Shikrot Mpwi - Sunday Synopsis with Fr. Justine J. Dyikuk

28^th Sunday of the Year, B – October 14, 2018.

Readings: Wisdom 7:7-11; Ps 89:12-17; Hebrews 4:12-13; 

 Gospel – Mark 10:17-30.

Theme: Vanity of Fame & Fortune & the Call to Redistribute Wealth!

Introduction

Friends in Christ, our liturgy today challenges us on the need to check our fixation to material possessions and make concerted efforts at redistributing the earth’s resources for the good of all. Titled “Vanity of Fame & Fortune & the Call to Redistribute Wealth” our reflection shall consider the background and summary of the readings, killers of the kingdom, dangers of riches, pastoral application and practical lessons, homiletic points to remember and conclusion.

Background & Summary of the Readings

The first reading (Wisdom 7:7-11) was written hundreds of years after the death of Solomon presumably after the Babylonian exile. It was meant to demonstrate the superiority of Jewish wisdom over pagan wisdom. However, it is important to note that the author was addressing both Jews and Gentiles since he could speak to both the Jewish community and the world. The wisdom literature was written in the name and spirit of one Israel’s wisest men. Wisdom is personified as God who cannot be equated with riches, gold, silver, health, beauty or light. The author compares possessing wisdom with a healthy relationship with God. In summary, the reading charges us to pursue wisdom through prayer as King Solomon exemplified in verse 7.

In the second reading, the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews (Heb. 4:12-13) insists that since nothing is hidden from God, it is to him that we will give an account of our lives. The reading presupposes that our secret emotions and thoughts, interior disposition and basic orientation towards all that we have and are, particularly fame and fortune, is crucial in our relationship with God.

In the gospel reading (Gospel – Mark 10:17-30) Jesus is explicit about the implication of putting out trust in fame and fortune. He speaks “plainly about the real obstacle that wealth presents.” The reading recounts the story of the rich young ruler who came to Jesus to ask what he must do to inherit eternal life. Life tells him to observe all the commandments - “You must not kill; you must not commit adultery; you must not steal; you must not bring false witness; you must not defraud; honour your father and mother.” 

The excited rich young ruler tells Jesus that he has kept all these from his earliest days. Jesus looks at him lovingly and says: “There is one thing you lack. Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” We are told that his face fell at these words and he went away sad because he was a man of great wealth. 

After that, Jesus said, it is easier for a Carmel to pass through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to enter into heaven. At that, the disciples said, who then can be saved? Jesus replied that what seems impossible with men is always possible with God. Peter then asked about those of them who were his followers. Jesus maintained that all those who left house, brothers, sisters, father, children or land and face persecution for his sake and for the sake of the gospel will receive a hundred times, all these things, in this life and the next. 

Killers of the Kingdom

1. Fame: That the rich young man was a ruler reveals the danger of cult personality, status symbol, VIP and celebrity status. These attributes of fame are sure killers of the values of the kingdom since they are merely for the earthly city. 

2. Fortune: The gospel reveals that the young ruler was exceedingly rich, this accounts for why he went away sad when Jesus told him to go and sell all he owns, give the money to the money and come follow him. As a killer of the kingdom values, fortune has a way of catching our attending and turning a blind eye to the needs of others. Little wonder Jesus challenged his apostles to willingly let go of “house or land” for the sake of the kingdom. The stories of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) is a case in point.

3. Family: The assurance of a hundred fold blessings of those who renounce “…brothers, sisters, father, children and face persecution for the sake of Christ and the gospel” testifies to family ties as a killer of the kingdom. As a remedy, the bible bears testimony to the fact that a family could be divided on account of the gospel (Luke 12:53).   

Dangers of Riches

1. Attachment: Riches have an aggressive spirit which tends to make the rich obsessed with his or her wealth. There is a strong indication that wealthy people have sentimental attachment to their property. Often times, they love “things” and “Use” people. Little wonder the scripture says, where a man’s treasure is, there is his heart also” (Matthew 6:21).

2. Greed: The avarice and greed of Gehazi (2 Kings 5:15-27) and Ananias and Sapphira (Cf. Acts 5:1-11) attests to the fact that being greedy and selfish is one short fall of the rich. The gospel addresses the wealthy man’s natural attitude which is greed and the tendency to covet other people’s goods. We are not surprised that the rich young man went away sad when Jesus ordered him to go and sell all he owns and come follow him (Mark 10:22).

3. Pride: The rich have the tendency to be proud and pompous. What Jesus seems to address in the gospel is pride. Pride creates the dangerous tendency of not wanting to share resources with the poor because the rich feel that their wealth is as a result of their sweat. This poses a serious danger to riches. 

Pastoral Application & Practical Lessons

1. Like King Solomon, our liturgy charges us to seek wisdom above silver and gold because it personifies God who alone is to be worshiped and gloried.

2. Church leaders are charged to teach the flock how to pursue wisdom through discernment and prayer.

3. Since the second reading reminds us that nothing is hidden from God to whom we shall give account of our lives, the rich are tasked to access their lives in the light of fame and fortune.

4. Charity organisations and Pious Societies like the Vincent De Paul Society are encouraged to examine their interior disposition and basic orientation towards charity so that it does not become a showbiz activity or one which seeks fame.

5. Jesus challenges priests and religious to scan their call to discipleship on the demands of the evangelical counsel of poverty seeing it as a call to renunciation of mundane interests to serve the Lord with an undivided heart bearing in mind that they have sacrificed their lives, security, and identity.

6. Since wealth is considered as a blessing from God and not a curse in itself except if it is used unselfishly, Jesus makes an allowance for the rich by stating that all things are possible for God (Mark 10:27) which imply that the rich too can enter heaven.

7. Jesus’ love for the man in the gospel (Mark 10:21) despite his lack of readiness to go and sell all that he owns and give the money to the poor and come follow him challenges Church leaders to be cautious in outrightly condemning the rich in their attempt to make an option for the poor because the rich too needs salvation.

8. Jesus calls the rich to change their relationship with the poor by identifying them in order to redistribute wealth even as they participate in economic justice and handing power over to their poor beneficiaries for the common good of the human society.

9. Christians are challenged not to resist surrendering only their wealth (fortune) but also status and power (fame) for the sake of others and the gospel.

10. Our liturgy reminds us that even if we hold high positions or bear authority, we are to regard the position and authority as belonging to God, not ourselves because we are simply God’s slaves, representing him but not assuming the status that belongs to him alone.

Homiletic Points to Remember

1. Our liturgy today challenges us on the need to check our fixation to material possessions and make concerted efforts at redistributing the earth’s resources.

2. Wisdom is personified as God who cannot be equated with riches, gold, silver, health, beauty or light.

3. The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews (Heb. 4:12-13) insists that since nothing is hidden from God, it is to whom that we will give an account of our lives.

4. The gospel reading (Gospel – Mark 10:17-30) Jesus is explicit about the implication of putting out trust in fame and fortune.

5. That the rich young man was a ruler reveals the danger of cult personality, status symbol, VIP and celebrity status.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that the rich who are extremely determined to enter the kingdom will make it. Suffice to note that the poor who aren’t extremely determined to enter into heaven may go to hell. We are called upon to make available our gifts and talents for the good of the earth. We pray, therefore, in this celebration of the Holy Mass for God to assist us with wisdom so as not to be entrapped by fame and fortune but may make what we have and are a burnt offering unto the Lord. Have a blessed week!