During the 1970’s and 1980’s there was an interesting question that many evangelical Christians used to challenge your embrace of the faith. “If it was illegal to be a Christian, would there be enough evidence against you to support a conviction?” This is a question that can touch us as we look at the Old Testament Reading and the Gospel.

The Old Testament Reading highlights the persecution of the prophet Jeremiah. Preaching with the impending Babylonian Exile in the background, Jeremiah was calling people, including the King, to purity in the faith by abandoning their idolatries. Remember, to abandon idolatry is to turn from prosperity. People embrace idolatry as a source of prosperity, however, God is calling the people not to prosperity but to holiness in Him. For true prosperity cannot be found in material goods, but in the promises of God.

But, what is happening is that Jeremiah is aware that the Babylonians will defeat the nation of Judah and the defeat will be disastrous. Further, many will flee to Egypt and there Babylon will defeat Egypt and again the Jews will not be free of the wrath of God.

Jeremiah sounds the warning but when he begins his warning there is great prosperity and people want him silenced. He suffers so much persecution that he curses the day he was even born. However, he knows he has a message to deliver to the people and as much he tries to stifle it, he can’t and he proclaims this message even reluctantly.

What is more tragic is that he is right. The Babylonians do defeat Judah. Zedekiah is blinded by the Babylonians and brought into captivity and God’s message is secured. He has warned the people that idolatry will lead them to disaster and so it does.

The reality of idolatry is that like all things against Christ, it promises short term gains, but delivers long term loses. It leads to great injustice for if the goal is prosperity then the prize is available to some at the cost to others and this brings grave injustice to some while exalting others.

Eventually, God steps in to bring an end to this idolatry, often it begins when the country is engaged in great prosperity brought on by this idolatry. However, the people seeking their own desires, not their own divine destiny are on a road that they don’t see which is to their own self-consumption.

It is a warning that the prophets give over and over again, do not seek the prosperity gained in idolatry, seek God and he will give a real prosperity that goes beyond material goods, it is the prosperity of true humanity.

Where do we stand in this picture. What is our focus? How do we define prosperity and what avenues do we use to find it? The greatest prosperity is a deep relationship with God.

We are indeed the most materially prosperous nation that ever existed and we clearly are a country that understands prosperity. But if you want to look at where we stand as a community then notice we average 300 attendees per church, not per mass, per church. Where is everybody else? Is the right message being embraced and is it getting out. The right message is prosperity sought through avenues that lead one away from God will always be short lived and end in disaster. Only that prosperity rooted in Christ will lead us to true prosperity. The greatest prosperity is a deep relationship with God.

Many do not listen and because they don’t listen they need to rely on the ways of the world, if they fail, and they will, they will have nothing. This is always the prophets warning, this is Jesus’ warning. You have put your faith in princes and those princes will fail you, as they always do.

We have an important message, an important warning, but the message is not getting out. We need to find ways to communicate it. For when the world changes, and it always does, those who put their trust in the things of this world will have nothing but sand as their support. They will have nothing else. But we also have a warning. Are we doing enough to be the prophets we have been called to the world? The answer is obvious, no! Not if only three hundred per church are attending mass. Granted some are attending other parishes, but some have chosen to turn from God altogether choosing instead to rely on their good works or even their success as their support.

It is a great mistake. That is the stuff that turns to sand. Jesus in the gospel is challenging us to turn from every form of idolatry that is leading us to live in complacency and embrace the Holy Spirit that we may through our lives preach not only the gospel, but its very urgency. However, that will make us a target of those who embrace the world. It already does. Many do not attend Church for they have brought the propaganda that you must avoid Catholicism for her priests are evil and her teachings are from the middle ages. These are the words of those who know our power to speak out against the ill gotten gains of a world embracing itself and turning its backs on God. But let us be aware of the warning that this means. Let us remember these words as a warning: “It is my fervent hope that a new era of friendship and prosperity may be dawning among the peoples of the world.” those are the words of King George VI in October in the aftermath of the Munich Accord, a piece of paper that promised peace to the world that was less valuable than the signatures placed upon it.

We have a message to the world. Jesus is the way, the truth and the light, all other ways including the promises of our political world promise many things but there is no guarantee in any promise except for that they turn to sand. The greatest prosperity is a deep relationship with God.

It is time we start proclaiming the message with our lives, for we will be held accountable for this message and we will be warning the people that all they have put their faith in that is not Christ will fail as will the promises that they deliver.

God bless you,

Fr. Robert J Carr

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