Dear Sisters & Brothers in Christ,
Are you rich? If you ask most people that question, they would likely say, “No”. But the reality is that almost everyone who attends church here probably qualifies as rich, at least compared to the world-wide mean household income figure of $10K-$12K per household per year.
In last week’s Gospel we heard Jesus say, “You cannot serve both God and mammon,” with mammon meaning material wealth. The readings today also seem to serve as a warning about becoming too comfortable with wealth.
Is it bad to be rich? Jesus has harsh words for those in the Bible who hoard their wealth and do not share. He also condemns those who put their trust in worldly wealth over their dependence on God. But He doesn’t condemn wealth itself.
In the New Testament we see that women of means provided food and material items to Jesus and his disciples. So, wealth can be used to serve good causes.
But there clearly is a spiritual danger in having wealth or living in the lap of luxury. That danger is the temptation to become too attached to it, to place one’s hopes and identity in it, or worse, to misuse it. In today’s Gospel, the rich man was so absorbed with his wealth and comfort that he failed to see and respond to the need of the poor man on his doorstep.
If love means willing the good of another and doing what we can to bring that about, then it seems that we have an obligation, after our own needs are met, to share whatever material wealth we have with others in need.
St. Pope John Paul II wrote, “The needs of the poor take priority over the desires of the rich; the rights of workers over the maximization of profits; the preservation of the environment over uncontrolled industrial expansion; the production to meet social needs over production for military purposes” (Centesimus Annus, 1991).
Sincerely yours in Christ Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life,
