Riches and Wealth

Today’s Gospel Text:  And Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 25 When the disciples heard this they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" 26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." 27 Then Peter said in reply, "Lo, we have left everything and followed you. What then shall we have?" 28 Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of man shall sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And every one who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. 30 But many that are first will be last, and the last first. Matt 19:23-30

Reflection: “Wealth and riches are in his house; and his righteousness endures forever.” Ps 112:3

These are the blessings the Psalmist proclaims on those who fear the Lord and walks in the wisdom of his commandments. 

Like most of those modern day prosperity gospel preachers most of the Jews always believed that it was a blessing to be rich and a curse to be poor.

No wonder the dedicated disciples found the statement of Jesus shocking and difficult to accept; for they had grown up with a mindset that talked about riches and prosperity for the righteous.

Could they be following Christ Jesus because they saw him as a future investment worth more than gold? By his walk and demeanor, Christ Jesus, was assuredly a pathway to prosperity.  They would have to endure his poverty but for a little while only.

"Who then can be saved?" (vs. 25b) was a statement made by these dedicated disciples, with great astonishment.

It seems that Jesus was really against riches and wealth and against the rich and the wealthy?

We could have riches and wealth and can get so enamored by it that we could end up worshipping them.

We could miss out on the purpose and plan that God has for each one of us; a plan for our happiness and eternity.

But with riches we can create our own world of happiness, apart from God; No wonder money can make people happy but God can do it better; he can make us happy even in the face of want and poverty.

How can any human being be so enamored by the gifts that they forget the giver of all gifts?

Yet this is the greatest reality with humans, they keep gathering up the gifts and likewise treat their children too in the same way.

Prayer: The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; thou holdest my lot. Ps 16:5

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Good Works

Today’s Gospel Text:  And behold, one came up to him, saying, "Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?" 17 And he said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? One there is who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments." 18 He said to him, "Which?" And Jesus said, "You shall not kill, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 20 The young man said to him, "All these I have observed; what do I still lack?" 21 Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions. Matt 19:16-22

Reflection: We know that mere good deeds can’t save us from eternal damnation and St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians reminds us of it:

  

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God - not because of works, lest any man should boast. Eph 2:8-9

Whether we work to liberate people from every form of oppression, and alleviate the sufferings of the marginalized or work towards the emancipation of the poor and those on the periphery of society or visit the sick and the homeless or feed the hungry or clothe the naked, it can by itself never gain for us eternal life.  

But does he not assure us in the gospel of Matthew; eternal life for feeding the hungry and the poor and for clothing them and visiting them in prison?

Many interpret Matthew’s text by not reading it in its context and not interpreting it the way the Lord has clearly presented it to us.

Does the Lord also not warn us when he says: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”?  Matt 7:21

So the key is to do all things is by abiding in Christ and doing it according to his will.

In other words, it means the work of faith, beginning with Jesus and ending with Jesus.

There are many who have plunged themselves in works of mercy and in so called Christian charity without keeping the mandate of Christ and his vision for humanity close at heart.

The gospel that they preach is that of mere human emancipation based on materialism and at the most human development; a purely economic or socio-psychological exercise.

For them the gospel of Christ is powerless to change society and if in any way Christ exists in their agenda then it is to gather funds in his name or as a cover of light to hide the dark.

Prayer: O God, the source of all goodness, help us to imitate you and your good ways which you have revealed to us in your Son Jesus that we may always walk in his grace.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Inherit

Today’s Gospel Text: And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" 26 He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read?" 27 And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." 28 And he said to him, "You have answered right; do this, and you will live." 29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 30 Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, 34 and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.' 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" 37 He said, "The one who showed mercy on him." And Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise." Luke 10:25-37

Reflection: “A lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  (vs.25)

The lawyer could have asked any other question under the sun or could have asked a question in keeping with his profession?  

He could have asked Jesus as to how the knowledge of the law could help in bringing about a reign of justice, peace and brotherhood?

