Friday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
In our readings today, Paul says, “The love of money is the root of all evils” (1 Tm 6:10). Greed is behind all evil designs. Money – and power, fame and influence--is not bad in and of itself. However, we can never serve God and money at the same time. The love of money sickens our minds, poisons our thoughts, even our faith, leading us down the path of jealousy, hatred, suspicion, and conflict. While money begins by offering a sense of wellbeing, wealth can quickly lead to vanity, selfishness and sinful pride if we are not careful. When we worship money, it becomes an idol; disrupting our relationship with God and often our relationships with others.
A few years ago, Pope Francis shared that early church fathers identified money as “the dung of the devil”. When we worship it, money becomes corrosive and leads us away from our faith. Too often, we are distracted by the accumulation of worldly wealth; we narrow our vision selfishly to our own gain. Popular culture offers a constant barrage of messages about what we need to buy in order to be happy. What will bring us fulfillment and satisfaction? The truth is that no matter what our culture tells us, or how much we buy, the promise of fulfillment and satisfaction will not come; the promised happiness is fleeting. The only thing that can make us truly happy is a life in Christ.
Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs!
Fear not when a man grows rich,
when the wealth of his house becomes great,
For when he dies, he shall take none of it;
his wealth shall not follow him down. (Ps 49:17-18)
Paul goes on to encourage us to “pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness” (1 Tm 6:11). We are called to eternal life with Christ--a life fulfilled in justice, peace, faith, and love. St. Teresa of Kolkata says, “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” We are called to live simply so that others may simply live. Am I content with what I have? Do I thank God for blessings in my life? Am I generous with the blessings I have?
Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs! (Ps 49) Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom. (Mt 11:25) Good and gracious God, reveal the mysteries of the Kingdom to us. May our hearts be faithful and lives fruitful.
Peace,
Brandon Meyer