Scripture for today's reflection can be found at Memorial of Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church | USCCB
In our gospel for today the Lord is teaching us about the trust we need to have in God and to always place God as central to who we are and how we are to live our lives. Wealth and money should never become more important than our relationship to God. Wealth and money are just tools for us to get by in our day-to-day existence, but we are never to make it into an idol.
Our Lord is teaching that it's difficult for someone who is rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven because his/her main concern is the wealth and making sure that it provides the security they need to live a comfortable life. In realty, it's God that can give us that security and peace of mind. All we need to do is trust in the Lord.
Further, the Lord goes on to say, "And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more and will inherit eternal life." (Matthew 19:29) What I think the Lord is teaching is that we are to use our financial wealth (whether we have a lot or a little) wisely. Be prudent in our finances, but also be willing to share it with either the church or other charities that may be in need of financial help. In turn the Lord will grant you peace and security. But you are never to make the financial wealth more important than your relationship with God and with neighbor.
From Arlene B. Muller
ReplyDeleteYES, the problem is attachment to riches, dependency on riches, a sense of self-sufficiency on riches that can make rich people believe that they don't need GOD, a lack of willingness to part with any of their money to help other people or even to pay just wages, miserliness, greed, & making an idol out of money. There are people who don't literally bow down to idols, but their behavior regarding money demonstrates that they have made money their GOD. It is less a matter of how much money someone owns but more a matter of how attached the person is to the money & possessions he/she owns. I know of people who have lots of money who refused to use it to help an elderly sick relative in need!
I don't think the rich young man had gotten that far. He was someone who was truly seeking GOD & doing what is right, & he probably provided well for the people around him. He seems like someone with a good heart. But the LORD saw that he was attached to his riches & possessions & the life of comfort his money could provide, so He tested him--something the LORD did not necessarily do to others--to point out that despite his good heart & good intentions, his money & possessions were a potential stumbling block to his developing a deeper relationship with GOD & discipleship.
Sometimes the stumbling block is not material riches but a tendency to rely on our own good deeds, our own merit, our own obedience & an overly "works/performance based Christianity" that can be a blind spot preventing us from realizing that despite our best efforts & good intentions we are still sinners who need to acknowledge how much we need to depend on & trust GOD & His grace & mercy. When I came into the Catholic Charismatic Renewal the LORD often exposed me to the Gospel account of the rich young man & I sensed a connection with him, even though I was not materially rich. What I just shared seemed to be the message the LORD was giving me & I wrote & delivered a teaching for my prayer group to share what I believe the LORD was teaching me & that I still need to keep in mind.
I agree that money in itself is a tool & that a tool is neither good nor bad in itself. The issue is how we regard it & how we use it. Most of us are not called to give away all our money & possessions the way that saints like St. Francis of Assisi did, but once our basic needs of food, clothing & shelter are met & a little bit of security, we need to view our money & material blessings beyond basic necessities as blessings that GOD has provided for which we are grateful & that we are meant to share the blessings GOD has given us to bless & help others: persons in need that the LORD places in our lives, the Church (our local parish, the work of our diocese), & faith based & private charities like Good Counsel Homes. The greatest joy in having riches is the joy of using them to bless & help others.