| The
Gospel and Consumerism
February
15, 2004 Homily
Fr.
George Smiga
Luke
6:17, 20-26
Two
old friends were catching up on their lives over drinks at
a sidewalk café. The one said to the other, “Why is
it that you have not yet been married?” The other friend said,
“Well to tell the truth, I have been looking my whole life
long for the perfect woman. There were several times where
I thought I had found her. Once in Barcelona I met a woman
who was beautiful and intelligent and I was smitten to the
heart. I thought certainly this is the woman that I should
marry. Then I found out that she was vain and conceited and
so that relationship came to an end. Then once in Boston I
met a woman who was outgoing and generous. She seemed perfect
to me in every respect. Only later I found out that she was
flighty and irresponsible. Clearly she was not the one I was
looking for. Then recently I met a woman in Montreal who was
intelligent and beautiful, generous and warm, she had a great
sense of humor and dedicated herself to others. I said to
myself, this indeed is the perfect woman. This is the woman
that I should marry.” “Well,” said the friend, “Why didn't
you marry her?” The other man fingered his glass and replied
in a quiet voice, “Because she , was looking for
the perfect man .”
To
be an American is to be a consumer. Dangerous things begin
to happen when we allow consumerism to influence our relationships:
the way that we relate to others, the way that we relate to
God. You cannot choose a wife in the way you would shop for
a new car. You cannot analyze your relationship to God in
the way that you would analyze an investment on the stock
market. For all the differences in our culture of race, religion,
education, economic status, Americans are united in the fact
that they are consumers. We do not all have the same amount
of money to spend, but it is our money and spending it gives
us power. Whether we spend it at Walmart or Nordstroms, when
we are consumers, we are in control. The customer is always
right. Clearly the primary mode of recreation in the
United States is shopping. When we are depressed we shop.
When we are happy we spend. When we are bored we buy. Shop
‘til you drop ! It's the American way.
Now
the point of this homily is not to attack consumerism. Consumerism
is a part of our culture whether we like it or not. But my
point is to warn you that it is dangerous to allow consumerism
to influence and to warp our relationships. Because we as
American are so fundamentally consumers, we can begin to approach
our relationships as a kind of commerce. Taking that step
is asking for trouble. Therefore, I want to name three expectations
of consumers and illustrate how none of these are helpful
in directing our relationship to God or our relationships
to others.
Consumers
expect that life is going to be fair, beneficial and free.
Consumers expect that life is going to be fair. We are always
looking for a fair price for what we buy. We would love to
find a bargain, but no one wants to be cheated. By and large
we are pleased with the price that we pay for the things that
we buy. Otherwise we would not buy them. Yet, if something
is defective, we want our money back. We want to be compensated,
otherwise it would not be fair. Now this kind of commercial
fairness should not be an expectation for living. The truth
is that life is often unfair. Is it fair to be born with a
handicap? Is it fair that our wife is dying of cancer? Is
it fair that innocent people die by violence every day? Now
none of these evils should be dismissed or tolerated. But
clearly the commercial view of fairness is inadequate to deal
with the complexities and the mysteries of life.
Consumers
expect life to be beneficial. We only buy things because we
think they will be good for us. If we don't like it, we don't
buy it. The question which drives the consumer is “What benefit
will be in this for me? How will my life be better with this
new house, with this new sweater?” The consumer needs to know,
“What will I get out of this purchase?” Now transferring the
idea of commercial benefit into relationships is not helpful.
We do of course benefit from or relationships to God and others.
But unlike the purchases that we make, relationships need
to be mutual. Not only do we benefit, but others must benefit
as well. Therefore, the commercial idea of benefit skews our
approach to relationships. Once we start thinking, “What do
I get out of being a Catholic? What do I get out of this friendship?”
Then the mutuality in our relationships is obscured and a
healthy approach to relating is undercut.
Consumers
think that life should be free. Consumers expect to have the
discretion of choosing one thing over another. We might be
simply buying a napkin ring, but we expect to have the freedom
to decide which napkin ring we will purchase. We
expect to decide when we are tired of one napkin ring and
want to buy a new one. When that commercial freedom is transposed
into relationships, it can be harmful. Such freedom reduces
the permanency that relationships require. If I don't like
this church, I'll go to another. If this person is not meeting
my needs, then the friendship is over.
Consumers
value fairness, benefit, freedom. But these categories are
inadequate to the realities of human relationships and our
relationship to
God.
We need wider categories, deeper categories. In today's gospel
Jesus shows us where to find them. By claiming that the poor
are blessed and the wealthy are to be pitied, he lifts up
counter-cultural values. He is asking us to look at those
parts of life that are not esteemed by our culture and to
recognize in them a necessary part of living. He is asking
us to widen our categories and values. Instead of being preoccupied
with what is fair, we need to develop within ourselves a sense
of acceptance, of humbly making our peace with those things
in life that we do not understand or we cannot control. Instead
of worrying only about our own benefit, we need to make room
in our life for compassion and service, reaching out in love
to others. Instead of treasuring simply our own freedom and
discretion, we need to espouse commitment and loyalty, binding
ourselves to others even when it is difficult, even when it
demands sacrifice.
We
as Americans are consumers, and consumerism extols fairness
and benefit and freedom. But Jesus calls us to look in a countercultural
direction. He calls us to open ourselves to acceptance, to
service, to commitment. His gospel insists that it is only
when we enlarge our attitudes in that direction that we can
truly appreciate the breadth and mystery of life. It is only
when we make room for countercultural values that we will
have the clarity to see the kingdom of God.
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