Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Catechism Links [1]
CCC 101-104: Christ, unique Word of Scripture
CCC 131-133: Scripture in life of the Church
CCC 2653-2654: Scripture as a fountain of prayer
CCC 1723, 2536, 2444-2447: poverty of heart

“Allegory of Wisdom”
Orazio Samacchini, 1550’s

 
Readings for Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time [2]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
 
Readings and Commentary: [4]
 
Reading 1: Wisdom 7:7-11
 
I prayed, and prudence was given me;
I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.
I preferred her to scepter and throne,
and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her,
nor did I liken any priceless gem to her;
because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand,
and before her, silver is to be accounted mire.
Beyond health and comeliness I loved her,
and I chose to have her rather than the light,
because the splendor of her never yields to sleep.
Yet all good things together came to me in her company,
and countless riches at her hands.            
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Wis 7:7-11
 
This selection from the Book of Wisdom is part of Solomon’s speech. Here he recalls that he “prayed” for wisdom (see also 1 Kings 3:6-9 and 2 Chronicles 1:8-10) , and it was given, a great prize valued above his riches. Wisdom, prays Solomon, is cherished in analogy as a beautiful woman who brings him riches beyond any other.
 
“A familiar theme in wisdom writings is the superiority of spiritual things over material things. In this passage ten comparisons make just that point: wisdom is better than everything, even bodily health (cf. Sir 30:14-16). There is a strict parallelism in the passage, sometimes alternating ‘she’ (wisdom) with the other terms of comparison (‘wealth,’ ‘priceless gem,’ ‘all gold" and "silver’).” [5]
 
-------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 90:12-13, 14-15, 16-17
 
R. (14) Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
 
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
 
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
Make us glad, for the days when you afflicted us,
for the years when we saw evil.
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
 
Let your work be seen by your servants
and your glory by their children;
and may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!
R. Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 90:12-13, 14-15, 16-17
 
The psalm in its entirety is a communal lament. The strophes in this selection reflect on the mortality of humanity and the brevity of human life. (It is also an example of the human understanding that God’s immortal view of time is not like ours.) The selection concludes with the petition that the Lord will strengthen their own efforts (prosper the works of our hands – cause the crops to have a good yield and their goods to fetch fair return).
 
-------------------------------------------
Reading II: Hebrews 4:12-13
 
Brothers and sisters:
Indeed the word of God is living and effective,
sharper than any two-edged sword,
penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow,
and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
No creature is concealed from him,
but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him
to whom we must render an account.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Heb 4:12-13
 
The author of Hebrews addresses the “living” word of God, the Logos. It is, says the author, unambiguously striking at the heart of faith, directing all and judging all by its statutes. All creation is within its jurisdiction all will be placed against that same bar of justice on the last day.
 
"In the sacred books the Father who is in heaven comes lovingly to meet his children and talks to them. And such is the force and power of the Word of God that it serves the Church as her support and vigor, and the children of the Church as strength for their faith, food for the soul, and a pure and lasting fount of spiritual life" [6]
 
CCC: Heb 4:13 302
-------------------------------------------
Gospel
Longer Form: Mark 10:17-30
 
As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up,
knelt down before him, and asked him,
"Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good?
No one is good but God alone.
You know the commandments: You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
you shall not defraud;
honor your father and your mother."
He replied and said to him,
"Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth."
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,
"You are lacking in one thing.
Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."
At that statement his face fell,
and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
 
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,
"How hard it is for those who have wealth
to enter the kingdom of God!"
The disciples were amazed at his words.
So Jesus again said to them in reply,
"Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."
They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves,
"Then who can be saved?"
Jesus looked at them and said,
"For human beings it is impossible, but not for God.
All things are possible for God."
Peter began to say to him,
"We have given up everything and followed you."
Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you,
there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters
or mother or father or children or lands
for my sake and for the sake of the gospel
who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age:
houses and brothers and sisters
and mothers and children and lands,
with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come."
-------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mk 10:17-30
 
The story of the rich young man told in these verses from St. Mark’s Gospel recounts an ideal teaching moment for Christ. After he has heard that the young man has carefully followed Mosaic Law (summarized in the Decalogue the Lord mentions), Jesus tells the young man he has only one more step to take. He is to sell all he has and give the proceeds to the poor. This is too much for the rich young man who leaves downcast.
 
Jesus uses this example to emphasize, first, that love of God must come before desire for possessions, and before the accumulation of wealth. Those listening were also downhearted and say “Then who can be saved?”
 
Jesus then makes his second point. No one earns salvation from God! Only the Lord alone can grant it, and nothing is impossible for Him. “For men it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.”
 
Following the exchange with the rich young man and the rest of the crowd, St. Peter brings up the fact that the disciples had given up everything to follow Jesus. The Lord responds telling them they will receive a reward “a hundred times more” and “eternal life.” The last statement: “But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first,” is thought to have been added to reconcile the fact that some of those called first outlived other early Christians.
 
