Homily

The rich landowner in today’s Gospel was an atheist. The word “atheist” comes from the Greek language: “a” meaning “without” and “theos” meaning “God.” So, an atheist is one who is “without God.” When we think of atheists today, we think of people who do not believe in God and that is correct. But let me say I think there is another form of atheism that is much more popular today.

I heard a young man call in to a program on Catholic radio and he declared himself to be an atheist. He wanted to know what the Church thought about him as an atheist, and he said, “I know the Bible teaches that ‘the fool says within his heart that there is no God.’” He was quoting the first verse of Psalm 14: “The fool says within his heart, ‘There is no God.’” But that Psalm is not speaking of someone who believes God does not exist. Let’s continue with the rest of the Psalm: “The fool says in his heart there is no God. They are corrupt, their deeds are vile, there is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, and who seek God: ‘They devour my people as though eating bread; they never call on the Lord.”

And this is the idea of the Psalm—not that people think God does not exist, but rather that they live as though God does not exist. They are atheists in a different kind of way, people who live as though there is no God.

Now this is nothing new, obviously, if it is a condition that is mentioned in the Psalms. It is the constant temptation for every human person, the temptation to go our own way, do our own thing, take care of ourselves as we see fit and do it whether it is in agreement with God’s laws or not. To live as though there is no God. And it is in this sense that many people today are atheists. Nearly all of them believe in God but they live their lives without Him. This is surely the case of the rich man in today’s Gospel, who saw his wealth as a means of ongoing satisfaction and, in a sense, a way of salvation for his life because not only does he not have to worry about where his next meal is coming from, he can eat and drink and buy just about whatever he wants. He was rich in cash but not in spirit. Rich for himself—and notice he does not mention anyone else who might also benefit from his riches—not family, or friends and certainly not the poor. He is rich for himself.

This is the atheism of our modern day. It is to live as though there is no God. And, in so many cases, to live as though no one is more important than you.

My friends, I just want to remind you, because it is so easy for us to forget: we have so much STUFF! Most of the people in the world cannot even begin to imagine the easy and comfortable lives we live. How many cars in the driveway? How much hot water available whenever we like just by turning on the tap? How many types of meat are available at the grocery store, and how many times during the week are we worried about where tomorrow’s food will come from?

It is not surprising that we can easily be engulfed by a lifestyle that does not lead us to ponder and think and reflect upon the meaning of our lives, the purpose of our existence, the ultimate goal of our lives. Instead, we look forward to a bigger flat screen tv, spending countless distracting hours on Facebook, and doing our best not to think about death in any way, shape or form…just like the man in today’s Gospel. Is there any genuine gratitude and thanks offered to God for all our goods and all our easy lifestyles this week of Thanksgiving, or should we just thank ourselves for all we’ve been able to obtain for ourselves and our families? And then will we be pondering what we should get next, because everybody knows what we are supposed to do on the Friday after Thanksgiving. And if we do offer genuine thanks to the Lord on Thursday, can that genuine gratitude survive through Friday and Saturday and the days after that?

Do we feel that tension, that pull between living for ourselves and living according to the mind and will of Christ for us? Because I think if we do not often feel that tension between what we know we should do and what we are actually doing, between how we know we should live and how we are in fact living—if we do not feel that tension on a fairly regular basis, it’s very likely that we are just building more barns in our lives, or planning how to build them and how to fill them. We ought to be moved by that tension, that rubbing up against the good that Christ desires for us and those different goods that we often desire for ourselves.

We ought to be moved by it often, even daily, in our prayers and in our thoughts and in our hearts. Because if we are not moved by that tension, if we are not accepting the challenge of the Gospel and looking towards repentance and the gift of greater virtues fairly often, then it’s likely we have just fallen into the easy path, the smooth road that is in effect a kind of atheism where we stop for a few seconds now and then and give a brief nod to Christ, before we shuffle on. (My brief Sunday enthusiasm!) Let us look for that tension within our lives not because we need more tension, but because it can push toward a truly rich life in Christ.

Today we will baptize two sweet babies and we do not baptize them into a life of comfort and self-satisfaction. We baptize them into the divine life of the Holy Trinity, into the life of Christ. That is the only life that will instruct them and protect them and bring them to full maturity in a world that is deceptive and brutally battered by sin. May the Lord always be their strength.

Sitting back and taking it easy as the rich man did will only lead to ultimate disappointment. But facing up to the challenge of life in Christ brings wealth that can never spoil or be taken away—and it opens us up to a more genuine thanksgiving that we can offer to our Savior.