topleft05.jpg (18208 bytes)HOMILY
The Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
12 October 08


On that day it will be said:
“Behold our God, to whom we look to save us!
This is the Lord for whom we looked;
let us rejoice be glad that he has saved us!”

(Isaiah 25:9)
 

Let there be no doubt about it, as I know personally from having talked with a whole lot of people lately, they’re worried.  They’re not worried because politicians running for elective office are telling people why they should be worried.  No, people are worried because they’re looking at the value of their homes decreasing and the value of their retirement programs declining.  They’re fearful they won’t be able to take care of themselves or to provide for their needs at some unspecified future point in time.  For some, what they fear most may be right around the corner.  For others, doomsday may be one year away or a couple of years into the future.

We all know that living in fear isn’t healthy.  It contributes to sleepless nights and, as a result, increased weariness during the day.  Living in fear also contributes to an overall decline in positive mental attitude and, as a result, in overall health and wellness.  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that fear and its by-products—increased stress and anxiety—decrease not only our happiness but also our longevity.

When misfortune strikes—like tough economic times and markets responding to irrational panic—we view what happens as a negative because everything we have put our trust in seems to have played a sadistic trick on us.  For example, we believed that, by taking out a mortgage and paying for our homes over time, we’d be secure.  We also believed that, by investing money wisely in mutual funds or pensions for retirement, they’d grow over time and build a nest egg that would secure a comfortable retirement.  Now, with housing values declining and the markets in what appears to be a free fall, many of us fear that everything we hoped for and pinned our hopes on may be lost.

I know of elderly people who were hoping to leave some money for their kids.  Now, they’re fearful they might not have enough to provide for themselves if they live too much longer.  They are actually wondering whether it would be more cost‑effective to die sooner rather than later.

I know of couples who had hoped to pay off their homes.  They’re fearful they can’t afford the house in which they live but they also can’t afford to sell their house because of the decline in the housing market which has made their house worth much less than its mortgaged value.  Couples like these are actually wondering if it would be more cost-effective to return the keys to the mortgage bank, declare bankruptcy, and rent an apartment.

I know of young people who have taken out loans to pay for college.  They are fearful they won’t be land a job after graduation that will provide sufficient income to pay off those college loans when they come due.   And, to make matters worse, these young people are fearful that if their parents sell their house and move into an apartment, there won’t be any room for them to move back into.

Yes, misfortune has spawned a lot of the fear that is out there.  But, I think, many politicians and pundits are pointing the finger of blame in all of the wrong places.  No doubt about it, greedy and unscrupulous business persons are complicit in the misfortune we now confront.  Unethical politicians put self-interest ahead of public interest and are complicit in the misfortune we now have to confront.  Reporters and media personnel who present only one side of a multifaceted issue and don’t report the whole truth are to blame, too, because they are complicit in the misfortune we must now confront.  But, to point the finger of blame at greedy and unscrupulous business persons, unethical politicians, and biased reporters and media personnel is to avoid pointing the finger of blame squarely where it belongs.  That is, to point it at ourselves.

Why?

When we place our trust in human beings and in their creative inventions, we don’t place our trust in God.  Even when we’re not in full panic mode, we look to human beings to provide the guidance and tips we need if we are to grasp what we want so badly and to avoid what we fear most.  But, in doing so, we don’t look to God to provide the guidance we need if we are to experience true happiness.

The simple fact is that when misfortune occurs, we have no one to blame but ourselves because there is absolutely nothing—refinancing our home or diversifying our portfolio—that can undo misfortune.  We simply have to “deal with it” and to “learn from it.”  That’s the key.

So, what might there be to learn from the misfortune many of us may currently be experiencing or the fear that misfortune may soon strike?  A more spiritual way of stating that question would be: “What are we to discern in the signs of the times?”  That’s the question the Second Vatican Council set about answering for the Church and challenged Catholics to answer for their lives.

Let me suggest a couple of items we may need to learn in these times of misfortune, each of which is predicated upon putting our trust in human beings and their creative inventions, things like home equity loans, mortgage refi’s, and mutual funds and pensions that we believe are never supposed decrease in value.

