19th Sunday Year C - Homily 3

Homily 3 - 2013 

It seems to me that the leaders of both major political parties have taken their soundings of the electorate, and are bending over backwards to promise people basically what they think they want.  What they disagree on is which of them is most likely to deliver...  “Trust me! You can’t trust him!”  Inevitably I hear all this incessant political chatter against the background of the Gospels that we have been reflecting on these past couple of weeks.

Two weeks ago there was the prayer taught to us precisely by Jesus: Your kingdom come… Give us each day our daily bread – not too little, not too much, but enough – what we need for each day.  That apparently was what Jesus prayed.  That is what he wanted.  That spelt out his heart desires.  It was followed immediately by Jesus’ assurance that, if we learnt our desires from him, and made his prayer our prayer, it would be unthinkable for God not to grant it.

Then last week we had the lucky landholder with the unprecedented, unexpected harvest.  What will I do?  And his decision was something to the effect that: “I’ll build a world of my own that no one else can share; and I’ll leave all my troubles behind me there; and I know that I’ll find I’ll have peace of mind when I live in a world of my own.”  That prompted Jesus crisp reply: Fool!

Fool!  It is as though Jesus said: “You don’t find peace of mind when you live in a world of your own.  Reach out to people with love, with respect.  “Don’t store up treasure for yourself – make yourself rich in the sight of God.  Do what you can to make the world resemble ever more fully the Kingdom of God.”  Learn from Jesus until you ardently desire, ‘Father, your Kingdom come!

And then today’s Gospel.  Whom can you trust? Who is fair dinkum?  It is again as though Jesus were saying: “Learn to trust God!  God is determined to give you the kingdom.  You’ll find peace of mind when you learn to trust God and to take God’s word as Gospel.  You certainly don’t need to trust your political leaders.  You don’t have to trust yourself.  The kingdom experience is not a case of filling up your lives with a mountain of mini-desires, none of which is ever adequate.  Down-size! Give alms!  Keep enough, and pray for your daily bread.  But enough is enough!  That is the way to peace of mind, to freedom, to joy, to fulfillment.”  As Jesus so quaintly said of himself: He will put on an apron, sit them down at table and wait on them.

We learn what to desire from others.  We are all inveterate mimics.  But the desires we learn from others are mostly irrelevant – at least as regards a wonderful world where everyone has sufficient for their needs.  We need to cut loose from what most others are scrambling over each other to get hold of.  We need to learn what to desire by observing Jesus.

But we always need to keep our eyes wide open.  Jesus was intent on helping people to become fully alive.  He was not into competitiveness or rivalry or one-up-man-ship, but into respect and service and generosity.  That was his way – not to build a world of his own where no one else could share, but a world for everyone where the human dignity of everyone would be seen and respected.  That was his way to life to the full.  That is what he desired – for himself and for everyone.  That desire made him vulnerable.  All love makes us vulnerable.

We can opt for it honestly only as we learn to trust, not just anyone, but to trust God.  When you think of it, what a great desire!  What a true treasure!  no thieves or moths there!  Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also!