Saturday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s reading from Philippians, Psalm 112, and Luke are packed with goodness. There are many lines about giving to the poor, not making wealth an idol, and the eternal impact of generosity. What resonated with me was Paul’s line, “I know indeed how to live in humble circumstances; I know also how to live with abundance. In every circumstance and in all things I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of living in abundance and of being in need.”
Initially this line did not stand out in a positive way. It stood out because it sounded more like an advertisement for a financial guru to get your life back on track. Not that that is bad. It is virtuous to be good stewards of our wealth, but it is a balance that must be struck. I believe that the balance falls somewhere between idolatry of money and distracted from furthering the kingdom. We should not make money an idol. Jesus makes that clear in Luke with the words, “You cannot serve God and mammon.” On the flipside, our concern for upholding the precept of fiscal responsibility should not supersede the precept of charity or trust. Essentially, we should have such a comfortableness with wealth that it does not become our idol, because we see its true value and use. This is the secret that Paul mentions.
Paul’s secret is not a self-help plan that will ensure fiscal stability. It is not a “least amount of work possible” plan to get rich. Paul’s secret is a Christ-centered perspective and priority. He sums it up in the sentence following the earlier quote, “I have strength for everything through him who empowers me.” Paul’s secret is centering his life on Christ and his infinite grace. Christ is the truth and this allows Paul to look upon money for its true worth. He sees both its usefulness and its fleetingness. Also, in setting Christ and the Gospel as the priority in his life, he does not allow money to become the overriding principle in his life. This is why he expresses that he can live in both poverty and abundance, for Christ is Lord over him in either setting; weakening the power of the temptations to greedy idolatry or anxious distrust.
As a disciple Paul sees his life as empowered by one source, Christ. This leads me to ask: As a disciple, is my perspective through the lens of a Christ-centered life? Or have I replaced the infinite God with some finite good as the center of my life? Has my desire to “feel” secure and stable preoccupied my concerns to the point of distrust? Do I really believe that Christ will never lead me where I cannot follow? Do I think I know my needs better than God who created me?
Lord I believe, help my unbelief.
-- Spencer Hargadon