28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B, 2024

Published: October 13, 2024

Bishop Anthony B. Taylor preached the following homily at the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock and Catholic Campus Ministry Center in Conway on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024.

Bishop Taylor

I think it is safe to say that most everyone wants to live a good, happy life. Some people succeed in improving their circumstances, but others do not — even if they work just as hard. And what is often the biggest difference between these two groups of people? Their priorities. 

In their relationship with God, in the life of their family, in how they raise their children, in how they manage their money. It takes discipline to live according to one’s priorities, but that is necessary if you want happiness and success in this land of opportunity, and the first step is to set your priorities. 

Jesus speaks about our priorities throughout the Gospels, but today, he limits himself to speaking about how this works in the decisions we make regarding the use of our money.

His first point is that doing God’s will has got to be our #1 priority in every decision we make, including regarding our money. In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the rich young man: “Go, sell what you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven, then come, follow me.”

In other words, trust in me and in God’s providence. But when Jesus saw that the man was unwilling to put God ahead of himself, God ahead of his money, he added: “How hard it is for the wealthy to enter the Kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.” 

This is a very sobering message for us who have a comfortable life in the richest country in the world. Jesus does not ask everyone to give up everything like this rich young man, but the Bible does set a minimum of 10 percent, which is where our word tithe comes from.

If you love your money more than you love your God, well, your priorities are not in order, so if you’re not giving God the 10 percent minimum that is rightfully his, you may not be able to pass through the eye of that needle either. By giving our tithe, we recognize that everything we think we own really belongs to God and we just have the use of it for a time.

A second point made elsewhere in the Scriptures is that taking care of your family has got to be your #2 priority in the decisions you make regarding your money. In First Timothy, St Paul writes, “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he had denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” That’s pretty strong! 

These are the people God has most directly entrusted to our care, and the Bible says we have up to 90 percent of our income with which to do it. Setting our priorities and sticking to a budget is a key to success: saving up to buy a house, buying a less expensive car so you can put your kids in Catholic school, economizing so as to be able to provide for your elderly parents. Getting your priorities right so that you use your money the way God wants you to, and thus in the manner that most benefits your family.

In making your budget, some of you may have to ask yourself, for instance: “How can I justify spending so much on a fancy pick-up when I could be giving my kids or grandkids an excellent Catholic education instead?”  — a high-priority, God-and-family item. Or better yet, help the poor! 

I could give you a lot more examples, but I think you see what Jesus is saying in today’s Gospel. Do we really expect to pass through the eye of that needle with all of our stuff, and in particular any stuff we buy with the 10 percent that rightly belongs to God and in some cases spend the other 90 percent on low-priority items instead of thinking first about how God wants us to use our money?

On the last day, we will have to account for what we have done with all that God has entrusted to our care. If what matters to you most is doing God’s will, I am confident that you will pass successfully through the eye of that needle.