Homily: Monday - 8th Week in OT 2017 - Possessed by possessions?

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; whole rooms of their house have become inaccessible due to this behavior.  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 his own life.  For we can all develop a disordered attachment to material things.

Jesus confronts such a person in the Gospel today, one who has developed a disordered attachment to this things, he has begun to be possessed by his possessions. The rich young man wasn’t an evil person, it seems he kept many of the commandments, but when Jesus invited Him to a deeper relationship with God, the rich young man rejected the invitation, he failed to see Jesus’ invitation as the pearl of great price worth selling everything you have to obtain.

Most of us are not compulsive hoarders, and most of us are following the 10 commandments pretty well. However, each of us are at risk of allowing the preoccupation with earthly concerns to lead us away from our concern for our souls.

When our lives are overly focused on the material, the earthly, we become unhappy and exhausted.  Like the rich young man in the Gospel today, we leave saddened. Likely, so much of the sadness we carry around with us, is because in fact, we have turned away from opportunities to trust in Jesus, to follow him for deeply.

With Lent beginning this week, Our Lord invites us once again to trust in him by engaging seriously in the practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. We will never walk away sad, when we are sincere in our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

We are reminded once again today that our true joy is not found in the accumulation of earthly things, earthly successes, earthly honors or distinctions, but in abandonment to Jesus, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the upcoming season of Lent may be a source of renewal and spiritual growth for the entire Christian Church.

That we may guard our hearts from all kinds of greed, be free from everything which keeps us from loving and following Christ with undivided hearts.

For deliverance from any form of avarice which has crept into the hearts of Church or government leaders.

That we may be wise stewards of earthly things in sharing the goods of the earth which come from the rich mercy of God to all those in need.