I have a contrarian streak in me that serves as a useful defense against advertising techniques. Even if I normally would want to enjoy a particular product, seeing it advertised or pushed on me makes me exponentially less likely to buy it. It is either an Irish thing, or an American thing, or maybe just a my mom’s side of the family thing, but I chafe when I sense people putting pressure on me to be a consumer.

This tendency has gotten even more extreme as I watch advertising coyly change and adapt during the pandemic. Everyone selling cars, phones, and everything in between has shifted the tone of their messaging to be about helping people during this time. Call me a cynic, but it’s hard for me to believe that the vast majority of these companies have much else in mind beyond their bottom line. There are untold millions of people who are working hard to protect and care for others. I am privileged to see the work that some of them are doing right here in our region. But the companies that are spending millions to convince us that they are here for us like family are almost definitely pushing an agenda.
 
Providentially, this is exactly the phenomenon that Jesus is talking about in the Gospel today. Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and His motivation to bring people into the fold is just that: so that more people can be in the fold and live in eternal happiness with Him and the Father in the Holy Spirit. Anyone who does not enter through the gate is a robber and a thief, and they come not to give life, but to destroy.

Jesus states the centrality of His mission at the end of today’s Gospel. “I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly.” Those who promise joy, comfort, and many other commodities came that they might take from us, and live in abundance. I don’t want to insinuate that every single company out there only cares about their bottom line. Men and women in business provide the services that we can use to seek a truly good and happy life. But promising more than can ever be delivered by material goods and services is not just dishonest, it is dangerous. In every age,
mankind is seeking that which is true, good, and beautiful. And in every age, there are those who will market it in a way that benefits them. As we persevere through a time when people are reevaluating what they need for true happiness, remember that only Jesus can provide eternal solace for us. Our hearts were made for Him, and they are restless until they find their rest in Him.
 
Prayers always,
Fr. McC