Homily

We are only three weeks past what major American holiday? Yes, that’s right, we’re already three weeks past Halloween, which is now only a memory as we approach Thanksgiving this week. I was curious about Halloween, so I looked up some information to try and get a picture of where this day is at in our modern culture. In 2006 Americans spent about 5 billion dollars on Halloween. In 2016 we spent 8.5 billion, an increase of almost 60%. And in 2025 it was 13 billion dollars, a 50% increase in just 10 years. Gen Z young people aged 13-28 planned to spend about $625 per person. Did you know that almost half of us start shopping for Halloween in September? The number one costume choice this year was the K-Pop Demon Hunters. 70% of Americans said they planned to participate in some way in a Halloween observance this past year. It is obvious this secular holy day is becoming more and more important to Americans every year. My point is not to bash Halloween but to ask why this is so. What do you think?

Thanksgiving is this week. Most Americans still believe in God, but it seems to me that more and more of our fellow citizens find little connection between the God they say they believe in and the day set aside in order to give Him thanks. You’ll read it in the paper, and you’ll see it on T.V. programs, people who talk about what they are thankful for but do not talk about the person they are thanking. The verb “to thank” requires a subject (that would be me, “I thank”), and an object (the person I am thanking as in the common phrase, “Thank you”). But, strangely enough, on Thanksgiving Day the object of our thanking seems to disappear, and you will hear or read of people who “give thanks” but to no one in particular. In an Oprah Winfrey style, their thanks seem to be uttered to the universe in general, because you know the universe has given us so much.

In a public way, God is not to be put out there in the public on this American holy day. Instead, Thanksgiving often is centered around the three Fs—food, football and fighting. Maybe you thought I was going to say “family”? True, for some people, family is a reality to be cherished and a family gathering is important and a great way to spend the holiday, but just look at us as a country. Have we not trashed the ideal of family through divorce, contraception, abortion and gay weddings? I don’t need to tell so many of you the problems and troubles that can come up with Thanksgiving and family get-togethers. But as we see in recent years, we have been offered an escape from the troubles of family on Thanksgiving. Instead of spending time with them, we can go shopping on Thanksgiving. And therefore, we are happy to leave our family behind to go shopping so that we can buy gifts to show our family how much we care about them. The richest country in the world does not know who to thank for the riches we enjoy.

You may remember in 2016, after the election, the violent riots in Portland and the need that many universities across the nation decided they needed to provide safe spaces for students who were traumatized by the election.

Here is a quote from Father George Rutler, a priest in New York City:

“Professors who had never achieved moral maturity themselves reacted by providing ‘safe spaces’ for students traumatized by reality. In universities across the land, by a sodality of silliness in the academic establishment, these ‘safe spaces’ were supplied with soft cushions, hot chocolate, coloring books and psychologists.”

Father Rutler goes on to write that the average age of a soldier in the Revolutionary War was that of a high school senior. Joan of Arc was college age. In the Civil War fifteen generals on both sides were under the age of 25. Most American and British fighter pilots in World War II were of college age.

Do these three things I have mentioned have any connection with each other? I think so. People have a need to celebrate. If we are not celebrating the saving events of Christ and the saints, we will turn to secular celebrations to take their place. Happy Halloween! But there is nothing there to bring us the riches of God. Thanksgiving Day without thanks to God can provide a secular sort of enjoyment, but even then, it can easily become an occasion of managing family tensions. But is there something here to grow rich in, rich in what pertains to God? Storing up treasures that last?

And then for younger people. The latest generation is sometime referred to as the “loneliest generation” as the many hours they spend online can foster feelings of isolation and depression instead of looking for genuine and healthy relationships with other people, including a relationship with God. And I am not trying to pick on young people, because we have some truly great younger people. Some of them are even in this church today. And it’s also true that the older generations have at least some share in helping to form the attitudes of young people today. But less and less does each generation of Americans look for true and lasting wealth that cannot fail in times of trouble and hardship.

I was reading about Blessed Jose Luis Sanchez Del Rio, from the Michoacan state in Mexico, who lived during the time of the government’s fierce persecution of the Church in 1928. He joined the army known as the “Cristeros” who fought the government in order to protect the Church. Jose was captured by government soldiers. He prayed every day in jail. Then they came to march him to the cemetery.

The soldiers struck him with machetes. They cut the soles of his feet and made him walk on salt. They told him if only he would say “Death to Christ the King” they would save him. But Jose answered “Long live Christ the King! Long live Our Lady of Guadalupe!” they began to cut in to him with their bayonets, and every time they stabbed him, he shouted out “Viva Cristo Rey—Long live Christ the King!”

The commander became so angry he pulled out his pistol and killed him. Jose was 13 years old. He was too young to have many possessions that would require building more barns to store them, but surely, he was rich in the things of God.

Here today, let us give some thought to wealth and wealth management and be open to grow rich in things that pertain to God; on Thanksgiving, to continue to teach our children to be rich in the things that pertain to God; to always be ready to re-evaluate what are the things that will make us rich in the sight of God. These are treasures that involve our values and our choices that are made by our free will and supported by God’s grace. They are treasures that cannot be taken away from us, and they are our true wealth not just for today, but for eternity.

May the Lord make us rich in Him!