Father Chris – TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY ORD TIME 2021 - Homily

“True Wealth” 

What are we willing to give up to follow Christ? Everything? Maybe the bulk of our money and goods? Or is it only the extras which we’ve been blessed with, the items we won’t even notice if we give them away? Or maybe we decide instead of giving up certain privileges, we’ll simply make sure other people enjoy the same ones we do. In other words, are we only willing to sacrifice when it doesn’t hurt?  
 
Many of us, especially in a rich country like Canada, do not know the suffering and poverty of some of our neighbours, especially brothers and sisters who live far away from us, maybe across the ocean, out of sight and out of mind except for news and media reportage. And, frankly, we not want to know their suffering and poverty! We may feel compassion for them, but we still cling to our advantages, security and safety, perhaps offering assistance, but from a distance.  
 
The media reports Lebanon is having days-long, severe blackouts, with energy on only for a couple of hours, because they are short of fuel to run hydro plants. Of course, their sufferings go far beyond loss of energy and light: loss of facilities, services, food, medical care are all adding to their grim state of affairs. Economists say they have never seen such financial collapse in a country since the 1850s.  
 
We endure our hydro outages, secure that we have the resources and manpower to restore our services, but these people are trying to live in a darkness which goes far beyond the darkness of their streets and their homes. And they are not far away.  
They are our neighbours in every sense of the word. I have a close friend, a priest and religious leader in the Maronite faith, whose relatives are desperately coping with this debilitating collapse of their country. I cannot even imagine the sense of urgency he and his loved ones must feel.  
 
So, we cling to our possessions, and not particularly because of selfishness, but out of fear! Fear is what the rich man felt, fear for his welfare and security. Most would scoff at selling homes and giving every thing they own away. Even in death, we assign a Power of Attorney to ensure our estate is distributed only as we desire. We do so because many of us are afraid. We have been afraid of discomfort and suffering since we left the womb, crying for protection, food, safety and affection.  
 
When goods and services became available, we seized upon them to quiet these fears. But sadly, too often the cost to us is losing a sense of ourselves as a spiritual being, in essence sacrificing our souls to only the care of our physical conditions.  
 
Over time, we can go from this fearful desperation to protect our humanity, to a false sense that we are also in control of our lives, not God. A practical approach to life becomes our obsession. We say, “Why would I choose to live without materials and opportunities available to me? Isn’t this contrary to preservation of humanity? Where is the sense in this kind of sacrifice? I’m in control, and I’m taking charge.”  
 
But, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God.” In other words, how hard it will be for those who dwell only on the material world. Christ says this not with mockery, but with compassion and sadness, because he understands these motivations behind our walking away from him: fear and the need to control our physical dilemma before the care of our souls.  
 
But God also put a longing in our hearts, a longing for achievement, for living a life beyond the physical needs of body and mind. It is a desire for a goodness which our hearts know and yearn for, which no material thing can satisfy. Consider the sacrifices Olympian athletes like Andre de Gras and Kylie Masse have made to achieve excellence knowing all good things worth winning require this sacrifice.  Eternal salvation certainly requires no less commitment and sacrifice to Christ. 
 
A life with Christ is Not about ‘accumulation’; it is about ‘accommodation’, opening up to God’s grace without fear of the physical challenges in life in lieu of the powerful, spiritual blessings which await us instead. Saint Raphaela Maria Porras says, “Keep a holy simplicity. Remain perfectly at peace, always certain that God makes it his business to make you successful.”  
 
At this time of Thanksgiving for all God has given us, do not be afraid! Let the child within you who came frightened into this complicated, challenging, material world, be at peace. Seek reasonable care for the body, but more importantly, seek care of your soul which our beloved Jesus, in his compassion for us, offers us in the sacrifice of his most holy body and blood.         
 
– Rev Fr Christopher Tracey, Saint Joseph Parish, Saugeen Shores, Ontario