RBWords

     No matter how ancient the wisdom that we read in the Book of Sirach today, there are plenty of people today who are saying just those things that Sirach warns against.  Of course, that is why Sirach wrote those words in the first place.  The human heart and mind is ever tempted by and fascinated with wealth and power.  Although the two go together often, they are not always linked.  There are some famous political figures who lived very simple lifestyles but who were fascinated with power and how they could impact the course of events or the lives of other people.  It is a major problem in our own church, which is why Jesus had to warn the disciples on a number of occasions about wanting to be first in the kingdom!  The spectacular downfall of a number of prominent "televangelists" is an example, but we Catholics have our own.  Power seems to give some folks a feeling of invincibility.  Wealth just increases that feeling.

     It can be a fruitful experience to ask oneself, "When have I ever been 'powerful?' or "When have I ever been 'powerless?'"  In what way did I consider myself to be accountable for the way in which I used my power?  How did I come to have it anyhow?  Certainly a parent has tremendous power over a child.  A pastor has tremendous power for good or bad in a parish.  In my life as a Dominican friar, I have held the positions of pastor, formation director, local superior, and assistant provincial superior, and I must confess that having the kind of power that comes with those positions makes me very uneasy.  The only way I can live with it is to see it as something from God, to whom I must render an account either directly or through those whom God worked to entrust me in a position.  The most dangerous feeling in the world is "invincibility!"  Sirach knew what he was talking about!   AMEN