At Mass the next day we had a substitute priest, the pastor from St. Pius, and I experienced a bit of "pastor envy". Gave homily about the rich young man who went away sad. Said that this is a depressing gospel for legalists, who find that doing the law isn't enough. It's also depressing for lovers, since Christ's look of love wasn't enough to convert the man. It's also depressing for rich people, for obvious reasons. It's depressing for those who think they've already "arrived" because Jesus asks of us "one more thing". A real bummer, he says, until the very last line: "what is impossible for man, is possible for God." He said that that's why his favorite prayer at Mass is "Lord, have mercy". Ultimately that's all we have. He said that all we have to worry about is today, and that each day Jesus asks us "just one more thing" and that that will be different for every person and that we have to focus on simply what "one more thing" Jesus is asking of us today.
The thing the rich always ask, he said, is "why me and not them? Why am I so blessed?" And indeed one rich woman went to see Mother Teresa and asked her why she was so "blessed" compared to all the poor, and Mother Teresa said she wasn't "found worthy". Again a timely reminder that the poor and the suffering are the superstars in the Kingdom.
3 comments:
Wish we had had that one. Ours verged on the prosperity Gospel at times (although to be fair I don't think that is what Father had in mind-its just the way it came out.)He quoted a number of millionaires on the payback from being generous.
I think you need to give your whole heart (duh). A poor man can still be attached to wealth in his heart, even though he doesn't have the wealth.
Sounds like you're missing your retired Irish priest...understandably so!
Oh the new Father is okay, but yeh we are missing the old one.
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