Word to the Wise
Friday, June 17, 2022 - 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]
Itinerancy is a feature of the life of most Dominican friars. At least it has been so for me. Since the foundation of the Southern Dominican province in 1979, I have changed residences about 14 or 15 times. Each move has brought me face to face with all the "stuff" that seems to accumulate around me. Books and kitchen gadgets are two of the principal culprits but there's other "treasures" that come my way from other folks - photos, kids' drawings, etc. And the inevitable process of deciding what goes to the next place can be heart-tugging. At least the memories are portable if the objects don't make the cut! And the gospel warning about physical wealth always manages to find its way to echo as I sort through "stuff!"
Jesus rather insistently warns about the dangers of material possessions and wealth. Do we own our "stuff" or does our "stuff" own us? Either way, Jesus says none of it matters in comparison with following him and his way of life. Maybe a yard sale or two provide some relief, but do they address the acquisitive side of us? What is truly our "treasure?" Where IS our heart? If pushed, for myself, I would say "faith and friends," but then I have to decide what to do with all the "stuff" that isn't either of those two treasures. It will remain an everyday challenge! AMEN