Homily for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
(31/7/21 & 1/8/21) Almost two weeks ago, on Monday 19th July, the remaining Covid
restrictions were loosened up in England. Some have dubbed it “freedom
day”, although many other restrictions were relaxed back in May. Traffic
on the road has certainly increased since May, and we’ve heard lots about
“getting the economy moving”. Certainly it’s good that people have jobs
and earn money to put food on the table, but do we need more than that?
There’s the joke about two Scotsmen who are walking past a Catholic
church. On the door is a sign: £60 to everyone who becomes a Catholic.
The first one says to the second: “What do you think about that?” The
second says, “Well, £60 is £60”, but the first says he isn’t so sure. So the
first one waits outside whilst the other one goes in. Half an hour later, he
comes out again and the first Scotsman asks: “Did you become a Catholic?”
“I did”, he says. “And did you get you £60?” And the second one replies,
“Is that all you ever think about?” There is more to life than material well-being, whether we’re thinking about
clothes, money, jobs, nice food, whatever it may be. It can’t fully satisfy the
human heart. We are both material and spiritual, and both need to be
appropriately cared for. We can’t try to be pure angels and spend all day
praying and never ever eat anything again, but if we try to do the opposite,
look after the body but completely neglect the soul, we suffer as well. So
when Our Lord says, “Do not work for food that cannot last”, He isn’t saying
we should give up our jobs, live off the dole and not eat anything. Instead
he is saying that we shouldn’t be obsessed about material things and neglect
the spiritual. The spiritual has to be our focus, whilst also recognising the
need to eat and drink. And He is the One to turn to for both of these.
Elsewhere, in St Matthew’s Gospel, chapter six, Jesus tells us: “No one can
be the slave of two masters: he will either hate the first and love the second,
or treat the first with respect and the second with scorn. You cannot be the
slave both of God and of money.” (vs 24) Money, like drink, can be a useful
servant but a terrible master. We were made for God, and will only be totally
happy and satisfied when God truly is master of our lives, and everything
else comes second: family, friends, prestige, job, wealth, comfort etc. “You
cannot be the slave both of God and of money.” Some of the Americans
have criticised Pope Francis for saying that they should be generous with
their wealth in helping others, accusing him of socialism. Specifically, the
Pope has been saying something that isn’t new – you can find it, for
example, in the writing of Pope St John Paul II. He has been saying that our
wealth is not absolutely ours. Unfair distribution of wealth means that it
should be fairly distributed, and not just by governments and companies.
We ourselves, on a private level, should help others with our wealth and, of
course, our time. If our response to charities and people in need is “Clear
off!”, and if our response when Christ comes asking for help is, “Clear off!”,
then we might find, when we die, that He says “Clear off!” to us, in words
to that effect: “Go away from me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal
fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you never
gave me food; I was thirsty and you never gave me anything to drink; …
naked and you never clothed me” (Matthew 25:41-42. 44).
God has to come first, and the rest then follows. “ ‘What must we do if we
are to do the works that God wants?’ Jesus gave them this answer, ‘This is
working for God: you must believe in the one he has sent.’ ” (John 6:28-
29). Jesus is the One who comes down from heaven and gives life to the
world; that is why He calls Himself the Bread of Life. And that involves a
change of heart. As St Paul tells us in the second reading: “You must give
up your old way of life; you must put aside your old self, which gets
corrupted by following illusory desires. Your mind must be renewed by a
spiritual revolution…” (Ephesians 4:22. 24)
Next week, Our Lord will unpack for us a bit more of what this “spiritual
revolution” involves. In the meantime, we must believe in Him, and He will
shows us what we must do |
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