JUST HOW RICH ARE WE?
"Jesus became poor although He was rich, so that by
His poverty you might become rich."
I will begin my
reflection today with this prayer: "Lord Jesus, may the fire of Your love
burn in my heart that I may be wholly devoted to You above all else. Free me
from greed and attachment to material things that I may be generous in using
the gifts and resources You give me for Your glory and for the good of my
neighbor. Amen."
Today's Gospel reading
could be a good sermon about money, but I do not want to reflect on that today.
I do want to reflect on the Gospel's last line which deserves some thought,
"What is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God" (Lk
16:15). We can apply these words in a very personal way to ourselves. Our age,
situation, where we live, we think these things are so urgent and important. It
can be watching sports, listening to a song we like, the clothes we wear, a
diet we are on, who we hang with, finances and our future planning for
retirement, and the lists goes on and on.
How often it is that
we're not willing to face up to the fact that we consider one of these items to
be terribly important, but the amount of time, money, and energy we're willing
to spend on the item is what speaks volumes. Christians who are maturing in
their faith begin to look at the icons of our culture and the things our world
holds out as important, with a critical eye. A famous theologian defined
religion or even God as that which ultimately concerns us, that which in the
long run we consider non-negotiable.
Here are some
questions to ponder on today:
To what do I give my time and attention?
What do I worry about?
What do I plan for?
What occupies my day?
Jesus helps us in
these areas. He is the one Who brought glad tidings to the poor and began His
Sermon on the Mount with "Blessed are you who are poor, for the Kingdom of
God is yours" (Lk 6:20). In today's Gospel Acclamation we sing,
"Jesus became poor although He was rich, so that by His poverty you might
become rich." One of our richest blessings is the Eucharist. We are rich
with our heavenly Father's forgiveness, compassion, mercy and love which give
us everlasting life. This should be our motivation in life!
"For what is of
human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God" (Lk 16:15).