Word to the Wise
Wednesday, September 23, 2020 - Wednesday in the 25th Week in Ordinary Time
[Prov 30:5-9 and Luke 9:1-6]Two things I ask of you, deny them not be me before I die: put falsehood and lying far from me, give me neither poverty nor riches; provide me only with the food 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. [Proverbs]
SEPTEMBER 23 ST. PIUS OF PIETRELCINA, ofm.cap. (Padre Pio)
This prayer from the Book of Proverbs is well worth reflection. How much is "enough of this world's goods?" The prayer says, "Not too much because then I ll think it is all my doing and not God's!" and "Not too little, because then I'll be tempted to steal and violate God's commands."
In the gospels, Jesus warns about the dangers to true discipleship that come with material wealth. [Matt. 19:21] Day after day, news media bring us word of the latest famine, war, violence, natural disaster, epidemic that turn vast numbers of people into situations of dire need, What would be "enough" for the whole world to have adequate food, shelter, health care and employment? On the other hand, the current political scene informs us of vast amounts of money being spent on the acquisition of power. This suggests that some have "more than enough" and can spend it on more than food, shelter, and health care.
Some might reply that this is "the way it has always been. There will always be the haves and have-nots." This kind of thinking divorces all of life from the relationship to God, thinking that it's a simple matter of marketplace reality. Human life becomes one more commodity to be traded. In the end, the scene that Jesus offers near the end of the Gospel According to Matthew [25:31-45] rises to haunt us. It is not just a matter of charity from one's surplus. It may be a matter of looking deeply at "the way it has always been" and asking why it has to be that way. The disciples were amazed at Jesus' teaching, and still are.
It may come down to this. Do we look first to our faith and then decide how much is enough? Or do we look first to our material well-being and let that decide who God is? AMEN
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