COVET

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Covet!”    C  O  V  E   T   [Spell it out]

I don’t know if I ever preached specifically on the word, “covet” - nor do I ever remember using that word. It came up as I reflected upon today’s first reading - which I’ve doing at these weekday Masses. I’ll miss the Letter of James - because tomorrow with Ash Wednesday, we’re into Lent - with all its special readings. Well, at least we made it to Chapter 4 - and James is only 5 chapters.

The word “covet” appears there in 4:2 - as the cause of wars - big and small - as the cause of many of our inner problems and struggles

COMMEDIAN

I remember hearing a comedian doing a skit on going to confession. “Bless me Father for I have sinned. Covet - lots of covet. Put me down for a lot of coveting Father - a lot.”

MEANING OF THE WORD

Today we’re more apt to use the word “envy” or “desire” or “greedy” and people mix up “jealousy” with “envy” at times.

Covet is too much - over the top - inordinate - wanting or desiring and it can does us in. And that’s exactly what James is telling us in today’s first reading. It can do us in - inside our minds and hearts.

IS THE FOLLOWING TRUE?

When I was doing my research on  this last night I came upon an interesting quote from the Confucian Analects, 17:8. Confucius says: “There are three things which the superior man guards against. In youth … lust. When he is strong … quarrelsomeness.  When he is old … covetousness.” 

I have to think about that last part: “When he is old … covetousness.”

I remember hearing about one of our old priests hoarding toilet paper. They found rolls and rolls and rolls or toilet paper under his bed, in a box in his closet. He had a trunk in his room - with lots of toilet paper. Maybe he got caught short once. I don’t know.

I have too many books in my room and some old newspapers - because each had something in it - that I wanted to hold onto - knowing my memory is going slowly. Hold on to. Hold on to….

INNER CLOSETS - INNER TRUNKS - INNER ROOMS

James goes even deeper - so that we will go even deeper. James says to go within. Listen to our inner conversations - inner thoughts - inner conflicts. Is the bottom line: we want life to go our way? My will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give me my daily bread!

We covet - we desire - that our life didn’t go the way we wanted it to go - especially regarding deaths or how kids turned out, etc. etc. etc. We wish we would have done more with our life than we did.

If only, if only….  If only out kids turned out like so and so’s kids.

I’m just dabbling into this - and that’s another thing - I envy those who understand and can explain these things better than I can.

Feelings of regrets … inadequacy … disappointments …. laziness - spilled milk - I think this is what James is getting at today.

We are at war with ourselves - or we’re not at peace - with ourselves - because we covet, we fix our desire on, we don’t possess, the way we think we ought to pray, the way we ought to be and on and on.

CONCLUSION

James says we don’t know how to pray. 

So maybe for starters, in order to pray - why not  just to be silent in the presence of God, lest our prayers turn into coveting. 

So maybe for starters - James doesn’t say this - but to laugh at ourselves - but he does end today’s first reading with “humility”.