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Judging solely from
my daily email, there’s lots of “Genie in the bottle” jokes floating
around out there in cyberspace.
The latest joke of
this genre that I’ve received featured a fellow who was promised three
wishes. The “hitch” in the deal was that this fellow’s mother-in-law
would receive double what the Genie would bestow upon this fellow.
So, after
considering the offer for a bit, the fellow announced his three wishes
to the Genie.
The first wish was
for an extremely plush lifestyle on a very secluded Tahitian island.
That would put his mother-in-law at a great distance, the fellow
reasoned. The second wish was for a Swiss bank account that would earn
$500,000 tax free interest each year of “mad money.” The fellow
reasoned that would endow his mother-in-law with all of the money she
ever would want and could keep herself busy and out of his hair. The
third wish was that the Genie would beat the fellow half to death.
Now, behind all of
the “Genie in the bottle” jokes as well as in today’s gospel, there is a
deadly serious question. That is: “What is it that you desire…so much
so that you’re willing to give up everything for it?” Would it be
family, friends, honor, faith, or virtue? What are the things about
which you’d, “I’d kill if only I could have that!”
The opening prayer
for today’s Mass contained the following two sentences:
God our Father and
protector, without you nothing is holy, nothing has value. Guide us to
everlasting life by helping us to use wisely the blessing you have given
to the world.
What that prayer
asks is that God assist us in seeking what is of the highest value in
this world, in fact, the blessing God has already bestowed upon us.
It’s right there, free for the taking! But, especially because we live
in a materialistic and consumer-driven culture that places such a high
premium on what a person possesses as the true measure of an
individual’s worth, what we desire oftentimes is not of the highest
value.
I can use myself as
an example.
I recall when we
entered what is now called “The Electronic Age.” It started in the
mid-1960s.
Like so many of my
peers in the seventh grade, I so badly wanted a Texas Instruments
8-function LCD calculator for Christmas. (Do you realize banks give
away solar powered 64-function LCD calculators if you open a checking
account?) Then, there was the Apple IIe, the Toshiba Laptop, the IBM
Thinkpad, and the Palm IIIe. Now, it’s the Dell Latitude and the Palm
Tungsten E.
Early in the
Electronic Age, I also badly wanted a transistor radio to listen to the
Cubs’ and Blackhawk’s’ games as well as to Lloyd Weber on WLS at 10:00
pm when I was supposed to be asleep. Then, along came the AM/FM alarm
radio with those flip cards that changed with the time. But, all of
those pale when compared to the BOSE wave radio.
And, that’s to say
nothing about component systems. I was so happy to have a record
player. But, then I wanted a cassette recorder, an 8 track, and a CD
player. But, once again, all of these paled when compared to the BOSE
lifestyle system. Now, I can experience the music and feel like I’m
participating in the movie itself.
Concurrently, along
came the “Age of Love,” which really should be called the “Age of
Infatuation.”
In the third grade,
I didn’t think I’d ever be able to live without Patty Cronin. So, I
bicycled to her house and we got engaged one Saturday afternoon. In the
sixth grade, it was Jeanne Detweiller. Her dad was my physician and I
never missed an appointment because I could ask Dr. Detweiller about his
two daughters—and not have to show my real interest—whose pictures were
positioned on the credenza behind his desk. And, by sophomore year of
high school, it was Cathy Drazba. When I pestered her once while
she was at work at Crawford’s Department Store, Cathy complained that I
was pushing things “too fast.” Well, fast became nonexistent.
And, then there was Lynn Matthews who worked alongside my sister in the
Children’s
Department at E.J. Korvettes, while I worked in the Drug Department.
I don’t remember whatever happened with Lynn but I do recall that my
sister would never allow Lynn to schedule her break concurrent with my
break. Hmmm...
