Word to the Wise
Wednesday, September 24, 2008 - Wednesday in the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time
[Proverbs 30:5-9 and Luke 9:1-6]Every word of God is tested; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Add nothing to his words, lest he reprove you, and you will be exposed as a deceiver. .....Give me neither poverty nor riches; provide me only with the good I need; lest, being full, I deny you, saying, "Who is the Lord?" Or, being in want, I steal, and profane the name of my God.
This last passage from Proverbs contains some very good wisdom for our Western lifestyle. The cult of the celebrity and wealthy in the Western world is displayed every day in the newspapers, tabloids, internet, entertainment! The commercials on television display what it means to be "successful." In pursuit of this "dream" many people come to grief. Years ago I read a book entitled, THE POOR PAY MORE, in which I learned how poor people were victimized by door to door salesmen that offered them items that were symbolic of a successful household: stereos, encyclopedias, washing machines, etc.. The goods were shoddy and the enticing time payments turned out to be far more expensive than quality merchandise of the same kind. But the "have-nots" very understandably want what the "haves" are able to enjoy. On the other hand, the conspicuous consumption of the "haves" shows often where their hearts are. Proverbs has a message for both. The message is this: the wise person places trust in God's word and seeks only that which is necessary for life. Too much makes a person forget God. Too little can lead to desperate conduct to get what is needed. The wise person prays for "only the good I need." If this all seems a bit too simple, the problem may not be in Proverbs but in our lifestyle! The statistics show that the vast majority of the world's human population lives in abject poverty and hunger. It seems to me that wisdom and the gospel (reflected in the church's "preferential option for the poor") should be directed to helping that vast majority to attain what is necessary, instead of standing in awe of the conspicuous consumption of celebrities and the wealthy. AMEN
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