Homily, Ash Wednesday

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23; Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11; Luke 12:13-21 I think you will agree with me that most of us like to be in control. We like to shape the world around us and steer things in the direction we choose. For instance. · How many of us feel the need to choose the social lives of our family and friends -, where we’re going to eat, where we’re going to go on vacation? · How many of us want to be the spouse who sets the rules (and punishments) for our children? · How many of us want to get our way at work, or even on the road? Yes, we do like to be in control. No doubt about that. And we probably act that way for a number of good reasons . But the biggest reason might be a simple one --- because we think we can protect ourselves from bad things, from the things we don’t want, and from people acting in ways we don’t like. Put simply --- our need to “control” might at its core simply be a misguided need to try to ensure our “happiness”. Well, I say “misguided” because deep down, we know things don’t really work that way. Disappointments find us. Sorrow finds us. Tragedy hits us. Failure finds us!!! “Vanity of vanities . . ..! All things are vanity……For what profit comes ….from all the toil an anxiety of heart” So begins the Book of Ecclesiastes. Is the author of today’s first reading a pessimist or a realist? ‘Vanity of vanities, all is vanity’ might suggest that all our efforts are in the end unstable and futile ­­– a breath of wind blowing dust around. For those of you who don’t know --- this book is not a “warm and fuzzy” one. Its message isn’t that “everything is going to be wonderful”. It’s much more in line with what we know from personal experience. And that means it’s kind of a tough read. So, what is the human author driving at? Let’s go straight to our Gospel reading from Luke in which Jesus tells a parable showing the fleeting nature of the material things of this world and the fleeting nature of our individual lives. This parable about storing large amounts of grain for the future recalls the story of Joseph and the Pharoah in ancient Egypt (Genesis 41). Where Joseph is praised for his wisdom to store up grain for the seven lean years to come, the rich man in today’s gospel is criticized for what sound like the same thing. Why? The fundamental difference is in the purpose of these people’s actions. Joseph, interpreting Pharaoh’s dream, advised the entire country to store grain during years of plenty so that people all over the country, and the wider region would not starve during the years of famine. The greedy rich man, however, only stores his harvest so that he himself could live off it for years, so he could do nothing but “rest, eat, drink, and be merry!” (Luke 12:19). Joseph saved hundreds of thousands of people with the stored grain across the country. The rich fool only wanted to save himself. And he sadly failed. Dear friends, life is more relational than material . We do not exist as isolated individuals. The rich man in the parable is condemned as a fool precisely because he isolates himself from human relationships, and relationship with God, which alone can make us unhappy. Earthly things are good, but they can never satisfy the human heart. St Augustine clearly put it “Our hearts are restless until they rest in you”. Jesus did not condemn wealth as such, but the attitude of mind that wealth consists in accumulating stuff, rather than forming loving relationships, especially with God, who alone can satisfy our longings. As Christians we are called to live this life as gateway to eternity- our true home is not this passing earth, but the new heavens and the new earth. Everything belongs to God, and we are stewards or caretakers who are expected to use the gifts in service to one another. Questions to reflect on for the week: Are you in control of your possessions, gifts and talents or are they controlling you? What are you storing in your heart?” Is it unforgiveness, habitual sinfulness, or bitterness? May we become rich in what matters to God so that our treasure will last forever!

17 th Sunday of the Year C Gen 18:20-32; Col 2:12-14; Luke 11:1-13 Have you ever had conversations with people who have expressed a distaste for many of the beliefs and practices of organized religion ? Sometimes these criticisms come from people who have had “bad” religious experiences in their own families or have seen what they feel is an ugly side of faith. I understand that. Some others have been hurt and disappointed by the common failings and faults of some of the faithful in the pews. Many others have been particularly crushed by the serious sins of Church leadership. Yet, there are others who simply are trying to be intellectually honest --- people who have truly wrestled with some of the big questions of life and faith and have been relatively unsatisfied with the “answers” religion provides. They “want” to believe at some level but just find too many obstacles. And sometimes that “obstacle” is the image of God presented to them. One particular element of Christianity that I hear criticized so often is the way we seem to ask God for things over and over again. Many people assert that they just, don’t understand why it needs to be this way! They argue: God knows everything. God knows exactly what we need (and want). So why do we need to ask? God has infinite power . There are no limits to what he can do. We don’t have to try to get his “attention” because he is “busy” elsewhere. So why do we need to ask? God is immutable --- which means, unchanging and unchangeable . That means we kind of diminish God if we think we can somehow “ change” his mind. So why bother to pray if God has already written the script? Well, today, in both our First Reading and Gospel passage, we hear examples illustrating the power of pleading with God. In the story from Genesis, we see Abraham “bartering” with God --- seeing if he can somehow get the best “deal” possible. Apparently, Abraham is wise enough to not ask for everything all at once, as if he’s using his charm to coax God’s mercy out of him. God goes along with each of his requests. And in the Gospel passage from Luke --- Jesus tells a story about a man banging on his friend’s door at midnight trying to get some bread for an unexpected guest. The friend initially refuses, but then gets worn down from the persistence of the man and gives in. After relating that story, Jesus utters these “famous” words, “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” So, what gives? Do we have to “beg” God to get his blessings or does God actually withhold good things from us until we “wear him down”? Do we have to be expert negotiators, or charmers? Dear friends, an authentic spiritual life is about none of those things. It’s about a relationship supported, strengthened and transformed in part by a holy conversation --- what we call the divine conversation. This is a conversation that has no beginning and no ending, but rather is one that has been continual from the very dawn of time --- a sacred conversation which enables channels of grace to remain open within every single person --- a kind of listening and speaking that helps each of us remain open to an outpouring of God’s life which has the power to change absolutely everything. And so, we bring our needs to our God because we believe he loves us more than we can imagine, because we trust in his wisdom and power, because we need to put into words the deepest longings of our hearts. And maybe most importantly --- we ask, seek, and knock simply because it opens us up to every good thing God wants for us (and from us). Prayer encourages dependence on God and today’s parable shows us perseverance. We do not “keep knocking” because God isn’t aware of our needs but, rather, because we need to remain constantly aware of our daily need for him – our daily bread. Whenever we turn to God in prayer, we put our minds and hearts in contact with the very source of life and truth. And that refreshes the human soul, just as rebooting your computer refreshes the software that makes the computer run. When stress, discouragement, and frustration start to clog our circuits, we don't need to jack up the voltage by working more hours or by distracting ourselves with even more exciting entertainment; no, we need to reboot, we need to pray with perseverance. When you pray say” “Behold, I am your servant, do with and in and through me according to your will” In happy moments, seek God, in hard moments praise God, in quiet moments, trust God, in every moment, thank God. Lord Jesus, teach us to pray.

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