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Homily of the Day

Title:	How Much Is Enough?
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Date:	Monday, October 17, 2005

Romans 4:20-25 / Lk 12:13-21

Today's gospel raises a perennial human question: how much is enough? And the answer as we usually feel it, even if we don't say it, is 'just a little bit more.' It's strange how that answer can be so consistent at every economic level: What would you like? What do you need? Just a little bit more. And what does that tell us? That there will never be enough to fill us full, as long as we look in the wrong places. The only one who can ever fill us full is the Lord, who made us for himself and who made our hearts to be satisfied by no one and no thing less than himself.

The rich man in the gospel was caught in that trap. His definition of success was very simply 'more.' So, when the harvest exceeded all his expectations, his response was to tear down his barns and build bigger ones to hold 'more.' On the one hand that seems so logical, but on the other, why tear down the barns, why not share the excess which he obviously didn't need and certainly hadn't expected?

This man was known as rich, but in fact he was poor, because he didn't know how to make the most of God's gifts. He didn't know that the greatest joy in having something is in being able to share it or even give it away. That's God-like joy, and it's the joy that God wants us to grow accustomed to now, because that kind of sharing of life is what heaven is all about.

The Word Among Us

Monday, October 17, 2005

Meditation
Luke 12:13-21

Jesus had just spoken at length to the crowd about essential matters of belief: knowing that we are beloved of the Father and have great worth in his eyes, and trusting our lives to the care and guidance of the Holy Spirit. And just then, someone interrupts. “Tell my brother to share with me,” he demands. It’s a wonder Jesus didn’t tear his hair out sometimes! Aside from its rudeness, the interruption portrays for us the kind of distractions that only keep us impoverished.

Jesus taught that it is not lack of material possessions that makes us poor. Rather, preoccupation with what and how much we have—and how to get more of it—impoverishes us. Why? Because it moves us to disregard the things that matter to God. It shifts our thoughts and efforts from serving the Creator and makes us slaves to created things instead. Jesus doesn’t say material possessions are bad or to be despised. He is clear, however, that “one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:15).

What are the things that matter to God? First, that we would know personally his love for us. He created us out of love, and he loves us always. He will always take care of us because we matter to him (Luke 12:7,24,30-31). Jesus died and was raised from the dead that we might experience and share in God’s life through his Holy Spirit. Confident in his love for us, we love and serve him by loving and serving others.

These are the things that matter to God (Matthew 22:36-39). We can steep ourselves in these riches! Every prayer time, we can tell God how much we love him. Better still, we can open our hearts and minds to receive his love. Every word of Scripture can become a treasure illustrating God’s immeasurable love for us and how we can respond to that love. Psalms and hymns and worshipful music throughout our day can draw us back to him, even if we listen for just a few minutes. Reading the lives of the saints or spiritual books, attending daily Mass—through all these ways, we can soak ourselves in the things that matter, storing up treasure that will last (Luke 12:33).

“Father, help me to keep focused on you today. Show me how to store up riches in heaven. I trust you to care for me and provide for me.”

Romans 4:20-25; (Psalm) Luke 1:69-75