A priest friend told me a story from his recent retreat. And while on the retreat, he went for a walk into the city. He saw a taco bell, and began to really crave taco bell. Who would blame him, who doesn’t crave processed cheese and grade d beef… Every step, the craving got stronger and stronger. Since it wasn’t really in keeping with the spirit of the retreat he should turned around or at least walked past the restaurant, but he entered taco bell. And as soon as he ate his meal, he began to feel ashamed. The next day he discussed it with his spiritual director who said, “the problem wasn’t that you ate taco bell; the problem was that you did so without desiring to glorify the Father, that you thought it was Taco Bell that would make you happy, instead of the Father. You let the desire for something other than the Father consume you.”
Our readings speak of this spiritual malady which afflicts us—allowing the pursuit of wealth, titles, honors, power, pleasures, connections, relationships consume us-- pursuing things instead of pursuing God.
The first reading is taken from the book of Ecclesiastes, written about 300 centuries before the birth of Christ. Some of the books of the Old Testament are historical books, some concern the Prophets, Ecclesiastes is part of the Old Testament called the wisdom literature. The Wisdom Books contain guidance for the day-to-day life of God’s people, especially in helping them to maintain their religious identity.
“ Vanity of vanities”, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!” Qoheleth was an old man looking back on all the pursuits of life, all the work, all the pleasures, all the material goods, looking back at it all, and very soberly saying, “it’s all vanity”.
Qoheleth is that old man who has experienced everything life has to offer and then says, it’s all vanity. He’s the man who come to the point in life where he realizes he’s spent his life working to accumulate more and more stuff, but for what?
He gives the example of how one can spend their whole life working to make lots of money to pass it on to their worthless children who don’t know a thing about work. His words, not mine.
Can you relate? It’s kind of built in to the fabric of our own culture, isn’t it? To be so consumed by something that you end up missing the most important thing.
The book of Ecclesiastes used to be read on the Jewish Feast of Booths which takes place in the fall after harvest time. The harvest was brought in, the barns were overflowing, the harvest feast was about to begin.
And they would read the words, “vanity of vanities”. As if to say, you’ve worked hard to bring in the harvest, but in the end, it is worse than meaningless if you forgot who you are.
The old man Qoheleth reminds us, “Who you are is always more important than what you have. What you have will fade away, who you are, will last forever.”
Jesus makes much the same point in the Gospel. Jesus says, “take care to guard against all greed for though one may be rich, life does not consist of possessions.” And to reinforce this point he tells the story of a rich man who turns out to be a rich fool.
We hear how this rich man has an abundant harvest so he sets to tear down his barns and build bigger ones. And he boasts about how he has many good things stored up for the years and so he can rest, eat, drink and be merry.
It’s a very popular sentiment isn’t it? Work hard, so I can be happy later. But Jesus points out that the man is essentially lying to himself.
It’s a lie that comes in many forms: “If I get more money, then I’ll be happy. If I get someone to recognize how gifted I am, then I’ll be happy. If my parents buy me that new video game, then I’ll be happy. If I just got my husband to do more around the house, then I’ll be happy.”
It’s the lie that says, “I’ll be happier when I have more”. This is a big problem for our young people and children who are growing up in a culture who has targeted them , advertising to them that they will not be happy without that new product, this new piece of plastic, that new outfit or that new gadget that all the other kids have.
But it’s just not true, listen to Jesus as he continues the parable “The Lord says to the rich man, “you fool, for this night your life will be demanded of you.” Life is not what you have, but who you are. And this night, your soul, your heart, will be demanded of you.
Canonized Saint Mother Theresa said it so well when she said, ““At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by "I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless, and you took me in.”
What matters to God is not our possessions, but our souls. Have I, through my own free will, stored up treasure on earth, earthly riches, earthly titles, earthly recognition, or stored up treasure in heaven, by developing virtue, character, and humble charitable living?
In the Second Reading Paul says bluntly: “put to death, the parts of you that are earthly:” Here’s the remedy for our tendency to love the things of earth instead of loving the things of heaven.
The parts of us that are obsessed with the goods of this world, put them to death, the parts of us that are obsessed with possessions? Nail them to the cross and leave them behind.
He says put to death: “immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry.” Immorality that part of us that ignores the commandments of God and teaching of the Church, put an end to it. Impurity that part of us that wants to use one’s body in ways that it is not meant to be used, put an end to it. Greed that part of us that wants what it wants when it wants it without consideration of glorifying the father, put an end to it. Say “no more” to the part of us that seeks its happiness in things rather than the newness of life that comes from God.
For that is what God wants for us: to share his very life with us, to make us like himself, full of generous self-giving and limitless charity, to glorify him in seeking and living out His will.
At this Holy Mass Jesus comes once again to renew us in Word and Sacrament, may he continue to free us from the desire for earthly things and increase our hunger and thirst for holiness, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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