Homily for Ordinary Time 18 - July 31, 2022

 

Homily for July 31, 2022

Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Using Money for Profit

 

            The founder of Domino’s pizza, Tom Monaghan, is an immensely wealthy person…and a devout Catholic. During the 1980s, when he had amassed a huge fortune, he went on a spending spree: the private jet, the Bugatti…he even became owner of the Detroit Tigers. As a hobby, he loved architecture, so he began construction on his multi-million-dollar dream house inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright.

            All of this changed in 1992 when he happened to pick up CS Lewis’ book “Mere Christianity”. He read in the book about how pride is the root of all sin – living for our ego, boasting about our accomplishments, living for self. He was struck to the heart – and realized that, despite all of his public Catholicism, he was living a very self-indulgent lifestyle. He quickly sold the Detroit Tigers, stopped construction on his dream house, and began to live simpler. He started attending daily Mass, praying a daily Rosary, and frequenting Confession.

            He finally sold Domino’s Pizza in 1998 for over one billion dollars – and has since used that money to spread the Catholic Faith. He founded Ave Maria University in Florida, rebuilt a cathedral in Nicaragua, and funds many pro-life organizations. Here is a man who could have used his wealth for himself – and instead realized that it was given to him to bring souls to Heaven.

            The man in today’s Gospel didn’t actually do anything wrong – he wasn’t a murderer or an adulterer, he didn’t cheat anyone or lie. But it’s what he didn’t do that had him condemned. He had all of this amazing wealth, in a time when the majority of the population struggled to find their next meal. And with his lack of generosity, he deprived others of their basic needs.

            Tolstoy once wrote that “I am a participant in a crime if I have extra food and another has none.” In America, we have more than enough material goods – money, leisure time, cars and houses and food – but these material goods will only profit us if we use them for others. Americans tend to live very self-indulgent lives – we make money, and we spend that money on ourselves: whether it be vacations, clothes, cars with all the bells and whistles, Amazon purchases, whatever. Most of our time and energy is used for ourselves and our own comforts.

            St. Anthony of Padua has a good analogy. He says that earthly riches are like reeds – they are very beautiful, but their roots are stuck in the swamp, and when you break the reeds, they are hollow. Likewise, earthly riches have their roots in the things of this earth instead of Heaven, and if we try to find happiness in them, we find them to be hollow.

            But does that mean we can never go on vacation or buy new clothes? No, it doesn’t. So what does God actually expect from us? He is actually very clear in Scripture: He expects His people to tithe. What is tithing? It is the practice of giving ten percent to God. In the Old Testament, Israel was required to give God the top ten percent of their flocks and fields. We, too, are encouraged to tithe – to give ten percent of our gross income to the Lord, whether to the Church directly or to charities.

            Some may say, “This is just an attempt for the Church to make more money!” No – it’s an attempt for the souls of men and women to not be snared by the lure of money. Mother Teresa always encouraged people to “give until it hurts” – if we only give our excess and save plenty of room for luxuries, then we are still living self-indulgently. We should be denying ourselves that fifth pair of shoes, that extra dinner out, that leather interior, that trip to Cancun…because our money doesn’t belong to us, it belongs to God. Consider – when you give to the Church, you are helping the most critical mission on earth: to bring souls to Heaven. When you give to the poor, you are giving to Jesus Christ in disguise. There is no better use for money! Plus, tithing frees us from undue anxieties about things – it puts our goods in proper perspective, and helps us to trust that God will supply everything we need.

            So, I would encourage you to tithe – give your 10% to God and to the poor. I tithe, and I have found that God can never be outdone in generosity.

            That which we give away stores up the greatest profit for us. Don’t store up the self-indulgent luxuries when we can store up treasures in Heaven!