CCC: Mk 10:19 1858; Mk 10:22 2728; Mk 10:28-31 1618
-------------------------------------------------
Or
Shorter Form: Mark 10:17-27
 
As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up,
knelt down before him, and asked him,
"Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good?
No one is good but God alone.
You know the commandments: You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
you shall not defraud;
honor your father and your mother."
He replied and said to him,
"Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth."
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,
"You are lacking in one thing.
Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."
At that statement his face fell,
and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
 
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,
"How hard it is for those who have wealth
to enter the kingdom of God!"
The disciples were amazed at his words.
So Jesus again said to them in reply,
"Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."
They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves,
"Then who can be saved?"
Jesus looked at them and said,
"For human beings it is impossible, but not for God.
All things are possible for God."
-------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mk 10:17-27
 
This shorter version omits Jesus' teaching about the last being first.
 
The story of the rich young man told in these verses from St. Mark’s Gospel recounts an ideal teaching moment for Christ. After he has heard that the young man has carefully followed Mosaic Law (summarized in the Decalogue the Lord mentions), Jesus tells the young man he has only one more step to take. He is to sell all he has and give the proceeds to the poor. This is too much for the rich young man who leaves downcast.
 
Jesus uses this example to emphasize, first, that love of God must come before desire for possessions, and before the accumulation of wealth. Those listening were also downhearted and say “Then who can be saved?”
 
Jesus then makes his second point. No one earns salvation from God! Only the Lord alone can grant it, and nothing is impossible for Him. “For men it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.”
 
CCC: Mk 10:19 1858; Mk 10:22 2728
-------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
 
My brother deacons and I were at a convocation a few years ago at Eagle Crest Resort.  While there I learned something I had previously suspected but did not truly know.  During our meeting we had a raw day, a true fall day with wind and rain.  During our break in the afternoon, I went for a walk on the beautiful golf course associated with the resort and discovered, to my shock, there were people trying to play golf in that weather!  I realized then that a number of those who play the game must be mentally ill.  I cannot believe it is really fun to be cold and wet and frustrated at the same time.
 
I know another golfer, a young man whom I’ve known for the past few years.  He graduated from CMU about six years ago and got married at Divine Child in Dearborn where he went to high school and where his parents and he both attended.  I asked him if he was going to continue to attend Divine Child now that he was married and living in Northville (hoping to recruit him and his wife to St. Thomas, since he works in Ann Arbor).  He told me he would continue at Divine Child – it was the community he grew up and where he felt comfortable.  I jokingly asked him if he would like some to have some envelopes sent from St. Thomas so he could feel part of the Ann Arbor community.  He laughed and said no.  He then surprised me.  He said he did not give money to the Catholic Church at all.  A bit taken aback, I asked him why not.  He told me, and here I will quote him “The Church is rich, they don’t need my money.  Besides, I’m just getting started and need to save up for a house.”
 
What really shocked me was that he truly thought the Church was rich in material wealth.  I asked him what made him think that, and he said his pastor had always driven a very nice car and saw that as a symbol of fiscal heath in the Church.
 
As I prayed about the gospel today and considered the young man who came to the Lord asking what he should do to follow Jesus, I thought about my young friend.  I wondered how many other twenty- to thirty-year-olds had the same notion, that the Church was fiscally rich.  If any of you feel the way my young friend does, let me tell you emphatically, the Church is not rich (materially).  Material wealth is a real trap for the faithful Christian.
 
We all recall what Jesus says later in St. Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 19:23-24): “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
 
(Recall that "the eye of a needle" was the name of a gate into Jerusalem that was so narrow a burdened camel could not get through it.)
 
The Lord says this for the same reason he tells the young man: “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
 
Is the Lord saying that those who have used their talents to become wealthy cannot follow him?  No, what he clearly says is that if wealth is where your heart is, then it is a burden on the soul, a burden that will keep a person from entering the heavenly kingdom.  Wealth is not the problem; it is the trap: wealth owns the wealthy.  Anyone who owns a home or anything of value knows that even though you own a thing, it has a grip on the owner.  You must take care of the house, the boat, the car, the investment.  For many it becomes a passion.
 
That is why the young man was sad; because he had material wealth and valued it above the love and fellowship of the Lord. We are warned by the Gospel not to fall into that trap.
 
So where must our hearts be?  If the Lord warns us against the trap of wealth and greed, how must we view our worldly vocations; many of those drive us to amass wealth.  It is an attitude we must cultivate.  Remember it is not “bad” to use God’s gifts successfully in the world.  It only becomes bad if we forget that what we do is for God’s greater glory, not our own.  It was he who gave us those gifts to use and frankly to share with those who have less.  Look up the commandments in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  The ones Jesus mentioned to the young man:
 
“You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
you shall not defraud;
honor your father and your mother."
 
Before all of these in our Catechism comes the Great Commandment “Love one another.”
 
That one commandment is at the foundation of our moral take on material wealth.  It guides us in all our dealings whether at school, at home, or in the workplace.  It is at the very heart of Christian charity.
 
Many of you may have thought my story at the beginning about the golfers was simply a humorous story.  Well, it really has a moral.  Anyone who becomes so passionate about one activity probably has thrown their life out of balance.  It’s OK to play golf, but like the accumulation of wealth, when it becomes all consuming, the soul is the ultimate casualty.  Today let us all give thanks to the Lord for all his gifts and pray that we use them to his greater glory.
 
Amen
 

---

[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 “Allegory of Wisdom” Orazio Samacchini, 1550’s.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio
[4] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[5] The Navarre Bible: “Wisdom Books”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 330.
[6] Dei Verbum, 21.