August 3, 2025

Dear Parishioners,

When Pope Leo decided to resume the tradition of the pope spending July and part of August in his summer villa in Castelgandolfo, in the hills outside of Rome, I think most people understood and respected it. It wasn’t like Leo sat on a beach chair drinking limoncello all day. He was still working, but the atmosphere was more relaxed. We all know the pope has the toughest job in the world, so we give him grace in stepping away from the hectic environment of the Vatican to be a little more at peace. It’s the same concept behind Camp David for American Presidents.

Pope Francis during his pontificate did not take this summer vacation and stayed living and working in Rome. I think most people respected that too. After all, most of us don’t have summer villas to retreat to and can’t take off work. We appreciated the pope working hard for us.

So, who was right? Leo or Francis? Work or leisure?

You know the answer. They’re both right…and not just because they’re the pope and the pope is infallible. Let’s use the Gospel this Sunday to unpack it. It’s the parable of the successful farmer who builds up so much wealth he retires early and says, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”

We could take this as a condemnation of leisure and lack of productivity. And most of us would second this condemnation from our Lord. Laziness and a poor work ethic is not an issue with most Americans. We are a very industrious people. There is a reason we are one of the leading economies in the world. If we were that farmer we’d build more barns and continue to fill them with grain. We’d continue to work. Or, if we retired, we’d volunteer at the church or food pantry.

How many people struggle with retirement? Not just the struggle of not working, but the struggle with your identity while not working? We feel like we’re a waste because we’re not productive, not relevant, not necessary. We’re anxious to make use of our day and feel guilty as the hours pass by and the day comes to a close, having not done anything significant other than read the paper and walk to the grocery store.

So, yes, we’re not like that farmer. Which would mean this is an easy parable, right? Case closed, move on to next week’s parable. Shame on Pope Leo for going out to the villa.

No, not so fast, efficient American. Jesus is not condoning our workaholism. Workaholism is just as dangerous as laziness. Both are avoidant, unhealthy behaviors that diminish our soul and take us away from God.

In the parable, God says to the successful farmer who wants to relax the rest of his life, “You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?” The farmer isn’t a fool for having been so successful, nor is he a fool for wanting to relax. He’s a fool because he had the wrong motives behind both his work and his retirement.

In this case, he worked so hard so he could get to that point where he could simply “veg out” and do nothing all day. In other words, he was selfish. He didn’t work so hard to provide a good living for his family and for his grandchildren. He didn’t work so hard to be a contributing member of society and help the community grow. He didn’t work so hard so he could retire and work on his soul, or give back to his family and the community in another way, or spend more time with God and prepare for death. He worked so hard so he could eat, drink, and be merry.

Furthermore, the implication is that this farmer worked so hard and sacrificed everything else in the present moment. He wasn’t there for his family, he wasn’t good to the community, and he was too busy to pray and do spiritual things. So, he really built nothing up at all.

This parable isn’t about condemning or approving work or leisure. It’s about getting us to focus on what is most important in the midst of our activities, whether the activity is work or leisure. When we are working, are we connected to God? Do we feel led by the Spirit and is our work making us better men/women, better spouses, better mothers/fathers? When we are relaxing, likewise, is the leisure uniting our soul to God, renewing our spirit, giving us true joy and charity, and making us better people?

I hope Pope Leo had the chance, during those few weeks in July in Castelgandolfo, to connect deeply with God and ask the Holy Spirit to guide everything he does. I hope when Pope Francis was working that he felt God renewing his spirit in the midst of the work. And I hope you too will find that purpose and intentionality in all areas of your life. That way, at the end of our day and the end of our life, we won’t say “Vanity of vanities, all things are vanity.”

Yours in Christ,

Fr. James Wallace