A first item to be discerned: “I don’t want to be a burden to my children.”

An understandable concept.  Who would ever want to be a burden upon one’s children?  But, notice what happens.  To secure ourselves having this fear become reality, we consult savvy wealth managers who invest our money in the stock market in the hope we will make a double-digit annual return that, in turn, will make it possible for us to live in comfort until we die…never becoming a burden to a our children.

Misfortune reminds us about what family means, as God intended it in and from the beginning.  In a family, members bear obligations to one another not simply by blood—which would be a burden—but by life itself—which concerns a generous heart.  The very notion that an elderly family member would be a “burden” is a perversion of the very nature of “family.”  Just as no infant is a burden, so too, no elderly member of a family is a burden…that is, unless we make it so because we have other priorities.

Sure, good fortune makes it possible to insulate ourselves from having to deal with the burdens that old age place upon a family.  We may even be so lucky as to live in the equivalent of a cruise ship like the USS Shannondell, but we do so at the high cost of living in a fantasy world where we believe creative human inventions—like low-risk investments—will protect us from ever being a burden or having to bear a burden.

Luxuriating in our good fortune, however, we fail to realize—what we need to discern in the signs of the times—is that we are living in fear.  Why?  Despite all of our alleged “financial security,” we don’t know whether normal market fluctuations will wipe out our investments or, worse yet, whether our children truly love us or view us as a potential burden.  What we have failed to consider is what God intended in and from the beginning for marriage and family life.  On living according to what God intends will we possess the true happiness that can never be taken away, even by misfortune.

A second item to be discerned: “I can have it all.”

Again, an understandable but far more wishful concept.  Who doesn’t want to have it all?  The desire isn’t problematic.  What is problematic is the belief that we can, in fact, have it all.  So, acting in the belief that we can have it all, we decide to go and get it all by placing at risk what we possess.  We take advantage of creative human inventions—like five-year ARMs and low-cost home equity loans—to acquire all of those goodies we so very much desire.  In short, this is nothing other than “living beyond our means.”

Luxuriating in good fortune, what we fail to realize—what we need to discern in the signs of the times—is that we are living in fear.  Why?  Despite all we possess, we know that all of it can be taken away in the flash of an instant.  And, when our possessions are taken away, we blame everyone but ourselves.  Why?  We never learned the important lesson: be careful lest your possessions possess you.  Possessing what we need—not everything we want—brings true happiness, something misfortune can never take away.

In today’s gospel, Jesus tells the chief priests and elders of the people a parable about a king who hosted a wedding feast for his son.  The king invited all sorts of people, all of whom were very busy working to earn an income they hoped would insulate them from everything they feared and comfort them with everything they wanted.  These people not only didn’t respond to the king’s invitation but, when reminded that they had been invited to the wedding feast, beat and killed those whom the king had sent bearing the RSVP.  In the end, the king wrought utter destruction upon all of those people, all of their possessions, and every institution in which they had placed their hope.

The lesson?  In the end, only God is all powerful.

When the king invites us to the wedding feast, nothing matters more than to come, to participate, and to enjoy the festivities which will provide everything we need…the true basics of life.  However, if we are to enjoy that banquet, we must reorder our priorities by putting first things first.  Then, feasting at the king’s banquet, we will be filled with everything we need and will know what truly matters, as God intended in and from the beginning.

St. Paul also reminds us that misfortune does not paralyze. Instead, we allow ourselves to be paralyzed by all of those things we believe will make us truly happy.  What matters most is neither abundance nor its lack, but knowing where our true happiness is found.  As St. Paul wrote to the Philippians: “I know how to live in humble circumstances; I know also how to live with abundance.  In every circumstance and in all things I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of living in abundance and of being in need.  I can do all things in him who strengthens me….My God will fully supply whatever you need, in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.  To our God and Father, glory forever and ever.  Amen.”

