[Hello, Church fans! Wow! Did Deacon Mick hit it out of the park this weekend. Probably one of his top five homilies of all time and certainly worth sharing with the blogosphere. Here it is. My musings on the same readings are below. ]
Way back when, as I was filling out the application to be a seminarian for the Archdiocese, I came across the last question which read: “If you were not applying to become a priest, what do you see yourself doing in five years?” I have a business degree from a big, fancy university. So I paused for a moment and then wrote down: “Working on my third million!”
The way I would do it is simple. I would open up a Self Storage facility. These things are essentially a license to print money. There is a very good reason for this—People have too much stuff!
They say that we spend the first third of our live wanting stuff, the second third accumulating stuff, and the last third trying to get rid of stuff. Coming to the end of what is likely the second third of my life, I can relate. If you have a storage unit, or have ever had a storage unit, you know what I am talking about.
When I was in college and up through the time I was ordained at 29, I had a simple rule. “If it didn’t fit in the pickup, it didn’t go.” But eventually, stuff started to fill up the corners of the garage, and then the center, and well…. All I can say is thank the Lord for Craigslist and Marketplace. Now I can get rid of stuff.
The point of the parable about the foolish rich man with the big barns is pretty clear to us. Stuff is nice. Stuff is useful. But in the long run, stuff doesn’t matter in the Kingdom.
The Kingdom of Heaven is built on relationships. Thus, the only stuff we take with us from this life are the relationships that we build up in this life with Christ, and with one another. This is what we mean by “the communion of saints.”
Relationships are not rocket science. If you want a relationship to grow, you give it time and attention. So, spend time in prayer, giving your attention to the Lord. Spend time with your parish family in liturgy and fellowship. Spend time with your friends, giving them your love and attention. This is the stuff of the Kingdom. This is our treasure in heaven.