I never did learn
from those lessons. “The latest and the greatest”—the “thing I would
die for”—is but momentary and fleeting. Something better always comes
along and what filled me with so much fleeting happiness soon was
considered a piece of junk. That’s called crass materialism and wanton
consumerism, both of which only increase our desire for “things” that
make us happy…but only temporarily so.
Aren’t we really
funny beings? We really do believe that we can’t live without all of
these things or people until something better comes along. But, more
importantly, today’s gospel reminds us about how this power of desire to
acquire everything we want can become quite serious and deadly.
We can see this, for
example, in young people who are so desperate—whose bodies pulsate with
desire—to be part of the “in group” so that they willingly sacrifice
their character and moral integrity in order to “fit in.” Wanting the
right “friends” is the pearl of great price that many young people all
too willingly turn their backs on their parents, other family members,
and others who would be real friends. But, no, it’s those other
acquaintances who count most.
We can also easily
see this in teenagers who are all too willing to give away their virtue,
honor, and moral codes—not to mention their self-respect—because they
desperately want to be loved. “I’ll do anything for love,” is the
mantra for teenagers who grasp for this pearl of great price, fully
unaware of the very high personal cost that will be extracted. But,
don’t try to tell a teenager who’s smitten with the desire to acquire
this pearl of great price.
We can also see this
in grownup kids who are so desirous of power, prominence, and position
in the social or business worlds. These physically mature human beings,
whose power of will is charmed and swayed by this desire, are
spiritually and morally immature because they willingly forsake their
families, their marriages, and their souls for these pearls of great
price.
Sixteen centuries
ago, St. Augustine warned his congregation that the power of desire,
through the misdirected use of our power of free will, becomes
corrupted. St. Augustine called the city inhabited by these people the
“City of Man.” It’s a city that has been created by all of those human
beings whose lust for material treasures—those pearls of great
price—defines their very being. In this city, St. Augustine noted, the
“power of desire” is, through the power of free will, transformed into
the “desire for power” which will enable the residents of the City of
Man to get what they want no matter the personal cost.
In light of the
parable about the pearl of great price, St. Augustine raises a most
important question that we need to answer. The question put thus: “Is
what I want, what I need?”
This is Jesus’ point
in the parable of the “pearl of great price.” We have the power of will
to direct our power of desire toward getting what we truly need, that
is, if our desire is to become a more perfect human being. What we need
is true happiness which is that form of happiness that cannot be taken
away by any person, any situation, or any event. It is the happiness we
possess without any fear of loss, unlike the fleeting and transient
happiness we oftentimes believe is true happiness and associate with
material objects and possessions.
For ancient
Palestinians, pearls—not diamonds—were the most highly-prized and
sought-after gems. Finding a “perfect” pearl wasn’t a matter of heading
to the jewelry store, but a life’s pursuit that required traveling to
far, distant, and exotic lands. Today’s gospel challenges us to ask
ourselves exactly what we’d travel to far, distant, and exotic lands to
acquire.
What are some of
these “pearls of great price”?
Like Solomon, one
pearl of great price is to be wise. With this ability,
we’d be able to know before we act what the right thing to do is. We’d
no longer have to follow the crowd or read public opinion polls to find
out what other people are thinking. No, we’d know what the right thing
to do is. It’s an utterly amazing pearl because, when we possess
wisdom, we never will look back in retrospect and wish that we had
conducted ourselves otherwise.
Another one of those
pearls is to be faithful. One can only be faithful if one
possesses and acts on a set of core values. Faithful people stand for
something. In contrast, unfaithful people—who neither possess nor act
on a set of core values—stand for everything. Early in the 20th
century, G.K. Chesterton noted that the man he feared most is not the
man who stands for something. No, the man Chesterton feared is the man
who stands for everything. Think about Chesterton’s insight. We know
exactly where the former stand because they possess and act upon a set
of core values. But, we ought to fear the latter because they can’t be
counted on for anything. Why? They are neither faithful to nor do they
act upon a set of core values. They are like a flag in the wind,
pointing in whatever direction the wind blows.