In the end, true happiness is not found by trusting in creative human inventions but by trusting in God Who provides even in misfortune, the “classroom” where we learn where true happiness is found.  When we learn that lesson, the prophet Isaiah reminds us: “On that day it will be said: ‘Behold our God, to whom we look to save us!  This is the Lord for whom we looked; let us rejoice be glad that he has saved us!’ ”


The allegory of the landowner and the vineyard Jesus used in today’s gospel raises for our consideration those vineyards God has planted, put a hedge around, dug a wine press, built a tower, and then has leased…to us.  God has entrusted us to care and cultivate those vineyards, fully expecting they will produce abundant fruit through our labor.  Then, when God returns, God fully expects we will present to him the first fruits of our labor, evidencing wise stewardship of those vineyards God has entrusted to our care and cultivation.

I don’t believe we reflect often enough upon that allegory and the challenges it presents us in so many aspects―those “vineyards”―of our lives.

Consider, first, the vineyard of our wonderful nation.

Looking backwards historically, I think it safe to state that no nation has been so richly blessed by God as has our nation.  For the most part, we enjoy a standard and quality of life that is the envy of most people in the free world.  Poverty is a problem, yes; but, even our nation’s poor have it better than the poor in almost every other nation.  Race relations continue to be a problem, yes; but, social inequality and injustice are matters that many, if not most, of our fellow citizens are not just concerned about but are also active in rooting out.

Yet, how often do we forget that this vineyard we call our “homeland” and its fruits do not belong to us?  No, God has entrusted all of this to us.  Our nation is not our vineyard, individually or collectively.  No, we are merely tenants who will be replaced by other tenants when our day has passed.  Our task is to care and cultivate this vineyard so that, when God returns, we will present him the first fruits―those very best fruits―of our labor.  This message challenges us to consider many things, including: how we care and cultivate the less fortunate among us, the environment, our natural resources, and so many other important national issues.

In contrast to this vision, consider the events of the past ten days.

“Armageddon” is the word we’ve heard numerous politicians and media pundits invoke to describe the financial debacle—“bigger than the Great Depression,” some opined—that would befall our nation if the President’s proposed “bailout” package was not enacted by Congress immediately.  Words like “Armageddon” and phrases like “bigger than the Great Depression” are carefully chosen to ensure maximum impact, that is, to produce the greatest possible amount of anxiety.

The cause of this debacle?  It’s extremely complex, but some blame greed in the form of unscrupulous business persons and politicians.  Others blame a lack of oversight on the part of governmental regulators.  Sure, there’s a lot of guilt to be spread around.  But, did these people cause this debacle?

No.  None of this would have happened had hundreds of thousands or millions of fellow tenants—perhaps even many of us—lived within their means rather than deluding themselves to believe they could pile up debt upon debt in the false belief there would be no day of reckoning.  But, that day has arrived and all of those people now have nothing―except bankruptcy―to present to God for the blessings of life, of liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in one of the greatest vineyards in the world.  Why?  The answer is that all these people cared about and cultivated was what was their selfish, self-interest.  Sad to say, but let’s not be so self-pretentious and defensive to forget: unscrupulous business persons and politicians need greedy fellow tenants, that is, if those scoundrels are to further their mischievous ends.

Yet, as important as our nation’s economic woes are, all of that pales in comparison to its abortion statistics.  Since the 1973 Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade, industry statistics (yes, that’s what they’re called because it is an industry) indicate that documented abortions have terminated the lives of more than 50 million unborn babies in the United States.  Were those 50 million fellow citizens alive today, they would be standing beside us in caring for and cultivating the vineyard of our nation.  How richer and more productive this vineyard would be!  But, sad to say, those human beings were condemned to a premature death for what can be described as nothing other than purely selfish reasons.

It’s all too easy to point the finger of blame at unscrupulous business persons and politicians or those who choose to or participate in aborting a human being.  It’s not so easy to point the finger of blame at ourselves.  God has entrusted the vineyard of this nation to us.  We are to care for and cultivate it.  So: What are we are doing to secure economic security and social justice?  And, more importantly: What are we doing to secure life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for the unborn?

Consider, second, the vineyard of marriage.

