Choose Life
There once was a rich Texan oil billionaire named Jim, who
loved nothing better than to race around the Texas
countryside in his luxurious red convertible. He rarely gave to
charity, he never involved himself in civic affairs, he lived only
to indulged his passions, live extravagantly, and show
complete indifference to others. Finally he died and his
lawyer, the designated trustee of the estate, made
arrangements for his burial.
On the day of the funeral there were few in attendance at the service, but a crowd did
gather at the rural cemetery because strange things were going on. A couple of days
earlier a back hoe arrived on the scene and the operator proceeded to dig a whole five
times the size of a normal grave. This was followed by a huge crane which when
arrived was parked alongside the grave site. People were curious.
Soon a flatbed truck arrived with the rich man’s
convertible on the back. To everyone’s surprise,
there was Jim positioned behind the wheel of his
car. Apparently, Jim had decided long ago that he
could take it with him because all around him was
piled bags and bags of money.
The crane operator proceeded to hook the crane up to the convertible and hoist it into
the air. As it sat there suspended over the grave, one of the town’s people was heard
to exclaim in a loud voice, “Man, that’s really living!”
There are two scripture passages I wish you to consider this morning.
One is from our Hebrew Scripture reading for the Day, Deuteronomy
30:15:
See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and
adversity.
The other is from Matthew 16:25
For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who
lose their life for my sake will find it.
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Had Jim “chosen life or death?” Each of these passages make a similar point.
Namely, that things are not always what they seem to be. We must choose wisely.
This point is also made clear in the stories concerning King Midas.
The story of King Midas is a myth about the tragedy of avarice, and narrates what
happens when true happiness is not recognized. Midas was a man who wished that
everything he touched would turn into gold. However, he had not thought that this wish
was not actually a blessing, but a curse. His greed invites us to think and realize the
consequences that may lead us to become slaves of our own desires. The phrase the
Midas touch comes from this myth and is used to say that somebody has a good
fortune.
How ironic, that the “Midas touch” which brought tragedy to
Midas who when he touched his food, his drink, and even his
daughter, it all turned into gold. Then Midas realized that far
from being a blessing (or even good fortune) the Midas touch is
a curse.
Rather than seeking to avoid the pains of this world, we should be seeking to engage
them. Rather than seeking to accumulate greater and greater wealth, we should be
seeking ways to distribute God’s blessings in order to create a just world. Jesus didn’t
come to help us escape from the concerns of this world, he came to teach us how to
embrace them.
In a recent article in the Catholic Agitator, Dr. Cornel West reflects of the late Dorothy
Day wrote:
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Dorothy Day was a death-wrestler,
wrestling with self-doubt, wrestling with
patriarchal structures. And she
understood that if you are going to be a
death-wrestler, there is a very good
chance you are going to spend a lot of
time on the margins, in prisons, and on
your way to the cross. And on your way
to the cross, you will be a cross-bearer
much more than a flag-waver. Patriotism,
in its dominant form as we see with these
drones, is a form of idolatry that too often
leaves us calloused and indifferent to the
suffering of others.
Consider this prayer:
O God, make me discontented with things the way they are in the world and in
my own life. Make me notice the stains when people get spilled on. Make me
care about the slum child downtown, the misfit at work, the people crammed into
the mental hospital, the men, women, and youth behind bars. Make me ill at
ease every time I hear of domestic violence or another shooting. Jar my
complacence, expose my excuses, get me involved in the life of my city and
world. Give me integrity once more, O God, as we seek to be changed and
transformed, with a new understanding and awareness of our common humanity.
Amen.
Once again quoting Cornel West:
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The problematic are those who are
obsessed with the mainstream and the
straight-line, ….. usually obsessed with
trying to gain access to it, …. and ending
up well-adjusted to injustice and
well-adapted to indifference.
It becomes a way of life, ……… a
hardening of the heart and a coarsening
of the soul, …….. and a turning away from
the vulnerable, the despised, and the
weak. Indifference is the one trait that
makes the very angels weep.
Oh, I hear you protest, didn’t Jesus say that he came to bring us
the abundant life. He did! And that’s just the point. Jesus’ life
makes it clear that the abundant life consists not of abundant
possessions, but with abundant relationships. Relationships of
caring. Relationships of compassion. Relationships which embrace
justice, no matter the cost. The abundant life comes through the
fruit of the Spirit, through love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness,
gentleness and self-control. Not through power and wealth.
Don’t you see? …. Don’t you see that discontent with the way
things are, is just one short step from longing for a better life,
a better society, and a better world; and longing is just
another short step from doing something about what is
wrong. So Lord, make me discontent! Pour out your spirit
upon me and make me long for a better world. And draw me
into the way of the cross. The way of emptying myself for
the sake of the whole world.
Amen.
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