HOMILY FOR 28th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME-B


IN THE SECOND READING, THE AUTHOR OF HEBREWS TELLS US THAT GOD’S WORD IS A TWO-EDGED SWORD ABLE TO CUT DEEPLY AND SHARPLY, ABLE TO TELL US ABOUT OURSELVES IN WAYS WE MIGHT NOT WANT TO HEAR.  TODAY’S GOSPEL ILLUSTRATES THE KEENNESS OF THAT SWORD AND ITS ABILITY TO SLASH DEEPLY INTO OUR SOULS.  THE HIGHER WISDOM OF GOD IS BEAUTIFUL AS OUR FIRST READING POINTS OUT, BUT IT ALSO HAS A TENDENCY TO TURN OUR HUMAN WAY OF LOOKING AT THINGS AND THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN.


SOME BACKGROUND ON JEWISH IDEAS OF THE ROLE OF WEALTH WILL HELP US APPRECIATE THE RADICAL NATURE OF WHAT JESUS SAID TO THE YOUNG MAN.  IN BIBLICAL TIMES, A RICH MAN WAS REGARDED AS BLESSED BY GOD.  REMEMBER JOB AND HIS SO-CALLED FRIENDS.  WHEN HE WAS WEALTHY, THEY THOUGHT GOD FAVORED HIM.  WHEN HE LOST HIS WEALTH, THEY THOUGHT GOD WAS PUNISHING HIM.


NOW THE RICH IN THOSE TIMES WERE EXPECTED TO HOLD ONTO THEIR MONEY.  AFTER ALL, IT WAS A BLESSING FROM GOD.  BUT THEY WERE ALSO EXPECTED TO DISTRIBUTE IT TO THE POOR AS THE NEED AROSE.  IN FACT, IT WAS SEEN AS HONORABLE TO BE A BENEFACTOR OF THE POOR.  BUT TO BE A BENEFACTOR, YOU HAD TO HAVE THE MONEY TO GIVE AWAY SO YOU WERE NOT EXPECTED TO GIVE ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING AWAY.  IF YOU DID YOU COULDN’T BE A BENEFACTOR ANYMORE.


JESUS TOLD THE WELL-MEANING YOUNG MAN TO GIVE ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING AWAY, NOT TO KEEP ANYTHING BACK.  THERE’S ONE OF THE CUTTING EDGES OF THAT SWORD JESUS USE TO SLASH OUR COMMON BELIEFS.  BUT REMEMBER, IT’S A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD WE HAVE TO ACCOUNT FOR.  NOW JESUS SENDS THE OTHER EDGE SWINGING OUR WAY BY TELLING US THAT WEALTH, RATHER THAN BEING A SIGN OF GOD’S BLESSING, CAN BE AN OBSTACLE TO DISCIPLESHIP AND SALVATION.  THE OBSTACLE CAN BE VERY STRONG AS WE SEE WHEN THE YOUNG MAN WALKS SADLY AWAY, REJECTING JESUS’ CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP.  THE DANGER OF WEALTH IS VIVIDLY ILLUSTRATED BY THAT FACT.  IN THE GOSPEL OF MARK, JESUS CALLS MANY PEOPLE TO FOLLOW HIM.  ALL DO BUT ONE.  THAT ONE IS THE YOUNG MAN OF TODAY’S GOSPEL AND HIS REJECTION STEMS FROM HIS STRONG ATTACHMENT TO THE THINGS OF THE WORLD.


THE MELANCHOLY IRONY IN THIS EPISODE OF THE GOSPEL IS POWERFUL.  IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE OF OUR SECURITY HERE ON EARTH, WE BUILD DEFENSIVE WALLS OF MATERIAL ASSETS.  WE WALL OURSELVES IN SO THAT THE INSECURITIES INHERENT IN THE WORLD CANNOT TOUCH US.  WE ACCUMULATE WEALTH AND CAREFULLY CONSTRUCT THOSE IMPREGNABLE WALLS OF WORLDLY GOODS TO PROTECT OURSELVES AND ENSURE OUR SECURITY.