(The lawyers of Jesus’ time were not in any way the same as the legal lawyers of today but were scribes who were well versed with Mosaic Law and taught them to the people)

Yet, what was asked by the lawyer was a question which could either be looked at with skepticism and negativity or with a sense of respect and approval as being the right question which everyone must either ponder on or ask.

It could also be looked upon as a selfish question with self centered overtones; In other words, one could say that instead of bothering about relevant issues of society or justice issues, this man is concerned about his eternity. 

One could even ask:  Will a struggle done on behalf of the poor and marginalized not assure him a place in heaven, and more so, since he is a lawyer he should be familiar with matters of justice and struggle?

Yet, we could have such experts in our day with such a stance and they may even come across as wiser than Jesus because in their criticism they overrule all that Jesus says, not by explicit rejection of what Jesus says but by their misinterpretation of the teachings of Jesus.

But we are not to be so because in saving ourselves we could be better equipped to save others; for this saving of ourselves is primarily accomplished with Christ Jesus by our willful cooperation and through whom we receive the grace to even reach out in love for our neighbor.

Prayer:  Lord, as I walk in your way, may I never lose sight of your salvific action in our lives which equips us to enter totally into your way of life.

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Riches & Wealth

Today’s Gospel Text:  And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 18 And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19 You know the commandments: 'Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'" 20 And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth." 21 And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." 22 At that saying his countenance fell, and he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.

23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!" 24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, "Then who can be saved?" 27 Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God." Mark 10:17-27

Reflection: There are many who give to the poor or in charity, some to have treasures in heaven and some to have more and some to have some kind of blessings or the other. 

Some of the modern day evangelist would have Christians believe that when they give more the more they will receive from God by way of material wealth; therefore tithe! 

In other words hope for more of the material world and not the way to perfection, as desired by Jesus.

They have forgotten the message of Jesus that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God and hence by preaching the gospel of prosperity they are making it still more difficult for the greedy and the lost to enter the kingdom of God. (cfr. vs. 23) 

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If it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God, then it will be impossible for these so called evangelist to enter the kingdom, for leading many of the little ones astray in their quest for Christ.

Wealth is one of the greatest substitutes for God and this evil replacement is far greater than the evil of indiscriminate knowledge or power or attention seeking.

Many a times many seek the wealth in the quest for these latter evil such as knowledge, attention seeking and power.

Thus one makes an idol out of wealth and worship it to their heart content.  It is the god that brings happiness and joy to the possessor and gives one the power to have things that can make them happy.

Not that God is a kill-joy and doesn’t want his creatures to be happy. His plan for our happiness begins here and has an eternal perspective, lived in a sure hope.

Assuring us of this, St. Paul said: 

    

"There is great gain in godliness with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world; but if we have food and clothing, with these we shall be content.  But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs." 1 Tim 6:6-10

Prayer:  Lord, help me not to put my confidence in extortion and set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase then to set not my heart on them. (Adapted from Ps. 62:10)

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Poor

Today’s Gospel Text:  Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Laz'arus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 There they made him a supper; Martha served, and Laz'arus was one of those at table with him. 3 Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was to betray him), said, 5 "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box he used to take what was put into it. 7 Jesus said, "Let her alone, let her keep it for the day of my burial. 8 The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me."

9 When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came, not only on account of Jesus but also to see Laz'arus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests planned to put Laz'arus also to death, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus. John 12:1-11

Reflection: When you know for sure that a person is a rascal or at least judged them to be one then almost everything the person does and says is considered as evil, even if that person means good.

On the other hand if you consider a person as good and decent even if they may not be one, then almost everything that person says is considered as good, even if their intention may be that of a scoundrel.

In the light of this theory we must analyze the statement of Judas minus the subsequent judgment of the same Scripture passage.

You throw it up at any gathering, even in the most holy gathering of the churchmen and you will find plenty of takers for this statement of Judas: "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?"

O how the hearts of the many beat for the poor and the downtrodden and there are people who may even give dedicatedly for their cause. 

