28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Peace be with you and greetings for our celebration of the Mass for the 28 th Sunday in Ordinary Time. OK. For a couple of minutes, I’m going to give, what our Protestant friends would call a “testimony”. I’m now 76 years old and I’ve been a Deacon for a little over 10 years now. Before my ordination, I had a 30-year Army career and retired in 1997, then I worked for a few years in Washington State before we moved to Huntsville, where I worked for 15 more years on Redstone Arsenal in the Apache Attack Helicopter program. I retired from that job in 2014. In all of this, Virginia and I have moved 23 times, and most of those moves with kids still at home. Now think, even though I may have been doing something different to make a living than most of you, we still probably had the same general priorities; raising kids and getting them through school, paying bills, trying to put a little money into savings, having some fun along the way, and dealing with some crises. For most of my life, I went to Church on Sunday, but I had not read any of the three readings before Mass and I really didn’t listen very attentively as they were being read during the Mass. I might have paid some attention to the homily following the Gospel but there were a lot of variables and distractions that affected that mental effort also.
Now, I’m not going to ask for a show of hands, but can anyone else identify with all that, with any of the story I just told? Yes, no, maybe? So, let’s do a little exercise. Sit back, close your eyes for a few seconds, and think of a big circle. A circle with all your life’s priorities in it and ask yourself, what is at the center of the circle? Where is God in my circle? OK, open your eyes. Now, as kind of a quick self-test you might ask, what was the first reading I just heard a few minutes ago? My sisters and brothers, as I read all three readings today before Mass, I do that now a days, I realized they were all about the big circle and where God is in it, in my own life. And as I meditated on the readings today, two names came to mind that helped my thoughts about priorities, Milton and Helene.
I thought about a man and his wife in NC talking to a news woman about being thankful just to be alive, with the ruins of their home in the background, now a pile of mud and broken boards. I thought about a scene from FL with a long line outside of a store waiting to get in and buy something needed, and a big sign that said, “cash only, no electricity.” There is a lot happening in our world right now that should urge all of us to move God into the middle of our life’s circle of priorities, but I’ll have to admit with a little personal guilt, there always have been catastrophes happening. I just wasn’t paying attention.
Friends, the first reading was from the book of Wisdom, and we were told, “all good things together came to me in her company.” So, we ask, what good things? The writer makes it clear, it’s not gold and silver, those he called sand and mire. Well, our second reading from Hebrews helps, “The word of God is living and effective. And able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.” Reflections and thoughts of the heart. That’s an interesting phrase. Maybe that’s wisdom coupled with faith in God. A vision of life. A vision that lets us go deeper. A vision that abides and comes to our support. And wisdom with faith in God comes to our support particularly when everything has fallen apart. Wisdom with faith in God can become the ground floor of our minds and hold everything else up, but then there is another element in the circle, and that brings us to the Gospel reading.
Jesus invites a rich man to keep company with the poor, but the man cannot give up his wealth and he goes away “sad.” Now, listen carefully sisters and brothers, if you try to take this reading too literal it can spiritually be a real downer. Friends, Jesus is not telling everyone of us to go live in a monastery or a convent if you want to get to heaven. At the time this Gospel was written the Hebrew culture would have viewed this rich young guy as a saint. He kept all the commandments, he followed Mosaic Law, and he was rich. Consequently, that’s physical proof, God must really, really love him far more than the common folks. Hence, the rewards of earthly wealth. That is why you hear the Apostles, “were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, ‘Then who can be saved?’” They would have thought he was near perfect. And one more time Jesus turns their world completely upside down.
Today, is a good day to take stock of our circle of priorities and decide sincerely, where God resides in our own circle. Begin with the people in our lives. Who do we let in to share with us their love and wisdom? Who nourishes our faith and our hope? Who is there and shares our ups, and especially our downs. Perhaps we need to also look closely at who we push away and don’t allow to come close? Then, what things have we chosen to keep us company; our home, our workplace, our Church? What other kinds of company and stuff do we keep around us in our homes; photographs, an old worn Bible, other good books, flowers, a cherished pet? Maybe we should evaluate how much time we spend mindlessly sitting in front of a TV? Then ask ourselves, how do we keep company with those in need in the world; awareness, prayer, financial support, volunteering, advocacy?
Finally, my friends ask this, in the privacy of our own hearts, what are we giving up or giving away to keep company with Jesus?