BUT OUR IMAGINED SECURITY CAN TURN INTO BONDAGE.  WALLS NOT ONLY KEEP THINGS OUT, THEY CAN KEEP US IN.  OUR WALLS AND LOCKS AND GUARDS PROTECT US FROM THE WORLD BUT ALSO CAN KEEP US FROM BEING ABLE TO ESCAPE THE ALLURE OF THE WORLD TO ANSWER JESUS’ CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP AND ETERNAL LIFE.  THE YOUNG MAN REFUSED TO LEAVE HIS FORTRESS OF MATERIAL SECURITY VALUING PHYSICAL AND FINANCIAL SECURITY ON EARTH MORE THAN CITIZENSHIP IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD.


WHAT CAN BE THE PROBLEM WITH WEALTH?  WHY DOES JESUS SAY IT IS HARD FOR THOSE WHO HAVE WEALTH TO ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD?  WEALTH IS NOT BAD IN AND OF ITSELF BUT IT CAN LEAD US TO MAKE AN ETERNALLY FATAL ERROR, THE SAME ONE THAT THE YOUNG MAN MADE.  ENJOYMENT OF THE GOODS OF THE WORLD CAN MAKE IT HARD FOR US TO LET GO OF THE WORLD, TO ANSWER JESUS’ CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP.


THE KEY TO IT ALL WAS ACTUALLY ANNOUNCED IN LAST WEEK’S GOSPEL.  REMEMBER IN THAT GOSPEL, JESUS SAID THE KINGDOM OF GOD BELONGS TO THOSE WHO COME TO GOD LIKE CHILDREN, FULLY TRUSTING IN HIS PROVIDENCE AND CARE JUST LIKE A CHILD FULLY TRUSTS IN THE LOVE AND CONCERN OF ITS PARENTS.


LIKE CHILDREN MUST FULLY TRUST THEIR PARENTS TO CARE FOR THEM, WE MUST FULLY TRUST IN GOD FOR OUR SALVATION.  JESUS FLATLY STATES THAT IN TODAY’S GOSPEL WHEN HE TELLS THE DISCIPLES THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR HUMANS TO SAVE THEMSELVES BUT THEY CAN BE SAVED BY GOD.  OUR ADULT WILES, PLANS AND IMPREGNABLE WALLS WILL NOT SAVE US.  OUR CHILDLIKE TRUST IN GOD CAN.

THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN IS TO LET GO OF THE EARTH JUST LIKE WHEN WE’RE BORN THE ONLY WAY TO LIFE IS TO LET GO OF THE SECURITY AND COMFORT OF THE WOMB.  BEING BORN INTO LIFE IS HARROWING, SCARY AND PRECARIOUS COMPARED TO THE COMFORT OF THE WOMB.  LIKE THE BABY LETS GO OF THE WOMB’S COMFORT AND SECURITY TO BE ALIVE TO THE WORLD, WE MUST LET GO OF ALL THE WORLDLY SECURITY WE HOLD SO DEAR TO LIVE IN GOD’S KINGDOM.


PLAN AS WE WILL, ACCUMULATE AS WE MIGHT, WE CANNOT SAVE OURSELVES.  THE DOW-JONES INDEX IS NOT A LIST OF THE NAMES OF THE SAINTS AND HAS NO RELATIONSHIP TO ETERNAL LIFE.  BUT WE CAN GET ON THE ROAD TO ETERNAL LIFE BY ANSWERING THE CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP.


THE FIRST READING TELLS US TO VALUE THE WISDOM OF GOD MORE THAN SCEPTER, THRONE OR RICHES.  JESUS PROVIDES THAT WISDOM IN TODAY’S GOSPEL TELLING US TO BE CONCERNED WITH VALUE MORE THAN PRICE, WITH GOD MORE THAN THE WORLD.