in giving and sharing with the haves not, he was simply satisfied to “rest, eat, drink, and merry.” Due to his refusal to acknowledge God and think of the little guy, instant judgment was pronounced on him: “…this night your life will be demanded of you.”
Is Jesus anti-riches? Not at all! He is not against the rich. The book of Haggai 2: 8 tells us that “Silver and gold belong to God.” Although we claim ownership of what we have, the truth is that, “The earth and everything in it belong to God” (Psalms 24:1). God is not against riches or rich people, but he is against greed, pride, arrogance, narcissism, ingratitude etc. exhibited by the rich man in today’s Gospel (Luke 12:13-21). God wants us to be generous and share with others, especially the less privileged ones. He wants us to appreciate and acknowledge him, the Giver of all we have. The book of Deuteronomy 8:18 says “Remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth…” Our intelligence, application of it, and our successes according to Psalm 118:23 are God’s doing. Farmers plant God’s seeds in God’s earth, and rely upon God’s rain and sunshine to ripen them to harvest. Auto-makers rely on God’s raw materials that produce steel, glass, rubber, plastic, oil, gasoline etc to make cars. Medical doctors, nurses, teachers, bankers, financial consultants, craftsmen, machinists, electricians, etc. use and apply the intelligence and skill given by God. Check this out! The silver and copper in our coins, the wood pulp in our paper currency, all come from God’s earth. So it is fair enough to show gratitude to him by thanking him for what he has given and giving back to the community.
In this parable, Jesus warns against being poor in what matters to God. The rich man never saw beyond this world. He made all his plans on the basis of life here but forgot the words of the Collector of Wisdom (Qoheleth), “Vanity of vanities, all things are vanity.” According to my high school Literature teacher, “Man and his labor end in the grave.” Now, quotes like these appear too pessimistic, but they are true. We brought nothing into this world and will take nothing out of it. A Praise and Worship singer, Don Moen, in one of his albums has these lyrics, “When it’s all been said and done; all my treasures will mean nothing, only what I have done for love’s reward, will stand the test of time.” That’s what matters. Material prosperity is good, but spiritual prosperity is greater. Earthly achievement is good, but attainment of heaven is greater. Earthly enjoyment like resting, eating, making merry are good, but the enjoyment of God is greater. Whatever we do, let’s remember always these undying words of 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.”
God bless you all!
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