18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Knights of Columbus Pre-Convention Mass
July 30, 2022
Cathedral of the Incarnation
Gratitude to Bishop Mark Spalding
Bishop Spalding, thank you for the very warm welcome you have extended to the Knights of Columbus as we gather here in Nashville for our 140th Convention. As Supreme Chaplain of the Knights of Columbus, I am also grateful for the opportunity to preach in your beautiful Cathedral. To establish my credentials, I would like to point out that I was born in Louisville, the Archdiocese from which you came. As Archbishop of Baltimore, I count as one of my 19th century predecessors the great Archbishop Martin John Spalding, the 6th Archbishop of Baltimore, and previously the Bishop of Louisville – who served in the missions here in the Diocese of Nashville … the Diocese which you, Bishop Spalding, lead so admirably. I trust that these credentials will hold me in good stead this afternoon!
Evanescent Wealth
And so, dear friends in Christ: If you have ever had to serve as the executor of a contested will, then you understand why even Jesus didn’t want the job! When a will is incomplete or its terms are vague – and sometimes, even when the terms of a will are clear – families members end up quarreling about the distribution of a decedent’s money, property, or other possessions. When Jesus was asked by a man in the crowd to tell his brother to give him his share of his father’s inheritance – Jesus wisely declined. “Who appointed me as your arbiter,” he asked.
As usual, however, Jesus does not let it go at that. He goes deeper. He discerns what lay behind the man’s request. The man and his brother were arguing about money, property, and possessions as if nothing in heaven or on earth were more important. They were confusing real wealth with illusory wealth. And to make that point, Jesus tells us a parable, as recorded in St. Luke’s Gospel.
Now, we know this story well – most of us have heard it frequently. A landowner has a series of bumper crops and becomes quite prosperous. Assessing his good fortune, he asks the all-important question: “What shall I do now?” The question was good but his answer was not. “I know,” said he, “I build new barns; I’ll store up even more of this world’s wealth. Then I’ll eat, drink, and be merry for the rest of my days,” or something to that effect. Jesus proceeds to point out just how shortsighted, how foolish, that wealthy man was. The problem wasn’t that he had accumulated wealth – the problem was that he didn’t know what to do with it. He wrongly answered the question, “What shall I do?” Instead of using at least some of it to care for the poor, he acted as though his wealth were meant only for his own pleasure. He became self-centered and self-satisfied. Wealth became a gateway to a life of gluttony, sloth, and who knows what else! Soon after he embarked on this self-destructive way of life, he died. The wealthy man faced the judgment of God while his property went to greedy heirs who really didn’t care about his fate; they only wanted what he had.
Now, the point of this parable is not that we should refrain from working hard, or from providing for our families or from seeing to their long-term financial security. I, for one, am glad that is the case, inasmuch as the Knights of Columbus provides life insurance and investment products to its members! So no! Here Jesus is teaching us how to distinguish between true and false wealth, between a wealth that is centered on oneself or a wealth that is idolized, versus a wealth that orients us towards God and the things of God. St. Paul makes a similar point when he calls upon the Colossians (and ourselves) [to] “seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” Bl. Michael McGivney, the founder of the Knights of Columbus, took the same view. He founded the Knights to help men to provide for their families in the event of their death – lest their widows and children be plunged into poverty. But his first and overarching concern was not their financial well-being but rather the spiritual well-being of his brother Knights and their families. Father McGivney’s values aligned completely with the Gospel.
Digging Deeper
Simple as it sounds, Jesus’ parable is more than a story with a moral. Rather, it reflects his wisdom as the Word made flesh, as Wisdom Incarnate, and so this little story embodies the truth and wisdom of God’s own heart … Which means we have to dig a little deeper – not exactly what you want to hear, if you thought you’d catch a quick Saturday evening Mass here at the Cathedral!
But here’s the upshot of this parable, the upshot as described by a prominent columnist in a secular newspaper. That writer argued that life is not a game, but a story. If we take life to be a game, we will play to win – that will be our sole focus. If in business, the goal is money. If politics, power. If sports, winning at any cost. If academics, honors and prestige. If the performing arts, fame and celebrity. If unchecked, such goals become like gods that demand unrelenting worship, and result in stress, anxiety, sleepless nights, and destructive behaviors… That’s ‘life as a game’ for you!
And for what? “Vanity of vanities!” A breath that evaporates. Grass that withers …. What a difference when we see our lives, not as a game, but as an unfolding story in which the truth, beauty, and goodness of God’s love overtakes and transforms us, a journey in which God and others take center stage, a story of self-giving love. The Responsorial Psalm warns that the time allotted to write such a story is short: ‘Seventy the sum of our years, eighty if we are strong’ – years that pass so quickly. As we grow older, we can see more clearly the pattern of our life’s story – and we can discern whether we have pursued true wealth or fleeting wealth – the wealth of God’s love versus the illusory self-centered wealth the world offers. If we find we are choosing the latter, now is the time for an in-flight correction!
The Source
If we truly want the wealth that orients us towards God, we need not look any further than the Eucharist we celebrate tonight. For the Eucharist contains the entirety of the Church’s spiritual wealth, and brings us into closest communion with Christ as we receive his Body and Blood. The Eucharist deepens our participation in the victory of Christ over sin and death, a victory more valuable than any earthly win, any short-term goal. Receiving the Lord who died to save us, we deepen our communion with the Church. We are enriched by the gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to our fellow Catholics … even as we come to treasure the poor and to cherish the invaluable gift of each human life. Fixing our gaze on the Risen Christ seated at the Father’s right hand does not blind us to those in need but instead opens our eyes to their true worth. It turns out that the path to true wealth is charity, “for it is in giving that we receive”.
This afternoon, dear friends, let us embrace with joy and thanksgiving the authentic wealth that the Lord Jesus Christ offers us, here and now, in this Eucharist. And may God bless us and keep us always in his love! Vivat Jesus!