Jesus gives us the parable of the rich man who hoarded all his possessions. But is that all there is to the story, or does it call us to do something more? See how Eunice Shriver Kennedy and Pope Francis shed light on our true calling to make – noise!!

1. 04 August 2013 18th
Sunday in Ordinary Time Princeton, NJ
At first glance, one could ask, of all the things Jesus did during his ministry among us, why did this
particular story about inheritance get recorded? After all the Roman-Judeo laws were fairly clear on
how these matters were to be handled. But yet in this Gospel Jesus is stopped by someone who is
concerned that his brother will not share his inheritance and possessions. Jesus replies with a
warning against greed and the desire to hoard possessions and then makes his point with the parable
of rich man who produces a bountiful harvest and rather than share it, simply builds larger barns to
stockpile and store it. The rich man focuses his life on what is important to him - his possessions, his
self-worth, his well-being versus focusing on others and using his bountiful surplus to help the least
of his brothers and sisters. In essence, doing what matters to God.
To me, it seems that this parable has a meaning deeper and more significant than just a question of
inheritance. For in the telling of this parable Jesus was challenging the rich man and all of us to move
from the first half to the second half of life. It is not uncommon for many of us to spend our first 30,
40 or 50 years attempting to climb whatever ladder we feel will lead to success, focusing on our
personal identities of who we think we are, creating boundaries, and seeking security. All of which
has a degree of necessity – but there is more. There is who we are in Christ. And it is in this second
half of life, often triggered by a personal loss, where our eyes are opened to the need to leave behind
our ego and to focus on something greater. I think Albert Einstein said it well in his statement, "I
must be willing to give up what I am in order to become what I will be."
One person who lived this way and made a difference for others was Eunice Kennedy Shriver. One
of the 11 children of Joseph and Rose Kennedy, Eunice grew up with her older sister, Rosemary who
had an intellectual disability. She would spend hours each day playing with her sister, caring for her
and being her companion. In 1962, at the age of 39, Eunice decided to start a summer camp on the
lawn of her home in Rockville Maryland for boys and girls who were just like her sister in order to
provide a place for them to have fun.
When asked why she started the camp she replied, "We were told to do a lot of things - to get off our
rear ends, not to watch television, not to be arrogant...and don't waste time. The whole issue of being
engaged in some kind of meaningful work for society came from seeing it done and having fun with
it. My parents were people who lived more by example than by words and were great at making
important things fun."
And that is what Eunice Shriver did. For between 1962 and 1967 she went on to finance other camps
across the country. In 1968, seven weeks after her younger brother, Bobby, was assassinated she
convened the first Special Olympic Games with a gathering of a few hundred people and 1,000
athletes from 26 states. Today some 3 million Special Olympic Athletes from all 50 states and 181
countries are involved in the program. And it is interesting to note that the next National Games in
2014 will be hosted here in Princeton/Mercer County area.
By using her gifts and her talents and her resources and focusing on others versus herself Eunice
Kennedy Shriver changed the way the world looked at those who are physically and mentally
different. By choosing to champion the powerless she changed the life of countless millions.
But there is much more to be done. Today we live in the wealthiest nation on earth and have the
largest gap between the rich and the poor of any industrialized nation. Since 1979 the income of the
1 Deacon Jim Knipper

2. richest 10% has continually risen worldwide, while that of the poorest 10% has steadily fallen. Each
day an estimated 2 billion people worldwide live in absolute abject poverty and at least 100,000
innocent men, women and children needlessly die from hunger, starvation, disease and malnutrition.
Pretty daunting numbers. So you may asking, “What can I do? I am just one person. And I certainly
do not have the resources of a Kennedy. How can I make a difference?” Which brings us back
around to the Gospel story which is more than just a warning against hording physical goods. It is the
call for all of us to be own true self for the good of others. As St. Paul tells us in today’s second
reading: our life is hidden with Christ in God so we need to take off the old self with all its practices
and put on a new self.
So what does that look like?
This past week Pope Francis was in Argentina for World Youth Day, which ended with a closing
mass on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro with over 3 million in attendance. During his visit here are
some of the words of wisdom he gave the youth:
“Let me tell you what I hope will be the outcome of World Youth Day: I hope there
will be noise. Here in Rio there will be plenty of noise, no doubt about that. But I
want you to make yourselves heard in your dioceses, I want the noise to go out, I
want the Church to go out onto the streets, I want us to resist everything worldly,
everything static, everything comfortable, everything to do with clericalism,
everything that might make us closed in on ourselves. The parishes, the schools, the
institutions are made for going out.
I think our world civilization has gone beyond its limits, it has gone beyond its limits
because it has made money into such a god that we are now faced with a philosophy
and a practice which exclude the two ends of life…the elderly…and the young. So
‘Go and make disciples.’ Go beyond the confines of what is humanly possible and
create a world of brothers and sisters! May the bishops and priests forgive me if some
of you create a bit of confusion afterwards. That’s my advice. Thanks for whatever
you can do.”
With those words it seems that Pope Francis is echoing the message of Christ in today’s Gospel…It
is not all about me, it is about the people we encounter each day…It is not about institutions that are
closed to others, but ones whose doors are open to all…It is not about quietly sitting back and
watching it all happen but rather getting out and making some noise – even if it ruffles some clerical
feathers!... It is not about making a god out of our individual power and possessions but rather being
who we truly are in God.
And so…may we all recognize that we are all called forth to put on a new self and focus on the needs
of the least of our brothers and sisters. May we have the courage and wisdom to use the gifts God
has given us. And may we have the grace to seek what is above and not what is on earth….so that
we may go forth and create noise, focusing on what matters to God!
2 Deacon Jim Knipper