Possessed

The story is told about a heavyset man, carrying heavy luggage, who got into an elevator. The overload buzzer sounded. He went out, and then went in again, and the buzzer sounded again. He did this two more times, with the same result. The other passengers grew irritated, and one of them sarcastically suggested: “Why don’t you remove your eyeglasses?!” He finally got the message, stepped outside, and let the others go in peace.

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In today’s Gospel (Lk. 12, 13-21), Jesus reminds us not to be possessed by our possessions. Many of us live anxious lives and hurt others because of our selfishness and pride. Let go, and let God! This is the single most important lesson we need to learn in life, and if we have not learned it well, we have learned nothing at all.

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We came into this world with nothing, and we carry with us nothing when we leave. Take a look at what you have today—money, power, possessions, positions, connections, “good name,” achievements, fame, beauty… Are these your god? Do you value these more than your family, your health, your very soul?

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Life is short. Death is certain. And death can come anytime, anywhere. In the blink of an eye, in a flick of a finger, life could end. What shame and regret there will be in the end if we have lived a life that is shallow, selfish, empty and vain.

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Are you possessed by your possessions? You are if you make your possessions the basis of your self-worth. You are if you are so obsessed with holding on to them. You are if your possessions have made you proud, greedy, and angry. You are if you lose sleep and sacrifice your health and quality time in pursuit of more possessions. You are if you set aside, forget, take for granted, and even disobey God, and choose your possessions over Him.

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It is not so much a question of making money as a question of what money has made of us. Money can make or unmake us. The bottom line is this: Has money made us better persons? Has money made us its slave? Has money in our possession possessed us?

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Please remember: Let your money work for you, not vice-versa. Let money work for your salvation, not your condemnation. Rich or poor, let not money become your lord and master.

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Letting go of material things is difficult. Our natural tendency is to grab, hold on, and keep. I have seen monkeys do that. I have also seen dogs bury their food in a hole for safekeeping. But we are not animals. We are persons created with hearts that are capable of caring and sharing. And definitely, we are persons created and redeemed, and mandated by our Lord to go beyond our culture of stealing, cheating and killing.

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Possessions are not just about money. Possessions may also be positions, affiliations, adulation, relations, situations, and comfort zones, or worldly illusions and delusions, or whatever or whoever we deify in this world. Let not these be our god. Let not these be our prison.

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“The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; Do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31, 8). How consoling to know that our God is with us in our journey. May we not be so focused on the provisions for our journey as to forget the reason and destination of our journey, and also our companions in our journey.

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Trust more. Worry less. Because of our insecurity, we take the road of having more, and keeping more. It is a busy road, and also a lonely road. The Lord points to us the road of having less, and sharing more. Please remember that we are all pilgrims in this world, not permanent residents, journeying together to our final destination—heaven. Pilgrims have only tents, not permanent homes.

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Think about this: Malayo na ang narating mo pero malayo ka pa sa Diyos; mataas na ang nalipad mo, pero mababa pa ang lipad mo sa puso ng Diyos. (You have come a long way already, but you are still far from God; You are flying high already, but you have not yet taken off on your journey to God’s heart.) Also this: “Power and money are the fruits of life. But God, family and friends are the roots of life. We can manage without the fruits, but we can never stand without the roots.”

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Aug. 4, the feast of St. John Mary Vianney (patron saint of priests), is also the worldwide celebration of Clergy Day. Priests from 47 parishes and shrines in the Diocese of Cubao in Quezon City will come together for the celebration with the theme “#Men in Black: In Style and Substance.” This year’s host, the Diocesan Shrine of Jesus, the Divine Word (Christ the King Mission Seminary, E. Rodriguez Sr. Ave., Quezon City), has prepared a sports activity, thanksgiving Mass and a tribute dinner on the day, according to Shrine Rector Fr. Ramonito Rebucias, SVD. For inquiries, please call 4126843 or 09178518429.

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A moment with the Lord:

Lord, help us not to be possessed by our possessions. Amen.