Readings:
Ecclesiastes 1:2;2:21-23
Psalm 90
Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11
Luke 12:13-21
A true story, however, I’ve changed the names of priests. There once was a wise old priest, named Father John, and a young excitable priest, lets call him Father Jacob. Father Jacob was traveling through the area and Father John allowed him to stay in the guest room one day. They were chatting in Fr. John’s room and Fr. Jacob was admiring its simplicity: it had only one bookshelf, one closet, a desk, a crucifix, and an uncomfortable reading chair. Fr. Jacob said, “Your room is so plain. Where do you keep the rest of your stuff?” Fr. John replied, “This is it.” “But it is so simple”, Father Jacob countered. Fr. John cleverly said, “Well, if I walk down to your room all you’ve got is your suitcase!” Fr. Jacob replied, “Well, sure, but, after all, I leave to keep traveling tomorrow, I’m just passing through.” Fr. John said, “Aren’t we all.”
“I’m just passing through.” “Aren’t we all?” The wisdom that is contained in this simple remark is the truth that we are being reminded of from today’s readings. Namely, that all of us, when it comes to this world, are just passing through, that, although, we live in this world we are not of this world. Why is this an important message? Why does Jesus make it such a common theme in his preaching to teach us not to be too caught up with the things of this world?
One reason is because the things of this world are fleeting. When we cling to the world the joy we seek escapes us. As our first reading so boldly proclaims; “Vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!” and thus the pleasures of the world are illusive to us! A good question to ponder is what exactly does vanity mean? Egoism, pride, self-centeredness, these are all words that come to mind but they all are unable to really capture the true meaning of the original Hebrew and Greek. In fact, our English word vanity doesn’t encompass all that is contained in the original context. The primary meaning of this word translated as ‘vanity’, scholars tell us, is the image of ‘mist’. So, “Mist of mist. All things are mist.” Now there’s a great image for understanding the world in relation to us, it’s like … mist. Think about mist for a second, you can see it, you can get close to it, but once you get to it you just pass through. There’s no substance there, there’s nothing truly worthwhile and so the things of the world, when the Lord asks you to make an accounting of your life, mean nothing, they are but mist. The things of the world, when we go after them, will escape us and leave us out to dry.
What’s the most ‘misty’ like thing in our world? What is it that every time we seek it out it comes and goes, passes like the wind, like mist that we can’t really grab onto? In my opinion, it’s instant gratification. Think about it … instant gratification is ‘misty’, it sort of baits us in and after we’ve experienced it nothing remains, just a memory. Think of eating for example. There are two main parts to eating the taste and the nutrients that goes into our body. If we only ever eat what tastes good and never eat anything for the nutrients we will only gratify our desires and never give our bodies the nourishment we need. The same effect happens to our soul with all earthly pleasures. When we seek out to get instant gratification more often then we seek to give our souls the nourishment it needs we leave our souls malnourished. Because there’s nothing good for our souls when we indulge in the pleasures of the world. For example sexual pleasures; impure thoughts, gawking at members of the opposite sex, looking at pornography, all of these temptations, which the modern secular media has canonized as normal healthy living, all of these things are vanity, they are like mist, why? Because they all do not satisfy what is truly at the heart of our sexual desires, that is, to be in a loving committed relationship with a person of the opposite sex who has given themselves totally over to us through marriage. Now that has substance. You look at any couple in this parish who has been married for 25, 30, 35 or more years and you see substance, true love. If you ask them they will tell you it hasn’t been easy, but they know that their life has meaning because they have given themselves in marriage to that other person. Instant gratification, which is the Gospel message of the secular world, is like mist.
And so as Christians, in order to be not of the world we must turn away from instant gratification, which only leaves our souls empty. When we strive to follow Jesus Christ we must reject the hollow mist and turn towards God to fulfill us. The meaning of our soul, which is not of this world, will be gutted out if we try to fill it with the mist of instant gratification. Thus, we would be wise to listen to the advice of St. Paul in today’s second reading, “Put to death the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed.” We are called as Christians to do what most people in today’s world would laugh at, to deny ourselves, to die to ourselves, and live the new life fully that has been given to us in Baptism. As St. Paul reminds the Colossians “You have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in the image of its creator.” Wow! That is quite the task and it is what we are called to do by virtue of our baptism so that we may fill our lives up to the brim with joy, peace, and love. As Christians, we reject the hollow mist of instant gratification and turn towards a life with God by following Jesus Christ.
Now at this point there hopefully should be a little bit of tension rubbing within you. A tension that says okay, I know I should avoid the sins of the world, that’s obvious … but how do I live in this world and be not of this world? How do I go about storing up treasures in heaven like Jesus wants me too?
The Christian life calls us to live at a different level, which contributes to the coming of the Kingdom. Being baptized in the name of Jesus transforms us into children of God who work to bring about, by his grace, the fulfillment of God’s kingdom. We operate in this world at a level that non-Christians cannot even begin to grasp, which contributes our very own person to the Kingdom of Heaven. There are three basic levels of happiness that we can attain in this world. The first is the material level, wherein our physical needs and desires are satisfied. The second level is the psychological or emotional level, wherein our emotional needs and desires are satisfied. Then there is the contributive level, wherein we can satisfy a need and desire deep within us to contribute not just work, time, money, or what have you to a cause, but literally our very ownselves. At the very center of our being we desire to be given as a gift, to have our very own person be a gift that others cannot live without, that is, to contribute our very own selves. Nobody, except a baptized Christian can contribute themselves for the cause of ushering in God’s kingdom. Thus, our lives, as Catholics, operate on a different level when we truly embrace it to build up God’s kingdom.
Learning how to live in this world and be not of this world begins right here at the Eucharistic feast. We, as Catholics, participate in a true sacrifice for the sake of our sins. We are all priests of the new covenant, by virtue of our baptism, and we offer ourself as a spiritual sacrifice, and … everything else we bring with us, that means our family member whose sick we offer to God, our children whose away from the Church we offer to God, our atheist friend who curses the name of Jesus we offer to God, all our daily activities, our work, school, studies, taking care of the household, all of that we bring to this altar and offer to God, begging him to bless everything that goes on during this next week. And in doing so we consecrate ourselves and our week to be an instrument that aids in bringing about the reign of God over all the earth. Here, today, at this altar where in a real way heaven kisses earth we begin to order your life in such a way that you can live in this world but not be of this world.
The most important reason to do this is found in the parable that Jesus says today in the Gospel. There will come a point in our lives where we will have to make an accounting of our life before the Lord and show all that we have contributed as well as all the vanity, or mist, we sought out that did nothing for our good or the good of his kingdom, but the good thing is that as we show him the different parts of our life his facial expression will never turn sour, because he gazes on the totality of our lives with pure love, a love that forced him to open his arms on the cross. Our sins demanded his death, and his resurrection now demands our life and so we strive to give it to him everyday, especially in the Eucharist.
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