Catechism Links[1]
CCC 302-314: Divine providence and its role in history
CCC 2113-2115: Idolatry subverts values; trust in providence vs. divination
CCC 2632: Prayer of faithful petition for coming of the Kingdom
CCC 2830: Trust in Providence does not mean idleness
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| “The Worship of Mammon”, by Evelyn De Morgan, 1909 |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Isaiah 49:14-15
Commentary on Is 49:14-15
This reading from Isaiah is a part of the second “Servant of the Lord” oracles. The servant has promised salvation to the captives and light to those in darkness. The response from Zion is the Lord has forsaken them. To which we hear the tender response: “Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.” God’s fidelity and faithfulness is assured.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 62:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
R. (6a) Rest in God alone, my soul.
Commentary on Ps 62:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
Psalm 62 is a hymn in praise of God as the rock and fortress of salvation. This song is one of deep and abiding faith. The singer trusts only in God and is at peace in God’s abiding love.
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Reading 2: 1 Corinthians 4:1-5
Commentary on 1 Cor 4:1-5
This selection is part of St. Paul’s pre-oration regarding the need for unity in the church in Corinth. In this concluding section, the Apostle calls upon the community to be faithful to the teachings passed on to it. He speaks of Christian wisdom with an exhortation to the community not to pass judgment on their leaders. He summarizes his thought with the statement: "Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God." The words St. Paul uses to describe the roles are, in the first instance: “servants of Christ ,” hypēretēs, a word that designated rowers on the lowest rank of a galley, later coming to mean assistant or helper. The word “stewards” (or managers) was oikonomos, a name given to servants put in charge of their master’s property.
He goes on to exhort them not to pass judgment upon each other, rather to follow his own example of being non-judgmental, even about his own actions. He concludes by reminding them that, at the “appointed time” (referring to the eschaton), the Lord will reveal all motives of the human heart and judgment will be passed.
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Gospel: Matthew 6:24-34
Commentary on Mt 6:24-34
Jesus continues his Sermon on the Mount being very clear about what must be placed first in the life of his disciples. Here the word mammon is used, an Aramaic word meaning wealth. The Lord does not deny that people need the physical things of the world (i.e. food, clothing, and water), but tells them that, if they have faith in God and pursue the things of God’s Kingdom, the heavenly Father will provide for them. He goes further to say that, if they are constantly focused on material goods, they will not extend their lives even a little.
CCC: Mt 6:24 2113, 2424, 2729, 2821, 2848; Mt 6:25-34 2547, 2830; Mt 6:25 2608; Mt 6:26-34 322; Mt 6:26 2416; Mt 6:31-33 305; Mt 6:32 270; Mt 6:33 1942, 2604, 2608, 2632; Mt 6:34 2659, 2836
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Homily:
It seems hard to believe that spring is right around the corner, and not here (this warm spell is a trick to get us thinking about Lent). Never the less, spring is predicted and coincidentally Lent is almost upon us. This Wednesday we celebrate the beginning of our season of preparation. As we prepare mentally for the discipline of Lent, thinking about what we will target, it is useful for us to take a close look at what Jesus has to say in the Gospel just proclaimed.
The passage from Saint Matthew’s Gospel is part of the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount that also included the Beatitudes. It is the platform from which Jesus launched into a discourse about how we, as his followers, are to live in God’s grace. Over the course of several sections, he speaks about the various commandments and how we need to go further if we are to follow the spirit of the Law.
In the passage proclaimed today, the Lord focuses on the first commandment:
I am the LORD your God: you shall not have strange Gods before me.
While this language represents the typical formula for the commandment, the language from Exodus 20:3-5a refines our understanding.
You shall not make for yourself an idol or a likeness of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; you shall not bow down before them or serve them.
Jesus takes that understanding further. He tells us that we create idols in our lives without even thinking about it. In the encyclical letter, Lumen fidei, a letter begun by Pope Benedict XVI and finished by Pope Francis, faith is contrasted with idolatry.
“In place of faith in God, it seems better to worship an idol, into whose face we can look directly and whose origin we know, because it is the work of our own hands. Before an idol, there is no risk that we will be called to abandon our security, for idols ‘have mouths, but they cannot speak’” (Ps 115:4). (Lumen fidei, no. 13)
I’ll tell a little story on myself to illustrate this point. As many of you know I really enjoy sailing. I have sailed since I was 9 years old and it is a great passion of mine. About ten years ago I started racing in big boats (those thirty feet and over that can be classified as a second home because they have a head [bathroom], a galley [kitchen] and berths [beds]). The boats I have sailed and raced on were not mine. They were owned by friends or relatives. As frequently happens when one spends a great deal of time and emotional capital in an enjoyable activity, I have thought about getting a boat of my own.
As I pondered this possibility, it became very clear to me that, when we acquire something of value (really almost anything, for example: a house, a car, a boat, or even wealth), whatever we own owns us as well. If that item is not just of financial value, but also has intrinsic or sentimental value, we feel compelled to take care of it, dedicate time to being with it, take pleasure and perhaps even pride in ownership. In our society, both ownership and pride in ownership are expected; they are marks of social status.
Now let us step back and examine what we have just observed about things. It is so easy to move from owning things out of necessity (necessity to provide for ourselves and our families) to owning things for the sake of ownership, pride, avarice, or as the Lord says “mammon.”
The question that begs to be asked as we consider this is: what is enough and what is too much? How can we tell when what we need becomes greed?
We look at scripture first to see what God wants from us. He wants us to be thinking of him constantly, not golf or vacations. He wants us to expend effort to know him to seek his grace and favor, not to spend our waking hours daydreaming about a really hot car or our vacation home up North. When we do these things, when we dream about the huge fish we will catch instead of about how much we want to please God through our service, we have slipped over the line and started to create an idol, a false god which “cannot speak.”
We must consider that, like a house, a car, a boat, or a portfolio of investments, our relationship with the Lord requires time, energy and commitment. Since there is only so much time and energy possible, when we prioritize, placing God first as we are instructed to do in the first commandment, something else must take a back seat. Creating balance in our lives between God, family, career, and things is a huge challenge.
As we consider our Lenten journey that begins this coming Wednesday with ashes, let us contemplate the idols we have created, knowingly or unknowingly, in our lives and find ways to redirect our energy toward finding balance in our lives, and building the spiritual gifts that do not perish and never go out of style.
Pax
[1] Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, Published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014
[2] The picture is “The Worship of Mammon”, by Evelyn De Morgan, 1909
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