11th Week of Ordinary Time 2022 - Friday - The sin of consumerism

A few years ago, the Arts & Entertainment channel began airing a show called, “Hoarders”.  The show chronicles people whose accumulation and hoarding of material stuff has become so excessive that it is has become difficult to move through the house; sometimes whole rooms are inaccessible becomes they are filled with material stuff that has begun to decay.  In many cases the houses become so unsanitary that children are forced into foster care, or the house is condemned.  

There are no doubt many psychological factors involved in compulsive hoarding, but often the show challenges the viewer to examine our own attachments to material things.

When Jesus says “do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth” he is not imposing a ban on all possessions, of course; it is not a sin for us to own things. The Catechism speaks of a right to private property. Nor is Jesus forbidding us to “stock up” and save for times of famine.  The book of proverbs tells us to look to the example of the ant that stores up in the summer for what it will need in the winter and calls foolish those who make no provisions for their families or the future.

But, St. Thomas Aquinas would say that concern for earthly things becomes sinful when we treat material things as ends in themselves; we fall into sin when we become so preoccupied with material things that we neglect our duties toward God and our neighbor.

Now, most of us are not compulsive hoarders. But, we live in a very materialistic consumeristic culture where it is easy to overvalue THINGS. The culture promotes preoccupation with earthly things, earthly concerns to the detriment of spiritual matters. Because "money makes the world go round", right? 

But consumerism is deadly because at its root it says my happiness can come from something other than God. It says, “You have stuff and if you are unhappy, you just haven’t found the right stuff, the right thing. So keep buying, keep hoarding, eventually you’ll find it.” And that is radically contrary to the Gospel. To quote St. John Paul II, Consumerism leads to “attitudes and life styles… which are objectively improper and damaging to physical and spiritual health”.

So we need to be on guard against the prevailing consumeristic headwinds, and teach our young people especially, to value spiritual matters, by our own good example.

Every day, we need to be intentional in turning away from the pursuit of happiness-through-consumerism by seeking heavenly treasures through prayer and charitable service. 

When our lives are focused merely on the material, the earthly, we become unhappy and exhausted.  Rather, the spiritual life brings us into right relationship with God—the peace and joy that the world cannot give.  May we spend this day in God’s service, properly ordered, seeking spiritual things over earthly things, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all Christians will guard themselves against the evils of the world through study and prayer, and cultivate the life of the spirit for the good of all.

For greater generosity for the needs of the poor, the hungry, the homeless, those who are sick, unemployed, or suffering from addiction, mental, or physical illness, and those most in need: that the Lord in his goodness will be close to them in their trials.  

That the Lord will rescue all those who live at a distance from Him because of self-absorption or sin.  

For all those who have died, for all the poor souls in purgatory, for those who have fought and died for our country’s freedom, and for [intention below], for whom this Mass is offered.  

Mercifully hear, O Lord, the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in your divine mystery may always benefit from your assistance.

30th Week in Ordinary Time 2021 - Wednesday - Strive to enter through the narrow gate

 “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.”

The Greek word translated “strive” in this morning’s Gospel is agonizomai, from which we get the English word agonize. The implication here is that those who seek to enter the narrow gate must do so by struggle and strain, like a running athlete straining toward the finish line, all muscles taut and giving his all in the effort.

I don’t think it is a coincidence that Jesus’ passion begins with the “agony” in the garden, where he strives, and agonizes, to do the Will of the Father.  

The narrow gate of faithfulness is difficult for us because of our human pride, our attachment to sin, our attraction to worldliness and sensual delight, and of course the opposition of Satan.

Despite the difficulty and opposition, Jesus urges us to strive—to agonize—to enter the narrow gate.

Notice Jesus doesn’t say, stand at the gate, look at it, and complain about how narrow it is.  Some Christians look at the commandments of God and teachings of the Church and reject them, claiming that they are too narrow, too rigid or outdated.  They seek to refashion the gate, and make it wider.  But that’s not what Jesus asks.

