WHAT’S OUR TAKE 

ON THE COMMON GOOD?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Tuesday in the Second Week of Easter is, “What’s Our Take on the Common Good?”

Today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 4, talks about common possessions  - common ownership - having everything in common - everyone putting their money in the common pot.

The history of the Catholic Church, Christianity, has groups who lived with everything in common.

We know that Jesus and his disciples did  this. At the end of Lent we heard that  Judas held the purse and he used it to help himself from the common treasury. We know from the Acts of the Apostles that early Christian communities followed that practice - that way of living.

We know from the history of the church there have been religious orders who pooled  their time, treasure and talents together. I took a vow of poverty in 1960 and I have never had to worry about a home and food and money ever since. It’s an easier way of doing life.

A friend of mine - a Redemptorist said that he tried the Trappist’s - and in the house he lived in - all wash was done together and you’d take large t-shirts an 34  jockey shorts or boxers from the common pile if that was your size.

I’ve been asked 1000 times: do you have your own vestments? Do you have your own bank account? Do you have your own car?  Take cars: all of us priests here drive the car we have been given and if a guy is stuck and his car ain’t working, you can ask another guy to borrow his so called “his car” till his car is fixed.

We used to have common ownership of cars - but the practice changed when people realized that some guys wouldn’t fill up the gas in a car for the next guy - or keep an eye on its being serviced.  In general, we found out that if all take care of the cars, sometimes nobody is taking care of some cars - and the next guy is not in the know

We know from our world that some people have started communes.

We know that some countries and sections of the world came up with ideas like communism.

What’s your take on the common good - and cult like groups - and the common life - and property etc. etc. etc.?

In our day, we know that people is this parish are very generous with their time as well as their money to especially to help the poor.

What are your thoughts about the common good and the common life of folks?

Thomas Merton was a Trappist Novice Master and he once said on a tape I was listening to, “If I had to do this job of novice master all over again, I would tell the novices, ‘Don’t slam doors. Think of the other guys.”

In other words, when doing life, “Think of the next guy!”

Here are some mixed thoughts about common ownership of property and life.

FAMILY

We could start with marriage and the family - that we are obligated to care for  and are members of.

It’s called family - the family car, the house, the common table and refrigerator.

We spot a nice last piece of apple pie on the next to the bottom shelf of the refrigerator - and we think, “I’ll have that tonight around 9 PM”  and we open up the refrigerator and it’s gone.

Bummer.

Who gets the clicker for the television? Who fills and who empties the dish washer?

The common life and ownership provides the opportunity to learn how to not be selfish and think of others.

Living as family - we learn who is selfish and who is generous.

We learn the difference between me, me, me and we, we, we.

OUR BIGGER HOME: THE EARTH

Concerned about time, some of you got to get to work - so let me just cover one other common good place: our home - this earth.

The earth is our home.

I learned from the famous architect and social commentator, Buckminster Fuller [1895-1983] Please take good care of the common bathrooms - the public restrooms - along the highway stops of life.  It’s my bathroom too. Think of the next person.

If you are tossing a paper towel into a waste basket and you miss your shot, get the rebound, and dunk it into the basket.

As you know there are folks who want to deregulate environmental protections  here in the United States. If I mention this from the pulpit, I might be handed a letter of complaint that I’m being political.

As a kid when we took the Sea Beach Express train to Coney Island we went over a small bridge over some water which we all called, “Perfume Bay”. It's real name is, 'The Gowanus Canal." We kids would hold our noses with our fingers and go, “Oooooooh!” at the smell.”

So I have been aware of polluted waters - bad air - and dirty bathrooms all my life - not just in 2018.

When I hear that some people want to cut down on regulations on carbon emissions, etc. etc. etc. I think of the day about 20 years ago when I crossed the border in Nogales, Arizona going into Nogales, Mexico. We were heading for  Magdalena, Mexico. I noticed the change in air almost immediately.  Cars were coughing smoke - and I was taking it in. I asked the 3 other people I was with, “Do they have emissions tests in Mexico?” They laughed at me.

I think of cigarette smoking regulations here in the United States. There has been a vast change in thinking and practice about smoking in the last 25 or is it 50 years.

Emphysema is a reality. “Cough. Cough. Cough!”

I’m sure you have heard about the air pollution in Beijing. China. The place is filled with smoke and air pollution. It’s hard to see the distance some days. 

Finally, there are people making the effort to improve the quality and the environment. It’s happening.

I think of deregulations of laws when it comes to strip mining in Kentucky. Instead of mine shafts and all that, the method of getting at the coal became strip mining. Mountain tops are removed with bulldozers and all the coal is exposed. Then after all the coal is gotten, it’s left alone. When snow melts and rain flows down the mountain, homes and places in the valley and hollows are flooded. There are fines - which companies pay the local governments - which are far less expensive than  replanting trees and resoding  and resoiling the earth.

The Golden Rule is not being kept.

Think of the other guy - not refilling one’s wallet.

The earth is our home.

I hear people criticizing our pope and his concern for our mother earth - and praising those who want to deregulate.  Hello! It’s the money. It costs money to keep our waters clean - to stop pollution of air and water. So why wouldn’t big polluters want deregulation and attack those who are for Mother Earth.

Hello! Pro-lifers of the world scream for the health of Mother Earth and the abortion of life around us.

We live here near the water - concern for the water - which is 77 % of the globe - is concern for each other.

CONCLUSION

Let’s hope the common good, becomes our constant common concert.

Don’t litter - write letters of concern.

Don’t pollute - march, make signs, promote a healthy environment.

It’s for our common good.