Sermon Cloud

Earlier this summer, I had a wonderful opportunity to travel with some friends who are of Polish heritage.  They invited me to accompany them as they returned to southern Poland for a family reunion.  Traveling is so different when you are accompanied by people who know the land, and what better way to be introduced to a place than to be surrounded by those who can introduce you not only to the physical aspects of the country but also the cultural and historical aspects as well.

This past week, I received the news that my friend's father, who has been living in Canada for almost six decades, was reunited with our God.  'Could you please come for the funeral?' they asked.  My friends, who had been so good to me, now needed my help, even if this meant merely being present at a time which is so difficult for them.  After much deliberation, and some shuffling of the schedules, I left on an early flight Thursday morning.  The adventure I was embarking on though had another surprise in store for me.

When one travels from Sudbury to Ottawa, it is possible to go directly, but I went instead to Toronto, where I had to wait for a connecting flight, then board a shuttle which was filled with business people all commuting between these two cities.  I had forgotten how busy the travel corridor between Ottawa and Toronto is.  Surrounded by the cacophony of conversations, I was transported back to a time when I too had fancied the possibility of being in high ranks of the business world, and what it stirred within me was indeed very interesting.

As a young teenager, I once dreamed of a career in accounting or management.  While I completed my university studies, I was fortunate enough to have various opportunities to work in large corporations and the possibilities seemed endless.  My friends and I all spoke of days when we would be earning large salaries, able to buy big houses and enjoy the finer things in life.  In a sense, you might say that we were well on the way to becoming the comfortable ones in the first reading today (Amos 6:4-6).

There is always a part of the human heart that struggles with the temptation to be content with the visible and tangible comforts of this world, but to do so would be to turn deaf ears on the lessons of our faith, for preoccupation with physical possessions and comforts can become a god in its own right if we allow it to.  Taken to its extreme, such preoccupation blinds us to the needs of others, to those at times in our very midst who know only the cruel realities of life.

The parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) reminds us that Jesus came to show us the way to the Father, and this way is more about how we pay attention to the needs of others.  Jesus describes in some detail the stark contrast between the rich man who dressed in fineries, who feasted every day, and the poor man Lazarus who was in constant pain and could only dream of the possibility of a full stomach.

Jesus is not saying that his disciples should renounce all comforts, but rather we need to  recognize the luxuries we have as gifts, and to never forget the true wealth that comes when we are able to sympathize with another because he is in pain, to comfort another because she is grieving, to respond to the unspoken request for acceptance and love from the neglected, to walk hand in hand with others solely because they are our brothers and sisters.

In the words of Saint Paul, we are called to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.  Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of ... eternal life ... to which we have been called. (1 Tim 6:11-13)  If we begin to grasp the truth of these riches, perhaps we have a glimpse of the true wealth that is offered, and we are well on the way to understanding the true meaning of God's riches.