Word to the Wise
Tuesday, May 29, 2007 - Eighth Tuesday in Ordinary Time
[Sirach 35:1-12 and Mark 10:28-31]Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.
After warning the disciples that possessions are not necessarily a sign of God's favor but may be an obstacle to it, Jesus responds to Peter's declaration that they have given up all to follow him. He points out that disciples will not go without reward. Scripture scholars suggest that this statement reflects the life in common enjoyed by the early Christian community. Indeed, if all things were held in common there was a certain material security to be gained. But that could not be the reason for following Christ. The only reason acceptable is faith in Jesus. In a strange reversal of this teaching, one occasionally hears about wealthy individuals asserting that it is their duty to make more and more money so that they can do more and more for others. The gospel of wealth places material well-being on a par with spiritual well-being and these are not the same. In the Gospel of Luke we are told about the wealthy man who decides to build more and more barns to hold his harvests only to have God demand his life that night. The Lord warns that riches do not guarantee eternal life. The complacency that material well-being can create is a form of sedative that dulls one's sensitivity. The rich man who failed to see Lazarus at his door is an example. Paying attention to the impact of material possessions on one's spiritual life is worth the effort since it can make a big difference in terms of eternal life! AMEN
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