HOMILY ANECDOTE:
What legacy can we leave behind when we are gone? September 7, 1997 and October 4, 1997 mark the death of two world known figures; Mobutu Sese Seko and Mother Theresa of Calcutta respectively.
Mobutu was a military dictator and president of the Democratic Republic of Congo which he renamed Zaire in 1971. Formerly serving as a Chief of Staff of the Army and supported by Belgium and the United States, he deposed the nationalist democratically elected government of Patrice Lumumba in 1960, and equally installed a government that saw the execution of Lumumba in 1961. During his totalitarian regime, he amassed vast personal wealth through economic exploitation and corruption. He remained in power for over three decades until a rebel force led by Lawrence – Desire’ Kabila expelled him from the country. And already suffering from prostrate cancer, he died three months later as an exile in Morocco.
On the other side is the story of a simple and wise woman, who spent her whole life sharing Christ’s selfless, caring agape love with the most abandoned in the streets of Calcutta. From a humble beginning with a 12-member religious missionaries of charity. She died a happy and fulfilled woman. At the time of her death, the number of sisters had risen to 4,000 and spread over 100 countries. She was laid in an open casket for a week in Calcutta for pilgrims to see. She received a state funeral from Indian government. The funeral was presided by the Pope’s representative, Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano. The Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif called her “a rare and unique individual who lived long for a higher purpose.” And for the UN Secretary General “She was the United State herself, and a peace in the world.”
-Mobutu died a president in exile and was buried in exile same day.
-Mother Theresa died a poor and simple woman who was given a state burial.
-Today nobody talks about Mobutu, but even the generation yet unborn will know about Mother Theresa and now Saint Theresa of Calcutta.
What legacy will you and I leave behind when we are gone?
The three readings of this Sunday share the same theme; “Here today and gone tomorrow, the greedy acquisition of wealth and power.”
FIRST READING
The writer of the Book of Ecclesiastes (also called Qohelet) was very pessimistic that true happiness and the meaning of life does not come from the worldly acquisition of wealth. He equally saw the greedy pursuit of wealth as lack of wisdom, and ungodly because it brings distraction from God and restlessness for the human soul: “All his days sorrow and grief are his occupying, even at night his mind is not at rest.” (Eccl 2:23)
When he speaks about vanity of vanities, all things are vanity (Eccl 1:2), he simply instructs that every greedy and selfish acquisition of wealth is worthless because none of the wealth will follow the person when he dies.
SECOND READING
St. Paul enjoins the Christian community of Colossae to direct their attention to the ever enduring treasure which is life in Christ. And the only way to qualify for life in Christ, is by taking off the old self full of immorality, impurity, evil desire and greed in order to put on the new self in the image of the Creator (Col 3:9-10). This new self according to him neither dies nor fades away because it is founded in the power of the risen Lord.
GOSPEL
The use of a parable was very common in the time of Jesus, and as a good teacher, Jesus always made use of them as a teaching method that fit the tradition of his time.
The theme of today’s parable of the rich fool, is one that depicts the futility of the belief that wealth is a sign of a good life.
In the Jewish rabbinic tradition, disputes were usually settled by the rabbis who alone had the right to dispense justice based on the Torah. Just like in many other cultures, the Jewish culture, which is greatly founded on the inscription of the Torah (OT 21:15-17; Nb 27:1-11;36:7-9) in matters of division of properties, the older son is given a greater part, basically, two-third of the property while the younger son receives one-third.
Therefore in today’s parable there was a dispute which must have arisen either because the elder son was unjust in the distribution of the property or the younger son was very greedy not to have accepted what was for him.
Jesus refused to be a judge between both brothers but rather seized the opportunity to pass an important message about the futility of material wealth. Hence the parable of the rich fool.
By this parable Jesus countered the belief that having material wealth is a sign of good living.
The man in the parable was called a rich fool because he omitted two important virtues that give meaning to wealth: Appreciation of God as the source of his wealth, and sharing his wealth with the poor.
He was intoxicated by his riches, and fell in love with them to the point that there was no place for God in his heart. And since God was not in his heart, he could not see the need for others (selfishness).
The parable ended with a reminder to all that one day we will all submit that which belongs to God. “This night your life will be demanded of you.”
LIFE MESSAGE
RICH IN THE WORLD BUT POOR IN GOD
There is nothing wrong with being rich or having material possession. In fact they are blessings from God. But what makes the difference is the use of our riches. That which is a sign of blessing can turn out to be a source of damnation.
In our industrialised world today, there exist high level of corruption, greed and exploitation. The rich become richer and the poor become poorer. Like the rich fool who did not even give just reward to his poor labourers many people exploit the poor at their own advantage. They fail to recognize their possessions as a loan from God which must be shared with the poor.
When we spend much time acquiring as many riches as we can, then we give less time for God. Certainly we will continue to grow in riches, but at the same time, we will be starving spiritually to death.
DEATH; AN END TO EARTHLY RICHES
The book of Ecclesiastes reminds us that one day earthly struggles will cease and we will all depart and leave our possessions to others, for no one carries riches to the grave.
The parable tells us that one day God will take back the life He has given to us. What do we make out of the life we have here and now? We must remember that one day we will not just die, but we will equally give account of the type of life we lived. Therefore the readings of this day invite us;
1 To store up our treasure in heaven.
2 Give our hearts to God.
3 Make good use of our possessions by sharing.
4 Spend time with God.
5 Possess our possessions and not allow them to possess us.
WHAT WILL I BE REMEMBERED FOR WHEN I AM GONE?
PRAYER:
May the Almighty God bless His word in our hearts today and make it bear fruit that will endure forever. Amen
PAX VOBIS!
