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8/1/2010 ~ Today I visited Christ The King, Roman Catholic Church in
Miami, FL
 
We visited this church on our only trip to Miami during the campaign. I had
lived in this area a couple decades ago, before Hurricane Andrew blew it away.
My how things have changed.
There seemed to be a multitude of expensive, new, gated residential
communities particularly to the east of U.S. One. But the districts I saw in
West Kendall/South Miami appeared quite run-down. The entire neighborhood has
become even more Latino than in my time. And now there is also a significant
Haitian component; so much so that this church featured not only a Spanish Mass
but also a French service!
Christ The King R.C. Church was apparently a smaller building originally that
had been added onto in an "L" shaped design. The photo above left shows the
original worship space; and to the right the addition. Everyone was friendly. A
number of Jamaicans recognized my accent. The music was vibrant!
< MUSIC VIDEOS
THE MESSAGE:
" Do not store up treasures."
(A summary, adapted & edited from the sermon given
8/1/2010 by Father Antonyraj Arumainathan, O.M.I. at Christ The King
Roman Catholic church, Miami, FL; referencing Luke 12:13-21)
Father Antonyraj preached on The "Parable of The Rich Fool" which was the
Gospel Reading today. The two parts in this section deal with covetousness and
making one’s life all about temporal possessions. At the beginning of the
reading the younger (greedy) brother asks Jesus to intervene in assisting him to
get a better division of his father’s inheritance. Jesus declines. In the
related second section Jesus demonstrates the futility of storing up worldly
goods and neglecting spiritual matters when we can be called from this earth at
any moment.
Father told a story about Alexander The Great on the verge of death,
realizing that not even a fraction of his great wealth could go forward with
him. Alexander had spent his entire life in triumph accumulating riches. He had
conquered most of the known world and advanced into India. But he wanted to
return home. And he was consumed with a need to know the place and timing of his
death so that he could make the right plans in advance.
Alexander consulted with his sages. Preliminary calculations suggested that
his life would be short; indeed that it was almost at an end. But he received
what he took to be words of re-assurance: ‘Almighty King,’ his Chief Astrologer
said: ‘you will not die until the earth turns into iron and the sky into gold!’
This was a considerable relief to Alexander, but as he rode west toward
Persia he contracted Malaria Fever (in what is presently Afghanistan). He told
his advisors: ‘My strength is gone.’ He was advised to lie down and rest. He
continued for two or three miles and then dismounted from his horse, so ‘beat’
was he. He then lay on the hot ground gasping for air.
His advisors made a soft couch for him by spreading his coat on the ground,
silk side up. (But with the iron side down to the earth). Then his gold shield
was placed over his face to cover him from the bright rays of the sun. At this
The Emperor looked up, and seeing the gold shield and sensing his bed of iron ~
suddenly realized that his time had run out. The prediction had come true: He
was about to die ‘when the earth turns into iron and the sky into gold!’
His physicians arrived and said: ‘Majesty, we cannot deceive you. Your life
is over. There is no remedy.’
Alexander was in despair, but he refused to accept death: ‘I will give half
my kingdom to any man who will allow me my last wishes.’
‘There is no time’ said his chief advisor.
‘I will give up all my conquests and my entire kingdom ...’
‘You have only moments ... ,’ he was told.
Alexander finally understood life’s great lesson. Said he: ‘Then when I am
placed in my coffin, see that the path to my burial is strewn with all the gold
and precious metals and stones that I collected; and let both my hands be left
dragging outside of the coffin, on the ground and through those treasures to
show that I cannot take any riches with me.’
And so the reading today, in the first instance, has Jesus telling the greedy
brother that He - Jesus -is not the judge of his earthly inheritance; and then
the parable of the Rich Fool demonstrates that, like Alexander, you cannot take
any riches to Heaven with you. The selfish ‘Rich Fool’ forgot God while people
starved; stored up his grain and riches and then died suddenly before he could
enjoy any of the fruits of his schemes. Like Alexander he could not take any of
it with him.
Realize how God has blessed you. Remember that the things we have come from
God, but we can take none of those material possessions with us when we leave
this earth. Man’s life is identified with Worldly Goods, but those
possessions do not guarantee longer life.
Possessions themselves are not condemned; but rather the people attached to
those possessions who do not acknowledge God. So don’t let possessions blind
you, and do not disregard the poor. We must love others as God has loved us.
Pass it on.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR GRACIOUS
SUPPORT!
- CONTACT DATA
- Telephone
- (850) 225-7228
- Postal address
- 265 Country Club Rd., Shalimar, FL 32579
- Electronic mail
- E-Mail: dr.Escoffery@SenateBill.US
- WEB-SITE: http://www.senateBill.us/
- Webmaster: dr.Escoffery@SenateBill.US
WILLIAM ESCOFFERY III,
Candidate, U.S. SENATE, FL
2010
(NOTE: I want to emphasize that, pursuant to the relevant campaign
prohibitions, none of the churches, Pastors nor parishioners in their official
church capacities ~ referenced or pictured herein ~ officially
support my political candidacy).
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