HOMILY – 26^TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME

ST. ANTHONY CHURCH & FURMAN UNIVERSITY

OCTOBER 1, 2006 – 8 & 11AM  &  8:30PM

Today I ask you on behalf of our Bishop Robert Baker, Fr. David our pastor, myself and the campaign team, to please reach into the pew pocket and hold a pledge card as we prayerfully consider our part of building the Catholic Church in South Carolina.  Our bishop has 9 areas of concern – all noble and necessary, 6 of which will directly benefit us here at St. Anthony’s.  We have been speaking about the campaign for 2 months and have eliminated our debt to be ready to serve our bishop.  Now is the time to make our pledge, either a one-time participation or over 3 years.  Please take this time to fill out the card and we will collect them in a few moments.  A brief homily will follow.

May the Lord give us His peace.

The Spirit came to rest on them also,  stuff stored up,  millstone necklaces.

The Spirit came to rest on them also.  I cannot help but think that God has God’s ways and we don’t always agree with God.  Here in the 1^st reading we have the equivalent of God choosing to speak through our spouses, children, relatives and friends who are away from the church.  We come home or visit with them and we hear them prophecy and think 1^st, “Who are you to tell me anything!”  Yet that is who Eldad and Medad were – those who did not go to God’s gathering.  Only those looking everywhere for God find Him, those looking everywhere, everywhere. 

The Spirit came to rest on them also.

Stuff stored up.  I went to the storage listings in the yellow pages and found no less than 246 places.  One place was unabashedly called “pac-rat self storage.”  Then there are PODS, the garage sized units they drop off, we fill them, and they disappear for us – all the stuff still mine, but not visible. Wow.  There are safe names like Shur-Guard Storage, Junk Yard Dog Storage, and BetterBuilt Storage.  Just in case these aren’t enough, there’s Add-A-Space Storage.

Hear the Word of God – “You have stored up treasure for the last days, fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter.”  James is shooting from the hip.  He sees self-satisfaction and neglect of the poor.  This has no place among the followers of Jesus.  So I was thinking, so what am I supposed to do with my stuff?  It is there in James, have a preference for the poor.  Low income, unable or disabled are to receive part of our blessings.  The Bishop’s campaign will go a long way doing just that, and a huge chunk of our weekly offering goes to direct contact with the poor offering then dental work, rent, food and much more.  I would recommend you sit with Sandy and BJ and Mary for a day and see what you do in a practical way.  Can we give the POD away? Do we need it? For what?  Jesus calls us to live simply allowing others a higher standard of life.

Millstone necklaces.  Jesus gets most upset when our missing the mark encourages or makes it easy for others to – when we lead by bad example.  He’d like to give us a millstone necklace, a stone as large as the altar, a rope around our necks, thrown into the sea.  He is clear.  “I would rather you were not alive than use your life to lead a person away from me.” 

Wealth stored, hearts closed, gated off from others, is bad example.  It shows distance, fear, false security.  Be alive (in my love and gifts to you) and give them away.  I will continue to bless you.

We have an opportunity this weekend and next to make a call about our trust in God, our concern for the poor and to make good example. You have always inspired me.  We do what we can, and even more than that.  The cross of Jesus Christ, our necklace.