WHERE DO YOU 

WANT TO LIVE?

 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 12 Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “Where Do You Want to Live?”

If you could live anywhere in the world - anywhere - where would you choose to live?

Today’s first reading - Genesis 13:2, 5-18 - we’re back to Genesis - triggers that question.

Abram says to Lot, “Your move! Go right. Go left. Your move. Your choice. Whatever you want? You choose first.”

So Lot chooses green pastures! Abram gets the rest - the dust.

WHERE DO YOU WANT TO LIVE?

That’s one of those questions.

It’s not a roll of the dice. It’s not Monopoly - where the smart players want to own Boardwalk and Park Place with a hotel on each - just waiting for visitors.

Nope! Sometimes we have a voice in the choice where we live. However, the choice depends on lots of things: work, money, where spouse wants to live, weather, family, location, location, location, circumstances, circumstances, circumstances.

Would it be Annapolis? Would it be the Amalfi Coast? Would it be San Diego or Hawaii? There was a piece on the evening news a few weeks back about some place, I think it was in Ecuador, where lots of Americans have settled. It has everything. Then  with cell phones, Skype, and a great supermarket and good stores and an airport not that far away - and the cost of living is great - it’s a no brainer for some.

Where do you want to live?

It’s one of those questions that gets people to consider their values.

ATTITUDE: AN OLD STORY

I think it’s also a good question - because it gets folks to look at their attitudes.

The following story I found very helpful. It’s an old story. I’m sure some of you might have heard it somewhere along the line.

A man was raking some grass from his lawn. He sees a stranger with a pack coming up the road towards where he’s working. The stranger stops and asks the man with the rake, “What’s it like around here? What’s this town like?  I just left my last town. I’ve been walking around and I’m planning on resettling - and maybe here.”

The man with the rake asks, “Well what was it like in the town where you came from?”

The man answered, “Well,  the folks there were selfish - greedy - gossipy - mean - and out for themselves.”

Well, the man with the rake said, “Those are the kind of folks you’ll probably find around here.”

And the man with the pack said, “Oh thanks. I’m heading elsewhere.”

About 20 minutes later another man comes down the road - sees the man with the rake and says, “Mister I’m a stranger here - looking for a place to settle. I lost my job in the last place I was. What’s it like around here?”

The man with the rake said, “Well, what was it like in the last place you were.”

“Oh,” the man said, “it was great. People were neighborly - sweet and neat.”

“Okay,” said the man with the rake. “Well, those are the folks you’ll find around here.”

The man said, “Oh great. Thanks. I’ll check it out.”

CONCLUSION

Where do you want to live?

The obvious answer to that question is an earlier question: “What’s it like to live inside your mind?”

Enter that narrow gate and ask yourself serious questions like what’s it like in inside you.

The answer to that effects and affects wherever you live - whatever conversations or coffee breaks you’re at - whatever bench you’re in here in church - whatever waiter or waitress you get in the restaurant - and how you deal with nurses and attendants when you’re in the hospital - and what they’ll say about you at your funeral.