TOO  MUCH 

CAN BE  TOO MUCH

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 8^th Monday in  Ordinary Time is, “Too Much Can Be Too Much.”

TRIP TO JAPAN

I just finished a trip to Japan with 24 people. Most were from this parish.

Now I need some time to process - to think about what we saw and what we did - and what it told me.

for starters, it was a bit much.  It was too much to see - and experience - but I took notes of what happened.

The title of my homily or thoughts for today is, “Too Much Can Be Too Much.”

I only had one suitcase and a small duffle type bag for stuff to carry stuff to have on hand while on the plane.

One time there I helped someone who was trying to get on an escalator with two suitcases - wrong move - I almost fell - as one bag slipped down on the moving staircase - and I grabbed the side banister, but that was moving as well.

I was reading a book on preaching about a month ago  - and the author said a priest had a great sermon - made his point - and then he made a second point - which was good, but it was too much - and he proceeded to kill his whole sermon.

Sometimes, “Too Much Can Be Too Much.”

So too eating - so too speaking - so too so much.

Three scoops of ice cream on a cone - too much - the top two - rum raison and butter almond can land on the side walk - and all one is left with is the chocolate scoop on the bottom - which might be one’s third preference.

Soo too -  too many prayers.  Sometimes folks do too  many prayers and too much time on getting one’s prayers done.

So too TV or any kind of couch potatoing  life.

JESUS IN TODAY’S GOSPEL

Jesus is edging up and around this topic of too much in today’s gospel.

A man comes up to Jesus and asks the secret of life. He wants to inherit eternal life. He wants it all? Don’t we all?

So Jesus keeps it simple and says: “Keep the commandments.” Then Jesus gives a few of them.

The guy says, “I do all that.”

Then he adds, “But I want more!”

“Okay,”  says Jesus,

So Jesus gives him more - which is paradoxically - taking on less - giving up his wealth, giving up his too much, to the poor - and he can’t do that.

So his too much is preventing him from seeing the more - begommm which is to live lighter and less filling - and he walks away sad.

CONCLUSION

Mark’s gospel tells us the guy had too many possessions.

And they were possessing him.

He couldn’t fit through the eye of the needle - so there were too many rips in the fabric of his life.

The title of my homily is, “Too Much Can Be Too Much.”