Homily

What will make me feel that my life will be okay and give me a sense of safety in a dangerous world where many things can go wrong? How can I find satisfaction or perhaps even happiness in life when there are so many opportunities for suffering and misery? How can I live a good life, a life that is truly the best possible life it can be? These are some, just some, of the big philosophical questions that we face during this time on earth, and even if we don't ask these questions in a specific way, they still reflect certain questions that most people try to find answers to in some kind of fashion. What is a good life and how do I live it?

That's the question the young man put to Jesus. And I think that this Gospel shows us a difficulty that all of us face as Christians. How do we, who are flesh and blood, also live as people with immortal souls? How do I, whose life is dependent on Food and water, also live as one who is dependent on God's gift of His own divine life within me? How much for the flesh and how much for the spirit? "What good work must I do to have eternal life?" as the rich man asked. How do I balance out the material and the spiritual? And his unspoken answer should give all of us pause, even if none of us are rich.

We are not integrated people, or at least I should say not fully integrated people. We feel this tug of war within us between the physical and the spiritual because we suffer the effects of our own sins and our selfish inclinations and, although we believe in the resurrection of the dead we are still very vulnerable many times to the corrosive power of death. It is a tough thing to be able to say that we live not on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God when Safeway has a $2.00 off coupon for McKenzie Farms 100% Whole Wheat Natural, and I spent more time actually reading even a grocery ad this week than I did reading the word of God. We find it very easy to feed our bodies but not always so easy, or even desirable to feed our souls. It is easy to get stuck into a mindset that looks for material solutions to satisfy our needs and desires while neglecting that we are also called to live as children of God and disciples of Christ. Isn't there often an imbalance, and the danger of living so tuned in and attached to my stuff, my sense of material security and even to the people who I love?

As Americans it seems that many believe we should become only richer, and wealthier and more comfortable with every passing year, and when that doesn't happen people are very disturbed and even angry, and it becomes increasingly obvious to me that we are people who prefer living life with goods rather than living a good life. Over the past century as our economy continued to grow and grow and grow we began to invest ourselves more and more into the material solutions for the problems of life — the bigger car, the better house, the nicer things, none of which are bad in themselves. But with them comes a terrible temptation, and it is to substitute material satisfaction to satisfy spiritual hunger. And so, as a people who enjoyed more and better of so many things that money could buy, we put our interest and efforts there, and not in our marriages, our families, or our faith in God and our life as Christians. Just as an example, if you ask a couple who declare they would never have more than two children, if you ask them why not, would their answer be a spiritual reply or a material one?

Another small example: How many Catholics fast for spiritual reasons, in line with the penitential seasons of the Church? We are the best fed people in the entire world, and it seems we can't give it up, even for short periods of time, in favor of growing in the spirit. The danger is always that the more we have, the more we think we need it, and the less willing we seem to be to give it up. And that's when we start to see it become the source of our security and the foundation of our life, and who has time to follow Jesus more closely? We're bound up, we're busy, we are pursuing goals, goods, emotional satisfaction, personal fulfillment according to the message of the day and so heavily invested that who, quite frankly, can find time for prayer, church and sacrament? We've got stuff we gotta do, and who has time for the spirit? We've got people at home that need this and that and something else and how can we be expected to help nourish their souls? And the world is a very hard place and sure, I trust in God and all that, but I've gotta be out of there slugging away day after day so I and mine can get our share and be happy.

I was talking with someone recently who was very troubled because there were so many fears and apprehensions about what might happen in the future. I empathize with her. But I told her, as I have sometimes told myself and how much better if I always told myself — "And what if it does?''' And what if this thing does happen, or that bad thing, or this difficult trial, or that sad event or the possible tragedy I can see in my mind? So what if it does? Will I follow Jesus or not? Will I trust in Him or not? Will I place myself in His hands or not, will I be able to give up anything and everything, even my own life for Him, or not? If I'm willing to follow Him in the time of distress, why not so much in the time of peace?

We are material beings, living in a material world, all a part of blessed creation of the Lord our God, and all of that is so very good. But we are always tempted to live as though what truly counts is only what we can see and touch and taste and hear. A rich man walks away because he's afraid to leave his things behind. We can be sure that no one who follows Jesus as a true disciple will ever end up regretting in sadness that they chose Him over all else, even mother, father, brother and sister. And if we've fallen behind from walking closely with Him why not choose to find ways to catch up and be at His side?