Word to the Wise
Friday, June 22, 2018 - Friday in the 11th Week in Ordinary Time
[2 Kgs 11:1-4, 9-18, 20 and Matt 6:19-23]"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be." [Matthew]
JUNE 22 ST. THOMAS MORE
What do we need to feel "secure?" That question can rise up and challenge us when we read today's lesson in Christianity 101. Over in the Gospel According to Luke, there is a vivid parable about the Rich Fool who builds bigger barns instead of sharing his bounty. [Luke 12:16-21] The quest for "security" can lead to a divided heart.
I often hear in confessions a regret that "I haven't put God first in my life." What DO we put first? Can we measure this in terms of the size of our bank accounts, or our homes, or our health care plans? The question takes on a different quality when the one asking it is very poor and cannot feed one's children, let alone oneself! Then there is no "treasure" to divide the heart other than resentment.
Those attics and garages full of old clothing, former favorite toys, etc. tell us a lot about our quest for security. They also tell us about where love of God and neighbor may be in our scale of values. As I grow older and begin to recognize the necessity of "downsizing," I realize some "division of heart" in my own life and recognize the challenge in Jesus' words. I would call my greatest treasure my friends, which then raises the question about the "stuff" that surrounds me. Oh yes! The Sermon on the Mount continues to "pack a punch!" AMEN