Ecclesiastes 1-2; 2:21-23
Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11
Luke 12:13-21
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(Homily for Christ Our Hope Parish)
This weekend's message in Sacred Scripture is a cautionary tale on vanity and greed. Jesus calls us all to another way.
Instead of closely examining these two sins, I'd like to share:
This weekend's message in Sacred Scripture is a cautionary tale on vanity and greed. Jesus calls us all to another way.
Instead of closely examining these two sins, I'd like to share:
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A Parable for Our Times
By Deacon Dennis Kelly
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In a wealthy kingdom there lived a wealthy man called Asinus. He felt anointed by God and by all appearances led a holy life.
He prayed regularly in the house of worship and was pleasant to those he encountered there. But he always expected others to serve his needs and never stepped forward to serve the needs of others.
He wanted silence when in the House of the Lord and would become irritated when others would make noise. They were spoiling his time with God and he resented their interruptions.
Asinus would pass by people at the door of the church needing assistance and become angry in his heart. He thought, “What are those people, but a blight on our kingdom and its privileged people.”
He roamed the streets of the kingdom seeing others with less than he, and his pride would swell in his fortunes and blessings. He deserved this. He was anointed by God to live well and scorned those who had less, for they, he thought, were cursed by God. “How else could you explain their misfortune?”
Then, one day, the wealthy man fell unconscious with a blinding fever. He was very sick and near death.
In his fevered dreams appeared an angel who said,
“Asinus, turn back from your evil ways.
You say your fortune comes from God and that you are blessed, but your wealth has cursed you with blindness to the needs of the world. God expects you to bless others with your fortunes, but you do not.
Your worship is nothing, but vanity, done only to feel good about yourself. You refuse to hear God’s voice.
The Lord is sending you on a journey, Asinus. Learn well from the people you meet along the way. They have much to teach you.”
Asinus found himself standing alone on a deserted cobble stone street in a blinding fog. It was very cold, a cold Asinus had never experienced before.
The first person he met was a frail old man abandoned by his family and turned away by those who care for the infirmed in the kingdom. He was riddled with sickness and was dying in the streets. The man said his name was Egenum.
Asinus’ cold heart immediately judged the man’s condition. But Egenum just smiled and bid him, “Hello.” He asked Asinus if he could help find him a blanket so he would not die cold.
Asinus thought, “I am in this foreign place and do not know where to find you a blanket!” He said, “Sir, you will need to find a blanket yourself.” But the man was so frail he could not move.
Asinus coldly wished the man blessing and continued on his journey unable to even look the man in the eye as he departed.
Asinus next met a pregnant woman crying at the doorsteps of the church. She, too, was cold and in need of a place to stay. But the church doors were locked.
She meekly introduced herself at Cupio and asked for his help getting into the church. Asinus thought to himself, “I have no time for this.”
Asinus tried the door, but could not get it open. He knocked once, but no one answered.
He shrugged his shoulders and said, “There’s nothing I can do to help you. I am sorry for your misfortune. Do you not have a man to care for you?“
The women turned away and cried even harder. Cupio told him she was fleeing a husband who beat her. She was hoping for a better life for herself and the child she carried in her womb.
He didn’t ask her any more questions, but shook his head, and walked away, and continued on his journey.
Next he met a mute child who had a sign around her neck that read Fame. She was gaunt with one lame leg.
The child grabbed Asinus by the hand and slowly took him to the edge of town. Each step was difficult for the little girl. Asinus grew impatient as they walked together.
At the two iron gates that appeared before him he noticed a sign overhead that read, “Pauper’s Graveyard.”
There the child showed him two freshly dug graves, one large and one small.
She pointed to him, then to the large grave.
His heart sank as he realized he was staring at his final resting place. “But how could this be? I am a wealthy man. I am still young. Surely I will recover from this fever and wake up from this awful dream.”
As he looked down he noticed his reflection in a puddle next to the grave. He could see in the reflection he was no longer young, but a very old man. His face looked scornful and angry, and filled with contempt. Where was the pious man he believed himself to be?
The child then pointed to herself and to the smaller grave. At that moment he realized the cold, stark truth.
He looked closely at the child. She smiled innocently, but her gaunt face told him she was dying of hunger.
He began to weep and prayed with all his might for the angel to return to him. But the angel did not.
Instead, a woman dressed in a white and blue flowing gown stood before him. She radiated light and her face was a thing of beauty and peace.
She began to speak.
“Asinus. Asinus. God is speaking to your heart. But you refuse to listen.
He has sent you three messengers to teach you how to see the world differently. But your blindness prevents you from seeing beyond your own needs to needs of others especially those I hold most dear.
Your hardened heart and arrogance come from your wealth. They prevent you for hearing the cries of the poor.
I am the mother of your Lord and Savior. You know well my example of listening and responding to God’s voice. My Son is calling upon you to do the same.
First, he wants you to know the names of those you have met today.
The old man is named Egenum or 'needy.' He asked your help in finding a blanket. But you ignored his needs.
The pregnant woman is named Cupio or 'want.' She desired entrance into your Church to find sanctuary from an abusive husband. But you judged her and refused to act on her pleas.
The child holding your hand at this moment is Fame or 'hunger.' She has shown you your future if you do not change your ways.
And, you, Asinus, do you know what your own name means? It means 'fool.'
The man began to weep bitterly.
The lady said, “This does not have to be your future.”
At that, the man awoke from his fever. He was young again. He felt healthy. In fact, he felt like a man renewed.
As Asinus looked out the window of his warm home he saw all three people he met on his journey on the street below. He knew what he had to do.
To the old man, he brought a blanket and took him to house of the infirmed and paid for his stay. He was there when the man died peacefully in a warm bed a few days later.
Next he found the pregnant woman at the Church door, and he himself pounded on the locked door until the priest came to open it. He told the priest of the woman’s plight. She was given sanctuary. He visited her often and became like a brother to her as she built a new life for herself and her new child with his financial help.
Next, he found the gaunt little girl and took her to the nearby home for abandoned children. He promised to fund her stay and be a part of her life. He was like a father to her for the rest of his life.
Years later she buried him in a beautiful cemetery, with an elegant tombstone. She would inherit his wealth and never again be hungry. She was both compassionate and generous, spending her entire inherited fortune helping those in need.
“Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.”
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