Posted on 09/23/2016 8:19:49 AM PDT by Salvation
One of the great illusions under which we labor is that if we only get just one more thing from this world, then we will be happy. Perhaps we think that if we just had a little more money, or a better job, or the latest iPhone, or if we were married to so-and-so, or if we lived in a better neighborhood, then we would be satisfied and content at last. But “at last” never seems to come even if we do get some of the things on our list. As Ecclesiastes puts it, The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing (Ecc 1:8). Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income (Ecc. 5:8).
Although we realize this deep down, we continue to fall for the lie again and again. We think that just one more thing will do the trick. So we lay out the money and spend the time. And then the delight lasts twenty minutes at most! The world just can’t close the deal.
There is a joke (a parable, in my mind) that illustrates the endless treadmill the world has us on and how it continually seduces us into wanting just one more thing. In the end, this leads us to neglect the one thing most necessary.
There was a lonely man who thought that perhaps buying pet would ease his loneliness. So he went to the pet store and looked at many animals. He found himself drawn to one in particular. The sign over the cage said, “Talking Parrot: Guaranteed to talk.” Thinking that this would surely solve his problem, the man brought the cage up to the merchant at the counter.
“That’ll be $250, please.”
A week later the man returned, disappointed.
“This parrot isn’t talking!”
“You mean to say that he didn’t climb the ladder and talk?”
“Ladder? You didn’t tell me about a ladder!”
“Oh, sorry. The ladder is $10.”
So the man bought the ladder, brought it home, and put it in the cage. Another week went by and the man returned to the pet store.
“This parrot still isn’t talking!”
“You mean to say that he didn’t climb the ladder, look in the mirror, and talk?”
“Mirror? You didn’t mention anything about a mirror!”
“Oh, sorry. It’ll be $10 for the mirror.”
So the man bought the mirror, brought it home, and put it in the cage along with the ladder. Another week went by and the man returned to the pet store again.
“This parrot still isn’t talking!”
“You mean to say that he didn’t climb the ladder, look in the mirror, peck the bell, and talk?”
“Bell? You didn’t say anything about a bell!”
“Oh, sorry. The bell is $10.”
So the man bought the bell, brought it home, and put it in the cage along with the ladder and the mirror. Yet another week went by and the man returned to the pet store.
“This parrot still isn’t talking!”
“You mean to say that he didn’t climb the ladder, look in the mirror, peck the bell, jump on the swing, and talk?”
“Swing? You didn’t tell me about a swing!”
“Oh, sorry. It’ll be $10 for the swing.”
So the man bought the swing, brought it home, and put it in the cage along with the ladder, the mirror, and the bell. One more week went by and the man returned to the pet store again.
“How’s your parrot?”
“He’s dead!”
“Dead? Did he ever talk before he died?”
“Yes, he did finally talk.”
“What did he say?”
“He said, ‘Don’t they sell any birdseed at that store?’”
Lesson 1: Promises, Promises
The world and the “prince of this world” are always promising results, yet when those results aren’t forthcoming there are only more demands. First the bird, then the ladder, the bell, the mirror, and the swing. There is always just one more thing that’s needed before the perfect result comes! But it’s a lie. The lie comes in many forms: you just need one more accessory, or the upgraded version of the app, or just one more drink, or a newer car, or a bigger house, or a face lift, or bariatric surgery. Yes, you just need one more thing and then you’ll be there. Happiness is always just past the next purchase.
In speaking to the woman at the well, Jesus said, Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again (Jn 4:13). And that is the sober truth about this world: it cannot finally quench our thirst, which is a thirst for God and Heaven. But time and time again we go back to the world and listen to the same lie, thinking that this time it will be different.
Surely it is sensible to make use of the things of this world to aid us in accomplishing our basic duties, but they are not the answer to our deeper needs. The big lie is that they are the answer. And when they fail to satisfy us, the lie just gets bigger, declaring that just a little more of it will surely close the deal.
Lesson 2: The One Thing Most Necessary
In buying the ladder, mirror, bell, and swing, the man neglected the most important thing: food. So, too, for us. We seek to accumulate worldly toys and trinkets that are passing, while neglecting eternal and lasting realities. We seem to find time for TV, sports, shopping, etc., but neglect or completely forget about prayer, Scripture, the Sacraments, the Liturgy, worship, and the development of any kind of relationship with the Lord. We are staring into the mirror focused on our own self. The enticements of this world summon us to endless things, mostly trivial in the long run. We are climbing the ladder of success without regard as to what is at the top of that ladder.
All of these less important matters divert us from the one thing necessary: feeding our souls on the Lord. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him…the one who feeds on me will live because of me (Jn 6:56-58).
Ah, but there’s no time for all that. Getting to Mass, praying, receiving Holy Communion? No time! I hear a bell summoning me to just one more diversion, one more meeting. I’m too busy climbing the ladder of success. I’m too busy looking at myself in the mirror to make sure that I fit in, and that everyone likes me.
“Dead? Did he ever talk before he died?”
“Yes, he did finally talk.”
“What did he say?”
“He said, ‘Don’t they sell any birdseed at that store?’”
Just a little parable on the lies of the devil and the empty promises of this world.
Monsignor Pope Ping!
Great article.
My mind is reeling with an analogy of going to Mass.
“Well, no one told me to pray.”
Heh, good point!
Imagine, learning that over THERE. He was a good, kind boss. That WAS 36+ years ago but I still attend daily Mass.
I’m really finding it hard to believe your stories of attending Catholic Masses in the KSA. Could you please name the church at which you assisted at Mass?
The KSA has Christian men of the cloth but calls them "special teachers." The Najmah Camp had a HUGE clubhouse room where all the events were held: dinners, dances, MASSES and such.
There are NO churches in the KSA. They are not allowed. Protestant services and the Catholic Masses were held in these clubhouses, since real churches were NOT allowed in the Kingdom.
The company SAUDI ARAMCO has four camps for MOSTLY American employees of Saudi Aramco throughout the Kingdom.
American Aramco employees are treated very differently than other foreigners.
Mass is daily at 9:00 A.M., seven days a week and the "Sunday" is on Fridays as the Saudi "weekend" is Thursday and Friday, Friday being THEIR "holy" day.
But I went to Mass on Sundays, a work day. My Saudi boss said it was okay in the teeth of my Catholic Indian co-worker. My boss was Mohammed Hussein Al-Taruti. He was from Tarut Island. They had no surnames back then, being known only as "the son of ...., the son of ...." and so on.
But, with the influx of the petroleum and natural gas employees he had to find a surname. My boss used his home island as his last name.
I never "assisted" at Mass. I attended Mass. If I wrote something that confused you or gave you the incorrect wording, a thousand pardons.
There are THOUSANDS of Christians in the KSA and the company really had to give in to their demands for preachers, reverends and priests. Otherwise, the company would not have been able to get the Americans over there.
And since it's the Arabian-AMERICAN Oil Company, the company complied.
I don't care if you believe me or not. Why would I? I KNOW where I lived for those FIVE YEARS. We went there for the money and money is what we got. My husband's paycheck went from $840.00/month as a gas engineer in California [1980] to $5000.00/month (starting pay) in the KSA and the IRS gave Aramco employees the gift of NOT having to pay ANY Federal Income Tax on our first $80,000.00.
And since we were not California residents anymore, we didn't have to pay any California state income tax. Win-Win. ARAMCO had to come up with many incentive$ to get us Americans to live in that God-forsaken sand pit. NO other reason to go there...and even less to stay there.
You don't believe me because you don't like me. That is YOUR lacuna. PAX TIBI.
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