WHAT DO OUR HEARTS MOST TREASURE?
True wealth consists not in
what we keep, but in what we share with others. Jesus expects us to use our
belongings honestly and responsibly and to put them at His service and the
service of others.
You may have read a book or seen a movie about
thieves who have planned a robbery. They have planned it so completely and
cleverly that you find yourself almost hoping that they will not get caught.
You know that what they are doing is wrong, but you are in admiration of how
they are doing it. That is somewhat the situation in the Gospel today. Jesus
does not approve of any deviousness or dishonesty on the part of the manager;
nor does He recommend that we follow his example. Jesus is concerned only with the
initiative and enterprise manifested by the manager in his effort to save his
own skin. He was willing to do almost anything to avoid ending up a beggar. He
wanted the easy life at any cost.
What do we want in life, that is, everlasting
life? And what price are we willing to pay for it? Do we have as much
initiative and enterprise about spiritual values as the manager did about
temporal values? St. Ambrose, a fourth century bishop said, "The bosoms of
the poor, the houses of widows, the mouths of children are the barns, which
last forever." Possessions are a
great responsibility. True wealth consists not in what we keep, but in what we
share with others. Jesus expects us to use our belongings honestly and
responsibly and to put them at His service and the service of others.
We are God's servants and all that we have
belongs to Him. God expects us to make a good return on what He gives us. God
loves generosity and He gives liberally to those who share His gifts with
others. The Gospel says they were lovers of money. Love of money and wealth
crowd out love of God and love of neighbor.
St. Paul is an excellent example for us. Jesus
Christ is obviously the center of our lives and the driving force behind
everything that we do. He sees that we are ministers striving to live out the
Gospel; only by the grace of Jesus can we do this. Paul has dedicated himself
to nothing but the preaching of Jesus. There is no doubt about his initiative,
his enterprise, and his dedication.
May it never be true for us that the worldly
things take more initiative about temporary values than we do about spiritual,
for the spiritual leads to heavenly treasures. Jesus tells His disciples and us
as well, "to be in the world but not of it" (cf. Rom 12:2). His
message is very clear - our hearts must either be possessed by God's love or
our hearts will be possessed by the love of something else.
What does your heart most treasure? May we
sing joyfully with the Psalmist: "All the ends of the earth have seen the
salvation by our God" (Ps 98:3)!