God has entrusted to many women and men this very special and sacred vineyard, trusting that they will care for and cultivate it, the first fruit of which is the cornerstone of any society that could be called “great.”  Then, on the day when God returns, he fully expects husbands and wives to present the first fruits of their labors―the very best fruits―from this vineyard.  What could ever engender more joy in a husband and wife to present to God their fruit of healthy, happy, and virtuous children and grandchildren?

Yet, today in this vineyard we might wonder just exactly what all of those tenants are up to?  In the United States, the divorce rate for first marriages is 50%, for second marriages 67%, and for third marriages 74%, according to Jennifer Baker (Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in Springfield, Missouri).  You’d think that after a second divorce, these men and women would begin to get the idea: theyre simply not cut out for marriage!  But, get this: the divorce rate among Catholics is 21%.  That’s one in five marriages ending in divorce!  Inconceivably, 13% of Protestant ministers have divorced―that’s more than one in ten...and raising a “red flag” to all of those who are calling for married priests (Barna Research Group, 1999).

The cause of this debacle?  To be sure, it’s extremely complex.  Some argue that divorce is due to the greater incidence of cohabitation before marriage.  Others argue that a culture of rampant individualism makes it impossible for spouses to enter into the intimate communion of mind, of heart, and of body that is required if a marriage is to succeed.  In reaction to the media which generally trumpets such low expectations with regard to marriage, some argue that young people set their expectations for marital bliss so high—verging on the stuff of pure fantasy and delusion—that no marriage could possibly meet these expectations.  Sure, there’s a lot of guilt to be spread around.  But, did these cause this debacle?

No, quite likely not.  Why?  None of this would have happened had those millions upon millions of men and women—perhaps some of us—contemplated and taken seriously what the words “I will love you, honor you, and obey you all the days of my life…” really mean and what they actually require.  Anyone who lives in a good marriage knows that “wedded bliss” in the vineyard of marriage requires constant care and cultivation.  Weeds seem to keep cropping up no matter how much the vineyard is weeded.  The only way to battle all of this is to do battle with it!  Patient and persistent weeding is how spouses who love, honor, and obey each other build strong, sacramental marriages, as God intended in and from the beginning.

Sad to say, with the day of reckoning now having arrived in the form of the termination of so many marriages as if they are the equivalent of defaulting on a automobile loan or mortgage, these ex-spouses have nothing to present to God from this vineyard which God entrusted to them to care for and cultivate.  Sure, the reasons for divorce are complex, but we all know that no marriage will end up in divorce court when both spouses make a total and free commitment to love, honor, and obey each other all the days of their lives and renew that commitment each and every day of their lives.  Furthermore, statistics indicate that couples who pray together daily and worship together weekly have a lower incidence of divorce, ranging from 3% to 8%, far below the national averages.

So, for those who are contemplating spending their lives in the vineyard of marriage, the questions are simple and straightforward:

  • Do you want to present to God healthy, happy, and virtuous children and grandchildren?

  • Are you and your intended spouse willing to pray together each day and to worship together weekly?
     

If not, chances are that you’re going to be visiting an attorney and, perhaps sooner than later.  Use there two tools to care for and cultivate your marriage and you will present to God the best first fruits of your labor in the vineyard of marriage.  No doubt about it.

Consider, third, the vineyard of life itself.

God has entrusted to each of us the vineyard of a life, trusting that we will care for and cultivate that most precious vineyard.  Then, on the day when God returns, he fully expects that we will present to him the first fruits―the very best fruits―of our labors.

God has entrusted us with different talents, to be sure.  None of us is good at everything, but all of us are good at one thing or perhaps even a few things.  Caring for and cultivating those talents, especially in service of other human beings, is certainly an important aspect of the labor we must perform in this vineyard called “life.”  But, let us not forget that labor in the vineyard of life is not simply to provide for ourselves everything we need and want.  No, labor is also is a means by which we care for and cultivate others in this vineyard.

At the same time, let us also not forget that God has entrusted each of us with caring for and cultivating the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Important as it is to care for and cultivate our talents so that, at a minimum, we will be able to provide for our basic temporal need (and to the degree possible for the temporal needs of others), it’s all the more important that we care for and cultivate wisdom, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, understanding, piety, and fear of the Lord.  Why?  Because each of us possesses the talent to be expert in each and every one of these gifts.  These are essential to what is absolutely important in the vineyard of life, namely, a solid and vibrant spiritual life.

