This weekend he shared this homily with me and those who read his blog and FB page and I believe it is so relevant, so spot on that I am going to share, with his permission, with all of you.
Deacon Paul's homily from this weekend:
What do Joel Osteen, Cool Whip, Jesse Duplantis, TD Jakes, Margarine, and Kenneth Copeland Have In Common?
This post contains an approximation of the homily delivered at St Luke the Evangelist in Slidell on Sunday September 13, 2015. This is the 24th Sunday in ordinary time, year B. The readings on which this homily is based can be found by clicking here.
Some of you may be familiar with the concept of “fake foods”, foods primarily made of chemicals and other ingredients that look, smell, feel and often taste like the real thing. Margarine is an example of a fake food. It is fake butter. If you read the label of Country Crock margarine, there are 15 ingredients, not one of which your grandparents ever ate.
Another fake food that many of you eat has these things included in its ingredients: water, hydrogenated palm oils, high fructose corn syrup, skimmed milk, sodium caseinate, artificial flavor, xanthan gum, guar gum, polysorbate 60, sorbitan monostearate. Sounds delicious. Do you know what that is? Cool whip. Gross! Compare that to what I make in my home as whipped cream. There are two ingredients: Cream and either sugar or stevia.
Nutritionists are starting to sound the warning that these fake foods are not good for you and could be causing various illnesses. Although fake foods may be causing diseases of the body, fake Christianity is worse, because for people of faith, fake Christianity causes diseases of the soul.
In today’s first reading, James writes “Faith without works is dead” . Not bad, Dead. Faith without works is fake Christianity. I’d like to dispel some misconceptions. Many Christians say that all you need is to have faith to be saved. That is just the opposite of what St. James writes. “What good is it … if one has faith but does not have works?” Many Protestants claim that Catholics think that they can earn their way into heaven by doing good works. Let me state this clearly: The Catholic Church does not now, nor has it ever, taught a doctrine of salvation by works…that we can “work” our way into Heaven. As Catholics we believe that we are saved by God’s grace alone. We can do nothing, apart from God’s grace, to receive the free gift of salvation. We also believe, however, that we have to respond to God’s grace. Through our works.
I have come to realize why Jesus said for you to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, provide shelter to the homeless, visit the sick and the imprisoned, and bury the dead. He did not say give your money to an organization or government and then wash your hands of responsibility. He said you go do it. Why? It is because when we perform works of mercy, we are transformed. We become in a small way, more merciful, more like Jesus Christ, who is mercy himself. We are changed, made holy, and take one little step forward toward our final goal, which is union with God in heaven. When we turn the responsibility of charity over to some faceless organization, the recipient may still benefit, but we lose the benefit of what our works do for our own souls.
Another aspect of fake Christianity that I would like to discuss is the wealth and prosperity Gospel. This is the Gospel that says that you if you are faithful in this life, God is going to reward you, in this life, with health, wealth, and pleasure. Some of the more famous preachers of this fake Christianity are Kenneth Copeland, Jesse Duplantis, Oral Roberts, Benny Hinn, TD Jakes and Joel Osteen. Millions of Catholics, maybe some of your family and friends have left the Church seduced by this false Gospel. It’s a real problem.
Last week, I took the opportunity to watch about a dozen of these preachers spout their nonsense on TV. There was one preacher with this message: “God is telling me that there are 30 people watching this show right now who he is calling to send $1000 each to this ministry. He is telling me that if you respond, he will bless you each, 100 fold.” It sounds appealing. I ‘d like to find an investment where I can get 100x return. It is also a bunch of bunk, a con that is an embarrassment to real Christianity. The gospel of prosperity turns Christianity into an empty, meaningless bless-me club, with a doctrine that amounts to little more than magical thinking: If you pray the right way, do the right things, God will make you rich.
This type of thinking has even infected Catholic and Orthodox thinking. How many times have we heard or even said, when something materially good happens “Oh what a blessing!” Seems normal, doesn’t it. Be clear – the only real blessings are those things that bring you closer to God and to heaven. If winning $100 million lottery sends you further from God, it is not a blessing. If poverty, unemployment, illness, or suffering bring you closer to God, that is a blessing.
Let’s compare the prosperity Gospel to what Jesus says in the today’s Gospel on what it means to be Christian - “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.”
Jesus was born poor, and he died poor, in most painful, gruesome death imaginable. While on earth, He spoke over and over about the importance of spiritual wealth. Store up treasures in heaven, He said. When he talked about material wealth, it was usually part of a warning. It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle then for a rich man to enter the kingdon of God.
Mother Theresa once said: "Suffering is a sign that we have come so close to Jesus on the cross that he can kiss us and that he can show that he is in love with us by giving us an opportunity to share in his passion." There are many forms of suffering that are quite mysterious. However, the need to carry our cross as an essential dimension of Christianity.
What’s for homework?
First, find a way to put your faith in action. There are dozens of ministries listed in the bulletin to help the less fortunate. If none of these suit your gifts, start your own. There are no shortage of people who need help.
Second, and this is something I need to work on. People who like to think of themselves as self-sufficient generally turn down help when someone offers it. You probably don’t realize it, but when you turn down help, you are denying someone else the opportunity to grow in mercy. The next time you are sick or have a family crisis and someone says “What can I do” don’t tell them “I’m good. Instead respond with “Some home cooked meals would be good” or “can you arrange for someone to cut my grass until I get back on my feet?” By doing so, you will help them on their path to becoming more Christ like.
Finally, I ask you to contemplate this thought over the next week - If you are experiencing financial difficulty, illness, or sorrow, contrary to what the prosperity Gospels preachers say, it is not because God does not love you. To the contrary, he loves you so much that he wants you to pick up your cross, and follow him, straight to heaven.
Nutritionists are calling for people to eat real versus fake foods, butter versus margarine; whipped cream versus cool whip. And Jesus, who many will shortly receive in the Holy Eucharist, is calling each of us to practice real Christianity rather than the fake variety – faith with works, pick up your cross and follow Him Daily.
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