August 1, 2010
Although today’s readings confront our capacity and inclination to obtain more than we actually need, they skim the surface of our attachments to those possessions that we perceive will bring us security. Qoheleth, the author of Ecclesiastes, writes that all is vanity. Another translation of the word vanity is breath, so he is saying that everything is breath. It is passing, transitory, it cannot be grasped and it vanishes quickly. He asks, “Why do we get anxious about those possessions or activities that, in the long run, do not matter so much?” We are seeking to grasp onto something to give us some security, but in the end, the happiness that comes from our wise choices give us peace. Our greed, whether for possessions or security, can become idolatrous. I recall the bumper sticker that appeared years ago, “He who has the most toys wins.” This worldview reveals it is the pursuit, not the actual possessions, that becomes idolatrous. The letter to the Colossians tells us that we have to put to death this insidious type of greed so that we can put on the new self, that is, to put on Christ.
Jesus tells a story to one of two brothers who is constrained by his greed. The first brother doesn’t want to share his inheritance and the second one may or may not be too consumed with the inheritance, but he does want his brother to share out of sheer principles of fairness. In the story we learn of the futility of stockpiling and self-centeredness. The rich man builds a sense of security for himself because he will not go hungry, he will not have to rely upon others, and his hard work will surely pay off in the end, but the Lord God appears to him and chastises him for his foolishness. He gets no real benefit from his actions because he dies before he is able to enjoy his possessions. His relative wealth and comfort provides no surety in the long run. We do not want to be like this man even though we want to be hard workers, prudent savers, and wise stewards of the gifts we have been given. It is wise for us to properly understand our relationship to those things in life that we pine for with the backdrop of Qoheleth’s pronouncement that all in life is fleeting. What can we really hold onto?
The parable explains our attachment to material possessions because it is easy to visualize, but more often in life we hold onto intangibles like honor, status, influence, appearances, or reputation. We cling to these because they define our character and personality, and it is helpful to remember that we get our sense of security and stability from them as well. Our world becomes shaken when we deal with shame rather than honor, or when our high esteem and status is overturned and we lose our prestige, and so on. We begin to question our identity and our compass in life. These aspects of life are fleeting too and we can’t rely upon them, just like the man in the parable cannot rely upon those possessions he has stockpiled. Take some time this week to examine your personal (intangible) possessions. How many of them are really illusory? Onto what can we really grasp and hold onto during a lifetime that is merely a breath? Until we have it sorted out, let’s follow the advice of Qoheleth who teaches us to live well, to enjoy life, to take matters in stride, and to know we will one day be called back to God. Let’s be generous and giving to one another; generosity has a way of paying back in exponential ways. Loosen up and let go. All is breath.
Quote for the Week
From The Book of Ecclesiastes:
Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!
For what profit comes to [one] from all the toil and anxiety of heart with which he has labored under the sun? … This also is vanity.
Themes for this Week’s Masses
First Reading: King Zedekiah breaks the yoke from the neck of Jeremiah and raises the false hopes of the people because he preached rebellion against the Lord, but Jeremiah prophesies that the Lord has not sent Zedekiah on his mission. The Lord tells Israel that because he has brought calamity upon them because of their numerous sins, but there will come a day when the punishment will be lifted. At the right time, the Lord will show his age-old love for the people once again in fullness. The days are coming when the Lord will make a new covenant with Israel and will no more remember their sin, and the just, because of their steadfast faith, will live.
Gospel: When Jesus hears of John the Baptist’s murder, he retires to a secluded place to pray, but many people come to him for healing. He teaches them and since it is late, he provides them with the fish and loaves that satisfy their hunger. He sends the disciples to the other side of the lake and meets up with them by walking on the surface of the lake. A Canaanite woman who knows of the power of Jesus begs him to heal her daughter who is tormented by demons. Jesus pauses to ask his disciples to tell him who they think he is. He declare him to be the Christ. A man begs Jesus to care for his son who is a lunatic. The disciples are baffled by their inability to cure him while Jesus has the greater power to expel the demon and make him sane.
Saints of the Week
Monday: Blessed Peter Faber, S.J., priest, was one of the founding members of the Society of Jesus. He was an ordained priest when the original companions professed vows at Montmartre outside of Paris on August 15, 1534. He wrote his Memoriale to record the development of his spiritual life. Chosen as a delegate to the Council of Trent, Faber fell ill and died on August 1st. Eusebius of Vercelli, bishop¸ settled a dispute between the Arians and Catholics in 355 and was subsequently banished to Palestine unti 361 when the emperor died. Peter Julian Eymard, priest, entered the Marists in 1839 and left to found the Blessed Sacrament Fathers in 1856 in an effort to promote devotion to the Eucharist as a model for Christian living.
Wednesday: John Mary Vianney, priest, is the patron saint of priests and was called upon last year to intercession during the Year of the Priest. He was a parish priest who became known for his extended devotion to hearing confessions and for pastorally caring for the people of the village of Ars-en-Dombes near Lyons, France.
Thursday: The Dedication of the Basilica of Mary Major in Rome is the church were St. Ignatius said his Mass of Thanksgiving a year after his ordination. It is also the church in which Francis of Assisi set up the first Nativity crèche. The basilica was renamed after the Council of Ephesus in 431 after Mary was proclaimed to be the mother of God. It is larger and older than other churches in Rome named after Mary.
Friday: The Transfiguration of the Lord appears in each of the Synoptic Gospels when Jesus took Peter, James, and John up the mountain to pray and he was transfigured before their eyes. Jesus was affirmed by his Father in heaven and he was confirmed by his friends to be the Christ. Sadly, we also remember the transfiguring event of the anniversary of dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.
Saturday: Sixtus, II, pope and martyr with companions, died during the Valerian persecutions in 258. They were killed in the catacombs where they celebrated Mass. Sixtus was beheaded while speaking in his presidential chair and six deacons were killed as well. Lawrence, the Deacon, is honored on August 10th.
This Week in Jesuit History
• Aug 1, 1938. The Jesuits of the Middle United States, by Gilbert Garrigan was copyrighted. This monumental three-volume work followed the history of the Jesuits in the Midwest from the early 1820s to the 1930s.
• Aug 2, 1981. The death of Gerald Kelly, moral theologian and author of Modern Youth and Chastity.
• Aug 3, 1553. Queen Mary Tudor made her solemn entrance into London. As she passed St Paul's School, an address was delivered by Edmund Campion, then a boy of thirteen.
• Aug 4, 1871. King Victor Emmanuel signed the decree that sanctioned the seizure of all of the properties belonging to the Roman College and to S. Andrea.
• Aug 5, 1762. The Parliament at Paris condemned the Society's Institute as opposed to natural law. It confiscated all Jesuit property and forbade the Jesuit habit and community life.
• Aug 6, 1552. The death of Claude Jay, a French priest who was one of Ignatius' original companions at the University of Paris.
• Aug 7, 1814. The universal restoration of the Society of Jesus.
Weather
Might the worst of the weather be over? The sustained sweltering heat has gripped much of the U.S., so it is reassuring to know that the crest of summer has passed. In the Southern Hemisphere, the increasing amounts of daylight bring relief to many people that the worst of the sustained cold weather is gone. We are over the hump!
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