While we might believe the sole beneficiary of all our work in the vineyard is God, it’s not.  We also are the beneficiary because as we care for and cultivate all that God has entrusted to us, we become the person God has entrusted to us in creating each of us.  For God and for each of us as well, there is nothing greater, more wonderful, and more fulfilling than to become that person and to present that person to God as the first fruit―the very best fruit―of our labor in the vineyard.

The allegory of the vineyard Jesus used in today’s gospel begins with the incredible love God had by entrusting his vineyard to us.  But, let us not forget, Jesus also indicates a very bad end for those who fail to produce good fruit.  It’s all about caring and cultivating, not taking and squandering for ourselves!  For those who fail to care and cultivate and take and squander solely for themselves, Jesus said: “The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.”

Those words are not intended to threaten, induce fear, or cause anxiety.  No, those words are intended to remind us as disciples to “think about these things,” as St. Paul said.  That is, think about our nation, our marriages, and our lives from the landowners perspective...not from our own, narrow, and sometimes selfish perspective.  God has done everything he could to provide a productive vineyard for the tenants.  Was the landowner—God—foolish for entrusting his vineyard to lousy tenants?  If not, then what first fruits are we prepared to present to God when he does return?  Consider carefully how you are caring for and cultivating the nation, the marriage, and the life God has entrusted to you.

What God has entrusted to each of us is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, gracious, full of excellence, and worthy of praise.  “Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen…,” St. Paul encourages us.

 

A brief commercial break...
 

1) With the commemoration of All Souls coming on November 2nd, families might want to introduce an ancient custom for observing All Souls Day into their annual calendar.

First: at some point during the day on the Solemnity of All Saints (November 1), have each family member remember (or write down) the deceased members of the family, relatives, and friends who have died, who used to be called the "Poor Souls."

Second: just before beginning dinner on the evening of All Saints Day, place a blessed candlesymbolizing "Jesus the Light that has come into the world"in the center of the dinner table and gather the family around the dinner table.

Third: have one family member extinguish the lights and, in the darkness and beginning with the youngest member of the family and proceeding to the oldest member of the family, identify by name each of the "Poor Souls."

Fourth: have the oldest child light the blessed candle as all family members say, "Jesus Christ is the Light that has come into the world."

Fifth: in response, the family prays together:

"Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.  And let perpetual light shine upon them.  May their souls and all the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace.  Amen."

This very brief ritual reminds everyone in the family that life is immensely precious and death is all-consuming.  With Christ and in the resurrection of the body, there is light, warmth, life, and hope.

 

2) With only 81 days left until Christmas Day, the people at Magnificat® produce a companion edition for the season of Advent.   Similar to a what older Catholics may remember as a "prayer book," the companion edition contains all sorts of prayers, readings, reflections, art, and activities for every member of the family to prepare each day of the season of Advent for the coming of Christ at Christmas.

Grandparents might consider purchasing a copy for themselves and copies for each of their grandchildren.  Confirmation sponsors might consider purchasing a copy for themselves as well as the person they sponsored in the faith.  Spouses might purchase a copy for themselves and use it for daily prayer during the season of Advent.  Parents might purchase a copy for the family and use it to lead prayer before dinner each evening.

At a price of $3.95 for 1-4 copies plus $1 shipping/handling, $2.50 for 5-9 copies plus $3 shipping/handling, and $1.50 for 10-49 copies (plus $5 shipping/handling), the companion edition makes a perfect and very affordable opportunity to prepare for the coming of Christ at Christmas as well as an Advent gift to spur family, friends, and colleagues toward greater spiritual growth during the season of Advent.

The companion edition has a limited press run that sells out each year.  Furthermore, orders are filled in the order received.  So, place your order early.

To place an order for the 2008 companion edition of Magnificat® for the season of Advent, call 1-970-416-6670 or email specialissue@intrepidgroup.com for ordering information.

 

 

 

 

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