The Unauthorized Homily

By Bill Dunn

A commentary on the Scripture readings from the Sunday Lectionary

(Scripture readings for Sunday, February 28th: Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18; Philippians 3:17-4:1; Luke 9:28-36.)

CITIZENS OF HEAVEN GET READY FOR ‘BAD OL’ DAYS’

In this week’s second reading, from the letter to the Philippians, St. Paul writes this warning to fellow believers, “Many…conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction. Their God is their stomach….Their minds are occupied with earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven.”

A few months ago I was reminiscing about the “bad ol’ days,” my late teens and early 20s when I was a self-centered, alcohol-abusing atheist. (As opposed to now, I suppose, when I am a self-centered, donut-abusing Born Again Catholic.) My philosophy of life back in those days was very simple, consisting of only three parts. 1) Maximize pleasure. 2) Minimize pain. 3) Die.

As far as I was concerned back then—given my belief that mankind’s existence was a random cosmic accident with no purpose or meaning (exactly what I was taught in public school biology class, by the way)—the only logical course of action during a person’s brief moment of consciousness on this planet was to jump headfirst into a world of non-stop partying. (In prior eras it was called, “Wine, women, and song.” In the 1970s we called it, “Sex and drugs and rock n’ roll.”)

Back then I was doing exactly what Paul described. My mind was occupied completely with earthly things. (What else, since I did not believe in God or Heaven or life after death?) My God was my stomach (plus other strategic body parts). My end was sure to be destruction. I saw little difference between a person who died at age 95 in a nursing home and a person who died at age 25 on the way home from a bar wrapped around a tree at 2 a.m.—except the 25-year-old probably had more fun. Either way, though, both persons were dead and gone and had ceased to exist. And most certainly, by ignoring with my mind and mocking with my actions the sacrifice Jesus offered for all humanity, I was conducting myself as an enemy of the cross of Christ.

Paul tells us the true citizenship of Christians is in Heaven. Yes, we live for a time (a painfully short time, really) here on earth. But the essence of our being, our individual soul and spirit, will live for all eternity. The permanent residence of a person who has put his or her faith in Christ is Heaven. The permanent residence of a person who has not is, well, not.

More recently than my musings about the “bad ol’ days” of the past, I was thinking about the very likely “bad ol’ days” of the near future. I’ve been following some alarming stories, for example:

• Connecticut Magazine has a feature story in its February issue titled “The Pension Bomb.” Basically, the government in my state has made so many financial promises to so many current and former state workers, in a very short time the remaining citizens still actively employed will have to fork over an eye-popping percentage of their income to meet all the obligations. Similar time bombs are ticking in municipalities, where town and city employees, many of whom retired in their 40s and early 50s with full and immediate pensions, expect to receive handsome monthly incomes and free health insurance for many decades to come.
   
• At the federal level, the ticking time bomb is infinitely worse, something on the order of a 200-megaton nuclear warhead. Our esteemed leaders in Washington have made entitlement promises totaling well over 100 trillion dollars. (Yes, that’s trillion with a “T.” I agree, who can even begin to fathom numbers that large?) Medicare alone is staggering. John C. Goodman of the National Center for Policy Analysis says this: “Medicare’s expected future obligations exceed premiums and dedicated taxes by $89 trillion.” Holy bankruptcy, Batman!
   
• A well-known author in Great Britain, Martin Amis, asks this question: “How is society going to support the ‘Silver Tsunami’?” An analysis of demographics shows without a doubt that a huge wave of Baby Boomers are about to flood the senior citizen welfare system. (In the U.S., that would be Social Security, Medicare, free prescription drugs, subsidized senior housing, Medicaid payments for nursing homes, subsidized Meals on Wheels, and the myriad of other products and services seniors expect taxpayers to provide.) Amis sees no possible way society can avoid an economic catastrophe under the current system. He therefore suggests a radical solution: set up many easy-access euthanasia clinics to, as the saying goes, “cull the herd” and save society from ruin. In other words, you bring Grandma or Grandpa down to the corner clinic, kiss them good-bye at the front door, and an hour later come back and pick up an ashes-filled urn at the back door.

OK, admittedly Amis’ proposal is quite shocking, to Christians and secularists alike. But on the other hand, imagine someone in the year 1960 declaring publicly that abortion-on-demand must be the law of the land in all 50 states. Or someone in 1990 proposing that homosexuals must be allowed to marry in churches and have their wedding vows blessed by the state. Without a firm moral compass, what at first shocks can become commonplace over time. Will Amis’ shocking words of 2010 be the ho-hum reality of 2030? Never, you say? Don’t forget the number of citizens 85 and older will more than DOUBLE by 2030, and today’s youth will be making the decisions then, and they are a generation which has been steeped in moral relativism from birth (the ones we allowed to be born, at least), plus they will be quite resentful toward Baby Boomers for wanting to take all their money. And you still think Amis’ idea won’t catch on? OK, hope you’re right.

Nobody loves his country more than I do. Nobody is more proud of the fact that our experiment in republican democracy has been a shining beacon of freedom and hope to countless people around the globe for over 200 years. Nobody appreciates more than I the fact our nation has produced the highest level of prosperity in the history of the world. However, there has never been, and there never will be, an earthly government that lasts forever. All nations, all empires, all civilizations eventually die. This means one day the United States of America will die. Personally, I hope and pray that fateful day occurs many, many centuries from now. But you never know. Even a B-minus student in economics (and a C-minus student in human nature) knows the fundamentals are not good right now. Our nation is awash in red ink, while our citizenry is awash in self-centered, self-destructive character traits.

As Christians, we are between two worlds. We live here and now in this earthly world, God’s awesome creation, which means we have a duty to work hard and make it the closest thing to paradise we can. But at the same time, we have dual citizenship in Heaven. That is our true eternal homeland. Because of this fact, we must never lose hope. We can’t get discouraged no matter how much the near future becomes another “bad ol’ days.”

Jesus told us: “In this world you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

If “it” hits the fan during our earthly lifetimes, it will be our responsibility as Christians to sacrifice and help those in need. Why? Because Jesus commanded us to love our neighbors. And as Christians it will be our privilege to offer encouragement and hope to those in despair. Why? Because we are citizens of Heaven and Jesus promised that He has “overcome the world.”

An old proverb says, “May you live in interesting times.” (Maybe it’s not a proverb, but a instead a curse?) We definitely live in interesting times. And whatever comes to pass, it will be a phenomenal opportunity for us to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ—using words if necessary. Get ready for a wild ride.

©2010