Thou shalt not be a Catholic busbody!

Homily for 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time Year C

November 17, 2013

Mal 3:19-20 • 2 Thess 3:7-12 • Luke 21:5-19

Introduction

Nobody likes a busybody, because they are sometimes a nuisance, always annoying and often dangerous.  You will know the busybody, when you see them. 

·        They will eavesdrop on your private conversation, sometimes offering unsolicited opinions.

·        They will usually have pieces of juicy gossip to pass around.

·        They will report you for child abuse, because they see you discipline your child at the mall.

Scripture and Theology

No wonder then, that St. Paul in today’s second reading, expresses his dislike for busybodies, in very stern terms.  In fact, he has quite a harsh judgement for them, saying, that they should be denied food.

Why is St. Paul so angry with these people?  After all every society has such people; it is just part of living in a community.

Well, Paul is particularly ticked off because the damage they are causing the Church of Thessalonica was far more serious than that of your everyday busybody.  These particular busybodies spent most of their time agitating about the end of the world, like the doomsday people you often hear about.  “The end is near” they probably shouted.  “The Lord is coming back tomorrow,” they taught.  And so, they decided that working was a waste of time.

·        Why plant crops that take months to grow, if Jesus may return before the harvest?

·        Why go to school and study hard, if Jesus may come before graduation?

·        Why work on my career, if the Lord’s coming will happen before my next promotion?

So they just stopped working and spent their time interfering in the lives of the others who were earning a living as well trying to live their Christian life quietly. 

And so Paul tells the Christians of Thessalonica, that “that if anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that one eat.”  His message is that no one should have a free ride in the name of waiting for the return of Jesus.  And as for the busybodies themselves, his advice is simple: they are to work quietly and eat their own food.

In the gospel, Jesus too warns Christians to be aware of people who will come saying: “’I am he,’ and 'The time has come.’”  Jesus says: “Do not follow them!”  They are false prophets; for as Jesus teaches elsewhere, nobody knows the day or the hour when the Son of Man will return.  Those who claim to know it are busybodies who get their kick from such excitement rather than from doing their duty.

And so, both Jesus and Paul tell us that the life of a busybody, who lives in excitement and agitation, is not the way to wait for the Coming of the Lord.

1.    The busybody sins against the community by failing to do their fair share of gainful work and by being a burden to the rest.

2.    The busybody sins against their neighbour by interfering with everybody’s business and even causing damage by their meddling.

3.    But the most serious damage by the busybody is that he focuses on the less important things rather than on living a relationship of love of God and his neighbour.

Rather, Jesus wants us to wait and prepare for his coming by being committed Christians, living in faith, hope and love.

Christian Life

We Christians of today are not protected from the temptation to be busybodies.  Remember that the busybody often has very good intentions; they want to be good; they want to helpful; they want to do something, just like us.  Their problem, our problem, is that if we are not careful, we can focus on the wrong thing, so that when the Lord really comes, he will find not find us at our station.

When I was growing up, because I was the first born child, my mother would leave me in charge of my siblings when she had to go out on errands.  Now naturally, like any other teenager, I really loved this opportunity to be king of the court, the master of the house, top dog, for a while.  As the saying goes, when the cat is away, the mice play.  And so I could do what I wanted, without any adult supervision or reprimand.  For example, I could boss my siblings around, I could invite friends over to play or I could go over to their house.  Now sometimes my mother returned unexpectedly and I was in some serious trouble.  This happened enough times for me to realize the folly of my actions.  Soon I came to the conclusion that life would be much easier, much less anxious, much less stressful, if I just did the right thing, regardless of when the cat would return. In that way, whenever she returned, she would find me at my job.

Is that perhaps the way we can wait for the coming of the Lord?  We just go about our business of being Christians, living faithfully according to his will.  Should he come at the ninth hour, he will find us ready!  Should he come at the tenth hour, he will find us ready!  Should he come at the eleventh hour, he will find us ready working on his Word, Sacraments and Service.

·        Let the return of Jesus find us believing in his Word, contained in the Bible and in the teaching of his instrument, the Church, the Word that leads us to heaven.

·        Let Jesus find us celebrating the sacraments of the Church, especially the Eucharist that maintains our friendship with him, and confession that restores that friendship when we break it.

·        Finally, let Jesus’ coming find us living out what we believe and what we celebrate in our daily life, in service to our neighbour  Should he return when we are at work, no problem – for we shall be doing his will at our place of work.  Should he find us on the street, no problem – for we shall be doing his will even as we drive.  Should he find us at home, no problem – even in carrying out our domestic duties, we shall be reflecting our faith and love.

Conclusion

In the classic movie Fiddler on the Roof, there is this matchmaker called Yenta, who meddles in everybody’s life, trying to help everybody marry off their children.  In fact in popular culture today, a Yenta is another word for a busybody.

As we prepare for the Second Coming of the Lord, we can choose to be Catholic Yentas or Catholic Christians!  Catholic Yentas chase the latest religious craze or devotion that promises us a short-cut to heaven and in the process drive everybody crazy with our misplaced zeal.  Catholic Christians on the other hand, live their lives, by seeking to be fed first by the meat and potatoes of our faith: God’s Word and Sacraments and only then do they turn to the desserts, the other things as well.