Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 4, 2020 – Isaiah 5:1-7; Philippians 4:6-9; Matthew 21:33-43

Reality TV. Reality TV is both the salvation and the destruction of the television industry. When many of us were growing up, for most of the day, all you could see on most channels was a test pattern. Then, when the kids got home from school, children’s programing began, followed by the evening news, followed by prime time scripted programs – comedies, dramas – and then the evening news, and then a sign-off, and a test pattern appeared again. But when we went to 24/7 programming, it became much more expensive to run television stations. Only the big three were really able to provide fresh programming all day and all evening long, because the cost of a scripted program was enormous – way over $1,000,000 per episode. And so, those stations needed to sell a $1,000,000 worth of advertising for each program just to break even. And the goal of the major broadcasting companies was not to just break even, they needed to make a substantial profit for their investors and for themselves. So in the early 1990’s they came up with a brilliant idea. Reality TV.

Because it only cost a fraction of what it cost to produce a scripted program. You didn’t have to pay those enormous salaries to the big-name stars, all you had to pay people on the screen was the daily minimum for someone who appeared on a talk show. Back in 1970’s, the daily minimum was about $79. So even given the cost of inflation, it didn’t cost much, say, to have a cook demonstrating how to bake something, or a carpenter, how to fix something, or some people fishing, how to find fish in deep water. So it’s simple to do. Instead of having five cameras on a set, you had one guy walking around with a camera on his shoulder.

The first reality TV programs were quite interesting. But it became a slippery slope. And now what do we have? We have a program where we gather a whole bunch of young people together in a closed space, and the directors encourage them to commit sexual sins for the titillation of the audience. We have a program where people are encouraged to laugh at serious accidents that happen to other people. We have programs where people are encouraged to go at each other with hammer and tongs for the titillation of the audience. Reality TV has saved the industry, but at what price? Within fifteen years, all the decent scripted programs are going to be streamed, and we’re going to pay per view.

I began my homily this way because I asked you to listen carefully to the second paragraph of the second reading. This is what St. Paul says. “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious,
if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” St. Paul almost always dictated to a secretary, someone paid to inscribe what he was saying, and sometimes his grammar got a little mixed up. So I’m going to pull out of that sentence the important words. True. Honorable. Just. Pure. Lovely. Gracious. Excellent. Praiseworthy.

What I want you to do during the week, since you’re all taking home your missalettes anyway, is to look at that paragraph, and to think about one of those things each day. And if, perchance, you don’t have a missalette at home and you have a bible, it’s Philippians chapter 4:6-9. Just say to yourself 4-6-9.

True. So much of what we see and hear is untrue, deliberately falsified. Think about something that is true.

Honorable. Think about somebody, or someone, whom you consider to be honorable.

Just. There is so much injustice in our society. Think about someone or something that represents what is just for you.

Pure. There is so much that is vulgar, so much that is tawdry. Think of something or someone that is pure.

Lovely. There is so much loveliness all around us, from the plants and weeds growing in your garden, to the graceful arch of a bridge. Think about something that’s lovely.

Gracious. There is so much in our world that is ungracious. Think about what represents graciousness, style, for you.

Excellent. Think about somebody or something that represents excellence. You know, there’s excellence and there’s garbage in every single walk of life, every single occupation, and every single kind of talent. Think about something that you consider to be excellent.

Praiseworthy. Think about someone whom you would praise if you had the chance.

And then, the God of peace will be with you.