A third pearl of
great price is to be honest. Although it’s very difficult to be
honest in practice, everything of value in life depends entirely upon
whether people can count on the word of other people. To make our word
a solemn pledge—a bond that others can always count on—is absolutely
crucial, especially in a world where a “wink” easily undermines the
truth. Sadly, too, many people today believe that the only person who
can be trusted is oneself. This cynical attitude breeds contempt for
institutions like marriage—where the words “I do” mean “As long as…”—and
the family—where people can’t even count on “their own” to come to the
aid.
The last pearl of
great price I’d like to mention is our Catholic faith. This
means making Scripture and Tradition the foundation and focus of our
decision-making process. Living as we do in a culture where relativism
is prized above truth, the “I’m okay, you’re okay” and “Can’t we all
just get along” attitudes predominate the decision-making process of
many people, perhaps ourselves included. It’s so easy to lose the focus
and to substitute other, less veritable sources when making decisions.
It’s much more difficult to inquire into what Scripture and Tradition
require and to act commensurate with God’s word and the experience of
the Church throughout the past two millennia. But, it’s in the latter
that we can grasp the bedrock of Truth, which is God, and act upon it.
Only our Catholic faith provides assurance that we will never err in the
most important decisions we face, those dealing with faith and morality.
Notice that these
“pearls of great price” are the things we human beings really need, not
only for ourselves but also what we need to be for others.
People who possess these pearls of great price, St. Augustine says, are
the citizens who populate the City of God. They “love and do what they
will,” he wrote, because their power of desire is directed toward God
who provides everything these citizens need, just as He does for the
birds of the air and the flowers of the field.
The citizens of the
City of God are those young people and adults who use their will power
to direct their power of desire toward acquiring the pearls of great
price Jesus taught especially through his behavior. They direct their
power of will toward others and away from self. These
citizens direct their will power toward giving and away
from wanting. They direct their power of will toward sacrifice
and away from pleasure. They direct their power of will
toward serving and away from being served. Or, as St. Paul
wrote to the Corinthians, because these people recognize that God has
already bestowed upon them everything they need, they are merciful,
compassionate, slow to judge, and abounding in kindness.
In light of the
parable about the pearl of great price, as we think about all of those
things we want and before we make decisions about how we will acquire
them, it would be good to ponder four maxims:
·
The first
maxim: “Everything we need God has already given us.” We heard that in
the opening prayer for today’s Mass. We need to open our eyes or, if we
are blind to God’s providence, we need to ask God to restore our sight
through forgiveness of our sins.
·
The
second maxim: “They don’t attach a U-haul to a hearse.” Do I really
think I will take all of those electronic gizmos with me to eternity?
The simple point is that we need to consider carefully what constitutes
our true happiness, namely, the happiness that can never be taken and
will be with us no matter what the situation and circumstances.
·
The third
maxim: “Most acquaintances are not friends.” Parents usually teach this
maxim when they see their children confusing the two. Spouses also
teach this maxim when one of them is confusing the two, especially at
the workplace. Friends oftentimes are problematic because they do not
seek to make us happy but better persons; we surround ourselves with
acquaintances as long as they make us happy (and vice-versa). In
contrast, friends spur us toward growth and maturity because they speak
the truth. Acquaintances care less about growth and maturity because
all they are interested in is seizing the present moment (“carpe diem”)
without care for the future.
·
And, the
fourth maxim: “You don’t have to die to live in the City of God.” That
is what Jesus is teaching in a nutshell. We can have life—and life to
the full—right here and now. All we have to do is to remember not
to confuse what we need with what we want.
To the degree that
we experience shame for the choices we’ve made in the past—confusing
what we want for what we need—and blush when our true motives are
exposed to the light of day for public scrutiny, we not be embarrassed.
Instead, we can use today’s Eucharist prayerfully to invite God to
redirect our power of desire through the power of Scripture and
Sacrament toward those pearls of great price we know that we should
seek. |
HOMILY
