READING 1:
Ecclesiastics (Qoheleth) 1:2; 2:21 -23 Psalm
90 READING 2: Colossians 3:1-5,9-11 GOSPEL: Luke 12:13-21
The fundamental question implied in all three of our readings this weekend is: “Who is in control of your life?” There is reality and there is human vanity. We are a dynamic, bright, energetic, ambitious community. If your eyes happen to wander across the nave of our church during the Mass today, chances are good that anyone you see will be well accomplished, high achievers for their age group. But there is a shadow side to all this: Talented, high achievers sometimes fall into thinking that we are in control of our lives. I read this in the newspaper this week: The modern-style Malibu home of Daniel Jacoby has been sold for about $12 million. Jacoby was a co-founding partner of Digital Insight, a dot-com firm that was sold to Intuit for $1.35 b illion. Jacoby also founded Interfaith Inventions Inc., a nonprofit organization that promotes I nterfaith youth camps nationwide. He died at age 38, in 2004, of brain cancer. Apparently, Mr. Jacoby was a scholar, an athlete and an extremely wealthy entrepreneur. But still, he died at 38. Everything is gone; the company that bought his company is not interested in his memory. His spectacular home is sold. He is remembered, though, for starting interfaith summer camps so kids with different religious practices can learn to work and play and respect each other. I am guessing that he was a admirable man steeped in faith. On the other hand, Kenneth Lay, CEO of Enron, when he realized that years of “cooking the books” were bringing Enron down, did two things for which he will be remembered. First, he sold his company stock for a profit of $70 million. Then he froze his worker’s stock, which was invested in their pension plans, so they couldn’t withdraw their money. When the collapse happened, the employees lost their pensions along with their jobs. In 2006, Ken Lay was convicted on six counts of fraud and conspiracy, and was awaiting sentencing when he suddenly dropped dead of a massive heart attack. When we were young we learned the “seven deadly sins.” They were called deadly because they robbed us of life and of the promise of eternal bliss in heaven. Greed was at the top of the list and envy was right up there with greed. They go hand in hand and rob us of the joy in life. They are all about human vanity. All questions seem to return to one fundamental question: “who is in control of our lives?” It’s all about our attitude Jesus tells the reality: ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have saved up, to whom will they belong?’ Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God.” Daniel Jacoby seems to have understood the message and Kenneth Lay will get it when he faces his eternal Judge as we all will. We can control our own attitudes. If we believe we ourselves are in control, we will live anxious lives of greed and envy because we can never have enough of anything to be secure in and of ourselves. If we surrender to reality, knowing all control belongs to God, we grow stronger. How do we want to be remembered? How to we want to live? Do we embrace reality or human vanity?. Choose life, chose a happy life, choose true security, choose the way of Jesus, and choose the Good News! Fr. Jeff McGowan |
