Word to the Wise
Friday, September 20, 2019 - Friday in the 24th Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Tim 6:2c-12 and Luke 8:1-3]For we brought nothing into the world, just as we shall not be able to take anything out of it. If we have food and clothing, we shall be content with that. Those who want to be rich are falling into temptation and into a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evils, and some people in their desire for it have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains. [1 Timothy]
SEPTEMBER 20 STS. ANDREW KIM, PAUL CHONG & COMPANIONS. Martyrs
One of the most quoted lines from St. Paul is: "The love of money is the root of all evil." Both the Old and New Testaments in the Bible have multiple warnings about the dangers of wealth or the desire for it. As ancient has this wisdom may be, it appears that we humans have not conquered the desire for money. This is not just on the individual level but on a global level now. Every newscast contains information on "the economy." The 2008 market crash was directly linked to greedy banks and corporations. For all the benefits that a capitalistic economy can bring, it contains the seeds of its own destruction in the desire for more money. This has political and social consequences because of the division between "haves" and "have-nots" when it comes to money!
Money has a way of getting into matters of faith as the expression "gospel of prosperity" tells us. Jesus' attitude toward wealth, astonished his disciples because they thought wealth was a sign of favor from God. The Gospel According to Luke, which the daily liturgy is featuring at this time, contains the parables of the Rich Man and Lazarus and The Rich Fool. The "gospel of prosperity" tends to promote the idea that material wealth is a sign of God's favor and that the poor are somehow morally inferior because they are poor. Many political discussions of "socialism" and "capitalism" have their starting points in the question of money. Perhaps a better starting point would be Jesus' warnings and St. Paul's words to us today. AMEN
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