Entering the narrow gate requires us to change.  Sometimes we are clinging to things that just can’t pass through the narrow gate: our selfish clinging to worldly delights, our grudges, our fears.  We are called to make the adjustment to our minds and hearts, to let go of all that keeps us from following Christ more wholeheartedly.  

Through the Eucharist we celebrate today, may God give us the strength to strive to follow the way of Christ amidst all obstacles and worldly temptations for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the faithful of our parish may strive for holiness in their personal habits, their relationships and daily endeavors.

That young people will be blessed with good Christian example from their parents and fellow Christians, and that the word of God might be cherished, studied, and practiced in every Christian home. 

During and following this month of October, dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary, Catholics may take up this devotion with renewed vigor and trust in Our Lady’s never-failing intercession. 

For the healing of all those afflicted with physical, mental, emotional illness, for those in hospitals, nursing homes, hospice care, those struggling with addictions, for those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for deceased clergy and religious, for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

5th Week of Easter 2021 - Wednesday - Allow yourself to be pruned

 

We hear again today how the Lord wants his Church to produce spiritual fruit. We bear spiritual fruit by remaining connected to Jesus—by loving him, following his teachings, and receiving his divine life through the sacraments.

Yet, the Lord also speaks today of pruning. “He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.”

Every gardener knows that the purpose of pruning is to encourage growth. The gardener prunes his plants by trimming away dead or overgrown branches to encourage growth. Pruning makes the plant as a whole healthier and more fruitful. 

The idea of the Lord cutting away parts of our lives is somewhat off putting, because we are emotionally attached to our habits, our way of doing things, our way of communicating with people. And for most of us there is a lot of good already going on in our lives. We are already bearing fruit. But the Lord says, I want to prune those who are already bearing fruit to bear more fruit.

Baptized Christians have already received a major pruning. There has already been a severing from unbelief and pagan idolatry. There has already been a severing from the false teachings of the world. Many of us have had serious major sin cut out of our lives. And we’ve already begun to see fruits of faith and truth in us. But the Lord wants more fruit.

God wants to increase joy, and peace, forbearance, patience, goodness, self-control, and gentleness in us, and in our parish, in the Church as a whole. But in order to accomplish this, Jesus explains that we need more pruning. He allows us to grow for a while, then he prunes, that there might be new shoots of growth stemming up from the root. 

How does he do this? In the same way he accomplished our initial pruning: through his word, his teachings. Whenever we read the bible, we should hope to find some truth that will prune us—that will trim away some impatience, some in gratitude, some stinginess, some pride. Whenever we encounter the lives or writings of the saints, we should hope to glimpse or detect something in them that will prune us, to cut away some coldness, some laziness, some attachment to worldly comfort.

The secret to the joy and peace of the saints is that they have allowed themselves to be pruned so many times that fruit becomes abundant. And the Lord wants the  same for us, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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Filled with Paschal joy, let us turn earnestly to God, to graciously hear our prayers and supplications.

For lasting peace throughout the world: Christ, the Prince of Peace will put an end to all enmity and division, and unify the peoples of the world.

For Pope Francis and Bishop Malesic, that they may have the strength to govern wisely the flock entrusted to them by the Good Shepherd and for an increase in vocations to the ordained priesthood, and that our priests may serve the Church with the love and devotion of the Good Shepherd.

That during this month of May, Christians may turn to Mary, Mother of the Church, seeking her aid and imploring her intercession with increased and fervent devotion, especially by praying the Holy Rosary. Let us pray to the Lord.

For deliverance from all evil and all temptation: for those under the influence of drug abuse, addiction, insanity, occultism, atheism, sexual perversion, and any spiritual evils which degrade the human person.

For those experiencing any kind of hardship or sorrow, isolation or illness, and that the Lord may grant his gift of peace to those most in need of it.

That all of our beloved dead and all the souls in purgatory may come to the glory of the Resurrection.

O God, who know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.