Karen & Ken-Moments

October 8, 2023 – 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/100823.cfm)

For pasalubong, a monsignor once bought a box of munchkins from Dunkin Doughnut. While waiting for their flight, a family sat beside him at the pre-departure area. Giving in to his cravings for sweets, the monsignor took a munchkin from the box, and enjoyed eating it. Suddenly, from the same box a little boy also took and ate one. He did not mine at first, thinking the boy must be hungry. But then, the elder sister of the boy also took and ate one. This has upset the monsignor but he just ignored it and took one for himself. But then so did the parent of the children. This really irritated the monsignor that he glared at the family who was consuming the rest of the munchkins. But what really made him angry was when the mother took the last munchkin and offered it to him. Now indignant and so enraged, the monsignor stood up and changed his seat. But later on, when his opened his tote bag to get his ticket, he saw, much to his embarrassment and shame that inside his bag was his own box of munchkins unopened. “Opps, hindi pala kanya yon.”

Surely we are familiar with these experiences. We do hear, seen & have even experienced moments like these ourselves. Young people nowadays would call these moments slangly & pejoratively as “Karen or Ken Moments” where & when we experience people who asserting  their entitlements & demanding their privileges that they are not rightly to claim.

Perhaps sometimes it is good to examine and ask ourselves: “What are the things that we claim as being rightly ours and yet are not truly ours?” This may not only be material possessions but could also be our status in society used to lord over others… titles used for personal advantages, prejudices and biases harbored towards others… or self-righteous behaviors that makes us feel morally better or more privilege or important than others. Sometimes, we admit that we are not different from that monsignor. We sometimes claim these privileges, that do not really belong to us, but we come to think and believe that they are only ours to own. Worse, we are sometimes greedy enough to claim that we are the rightful owners of the munchkins and it is only us to have and enjoy. Yes, at times we become Karen & Ken. We do have our Karen & Ken moments.

Certainly Jesus would not tolerate our being Karen or Ken and justify such behavior of distinctiveness, self-righteousness, greed and conceit. This is what Jesus criticizes here in our gospel today. 

By telling us the parable of Ungrateful Tenants, he reminds us that God has already done His part for our salvation, and that we should also do our part. And our part is not to hoard, accumulate and own all the blessings He has given us but to produce its fruits and share it to others. Here, Jesus strongly condemned the Pharisees and scribes of his time and warns us of our tendency to be so preoccupied & obsessed with honor, recognition, privileges, titles, and social status – thinking and claiming that we are greater compared to others, and much worse, even resorting to greed, fraud, and murder, in order to protect and maintain such claim.

For Jesus, the Kingdom of God is wider than our human standards of social status and privileges. He reminds us today that we are not the rightful owners but mere tenants, sharers, benefactors or stewards of God’s graces. We cannot exclusively claim ownership and privilege for what we have, because everything we have is a gift from God.  For Him, God’s Kingdom is more like a big farm where all of us participates and shares in the production and fruits of the bounty, where each of us has something to contribute and benefit from, since no one is too poor who cannot share with others and no one is too rich who does not need others. (Sa Hiligaynon pa, walay kubos nga indi makahatag, walay adunuhan nga wala nagkinahanglan.)

Our Eucharist today has a simple message: What you enjoy now are not only fruits of your labor but most of all, God’s gifts.  All of these are God’s blessings to you and for all of us to enjoy. Accept the Gift, but don’t forget to acknowledge and thank the Giver. Be fruitful and share the fruits of God’s kingdom to others, for all these are not ours, but His.

Be reminded that our recent experience of Pandemic times do make us reflect and realize that our life is essentially on-loan, a God-given chance by God to live and create this life anew & better. What we have now are just but borrowed time, talents and talents to make life fruitful and bountiful for all. Somehow pandemic times is God’s way of pruning and forming us to be who we are and we should be – His stewards, mere tenants, and not the so-called “Karen & Ken” of His creation & redemption. 

Grant us, O Lord the humility to trust your Ways of creating anew our lives according to your Will. Amen.