But not all of these philanthropy for the poor is really for the poor but many of it is for either political gain, wealth gain, publicity gain, divine gain and self gain with the aim of assuaging their guilt for robbing the many.

Who is interested in judging the individual consciences?

What we as Christians are interested, when serving the poor, is their own gain; their salvation, and the gospel of Christ is the greatest wealth that any poor can have.  

It would always be right that the church primarily sticks to the divine injunction and be less worried about meeting the worldly need of the poor unless circumstances, on account of their poor state necessitates it, without compromising the divine priority. Leave the rest to the state and the NGO's. 

We need to first understand that there is a God in heaven who cares for them and the poor needs to be introduced to him first, as of first priority, then follows other priorities: - This holds  true not just for them but for every individual too. (cfr. Mt. 6:33)

Prayer: Lord, you have blessed the many poor with a rich faith to believe in your good news. May the church never tire from proclaiming this good news to all.

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Repay

Today’s Gospel Text:    He said also to the man who had invited him, "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your kinsmen or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just." Luke 14:12-14

Reflection: Our monetary world talks in terms of repayment. You pay and in return are repaid.

So also many actions of life including the whole justice system are based on similar principles.

There is a certain kind of logic about this system which cannot be ruled out, some even look at it as scientific and it maybe so.

Jesus is giving us a new measure and new system that will break every kind of logic and the very laws of science. It works on charity that comes from an authoritative source, which is Jesus.

It is a charity that was first practiced by him before he taught it to others. It is a charity that defies every law and ethics practiced by humans.

How can anyone so easily practice this kind of charity without expecting anything in return? Even though we may call ourselves Christian we practice what is contrary to our Christian calling to be generous beyond a certain measure; a measure which beats every human logic.

He who taught it also practiced it to the utmost when he gave himself for us sinful men in unconditional love.

When Christ invites us he invites us to practice charity in our invitation to the unfortunate and less privileged in the banquets we organize but when he practiced it he practiced it in a much more difficult manner. He offered his very self for sinful and ungrateful men who in no way can ever repay him.

No one can repay Christ for what he has done for us by his offering on the cross for our salvation.

The only repayment we can do, and which is no repayment, is a heart filled with love and lips overflowing with gratitude to God for what he has accomplished in Christ Jesus.  Yet these are mere words from our lips acceptable to God when done with a sincere heart.

Prayer:  Lord may I learn from your great sacrifice and seek to be generous with what you have given me.

  

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Humbly Least

Today’s Gospel Text: At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them, 3 and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; 10 "See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.                  Matt 18:1-5, 10 

Reflection: From this gospel text we realize that there is a difference between the poor and the really poor in the Christian sense of the term.

There are those who are poor in the material sense and who have nothing and yet have everything and wouldn’t care a less when it comes to serving his neighbor or reaching out to him when in need, even though this could be a rare thing about them.

Whereas there are those who may have all the riches of the world at their disposal and they could have opted for that path of self sufficiency and yet may have chosen to be nothing.

These are the ones who have turned and become like little children, who do not have self-centered goals and ambitions in life and hence would not do evil in order to achieve their own goals or visions in life.

These children would rather prefer to be cared for by their heavenly Father and look to him for sustenance and protection.

Their food would be to do the will of their Father who is in heaven (Jn. 4:34)  and since the Father cares for all his children, they in seeking to do the will of the Father reach out to the world, even in the isolated world in which they may opt to live in.

These are the least in the Christian community who men may want to despise most willingly as ones without talent; for what is talent without a relationship with God. 

Here we do not speak about the greatness of St. Peter or St. Paul but rather about the greatness of the lesser known saints, who were without fame or positions in their lifetime.

Here we are speaking about Mary too who although was the mother of our Savior and God and yet lived a humble simple and lesser known life.

The Lord indeed has looked upon the low esteem of his servant and surely henceforth all generation shall call her blessed. (cfr. Lk. 1:48)

Prayer: Lord, you who cast away the mighty from their thrones and raises up the lowly, grant that I may serve you with a humble spirit and a contrite heart. (cfr. Lk. 1:52)

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