Tuesday of the Twentieth Week of Ordinary Time

August 19, 2008 · Filed Under Homilies, Ordinary Time

These are hard readings today, aren’t they? More than that, I think; they are harsh readings. But that’s probably a good thing, because they make a point that we all need to hear from time to time.

Sometimes when people think about what the greatest sin would be, they might point to a sexual sin, or to something like abortion or murder or genocide. But the Church Fathers have always been a little more heavy-handed against the sin of pride, and I think that’s what today’s readings are getting at. And because the sin of pride is so insidious, it is probably necessary that the reaction to that sin be harsh.

In today’s first reading, Ezekiel has to come down hard on the prince of Tyre, and really all of the people, for thinking they are greater than God; that their own power can get them through any difficulty. He has to prophecy what they don’t want to hear, that their power will not be enough to overcome their enemies after all. And in today’s Gospel, Jesus has to deal with those who are rich. Being rich isn’t the sin; the sin is thinking that because one is rich, he has everything he needs for a successful life. We know that money cannot necessarily buy happiness; what we hear today is that money can’t buy a place in the kingdom of God.

Maybe the reason that pride is such a problematic sin is that when we’re caught up in it, we don’t know we’re caught up in it. We think we have it all together and we don’t need anyone’s help, thank you very much. What is sad is that the outcome is often thinking that we don’t even need God, which may not be what we intended, and could not be farther from the truth.

It might not seem like the sin of pride can ever be overcome. But as Jesus reminds us today, “For men this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” All things are possible if we remain close to God who longs to give us everything we need. If only we call on him and remember that he is God and we are not.

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comets 3 months ago 1 point
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These were good readings. The problems described in the readings (thinking of oneself like a god) are still present. Some readings aren't as easy to place in today's context. Wasn't Moses guilty of some pride that kept him from entering the promised land?
I liked the part of the reading about how we think we are wiser than David. That is so easy to do. "We" can make the lame walk (false legs for amputees); we can "cure" some cancers either by drugs, radiation, or removal of tumors. We can send man to the moon.
We need to always remember to give God thanks and praise. We can do things only because he has given us something.
One of the prayers that I pray most often (and it is tied to pride) is I thank God for having me be born to the parents that I was born to, and in the country that I was born in. No matter how smart or wise I may think myself, it was not my wisdom that had me born here. This helps me realize that I am not better than all those people in the third world countries. Was it I who determined where I would be born? No. Was it they who decided to be born poor? I think not.
The Gospel today is reflective of today as well. Church is not "needed" for the rich. My wife taught RE a few years back and she actually had a child tell her "my dad says we don't have to go to church because we're rich". Sometimes the rich are the poorest in faith. That really brings clarity to Jesus' saying "the last will be first and the first will be last".

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