Fr. Luigi Brioni sx
XXV Sunday ordinary time, year C, 2019
Money. “That tainted thing,” as Jesus calls it. How many crimes humanity has committed throughout history because of money and of the things money can buy.
History teaches us that all over the world individuals, families, clans, and nations have always been at war with one another mostly because of greed for money and power. The tragedies and sufferings and deaths caused by wars to gain possession since Cain and Abel are so many to be beyond all telling! Even the so-called religious wars were often just an excuse for land and power grabbing.
In today’s words Jesus seems to divide the whole of humanity into two groups, the people who serve God and those who serve money, those who live for God and those who live for money.
If for God, then human beings fulfill the divine purpose to become God’s family both here and there, both now and forever. If for money, then they turn things of this world into an end to themselves, with no meaningful relationship to the Creator or, least of all, to the Saviour. People, who have no other desire in life than to get money, have no divine horizon to hope for. They make things their necessary idols and their only reason to live and to die. They become themselves what they love most, they just become tainted money!
“Lord, what about us, “good Christians”, who go to church every Sunday and even receive you as our communion? Are we serving money more than following you all the way to the Calvary? Tell us, even in your strong ways, to be humble and sorrowful for all our mistaken preferences and priorities. Tell us clearly that, more often than not, we did not want to look at your Face or listen to your Word. Tell us to admit our fear of losing money and power and control. With your grace make us realize that the lure of things has very often conditioned our faith, dampen our hopes, limit our generosity, and, above all, belittle the eternal life you promised us. You know well, Lord, that for money we stopped praying well, we only loved people for personal interest, and we left you alone, in a corner, meaningless. Please, Lord, forgive us, and restore us to your Kingdom, which you said that “it is always at hand,” much better than any money!”
Years ago, one successful politician here in Sierra Leone admitted to me: “Pawa pass all”, in Krio for “Nothing is more important than power.” A few years later this guy fell into political disgrace and was even paraded naked in his own town by the opposition party. Did he then turn from the power of things to the God of true life? Let’s hope so.
Yes, at times, in moments of disasters, people lose everything. But some of them, in those tragic events, learn to turn their lives completely to God, valuing first and above all his merciful and all-fulfilling love. Nothing then becomes more important to them than being in love with God and with one another.
We all remember the Devil’s temptation to Jesus: “Everything will be yours, if you worship me.” Everything! And what could He do with everything without His Abba and His will? Nothing, nothing at all.
How about us? What would we do with everything the Devil wants to give us, if we worship him? Would we be ready to lose our soul for everything that is not God?
May the Lord today help us to renew our total faith in Him by making His will the only indispensable centre of our life. Yes, we certainly need money, but only to serve God and the poor, only as means for eternal life.
XXV Sunday ordinary time, year C, 2019
Money. “That tainted thing,” as Jesus calls it. How many crimes humanity has committed throughout history because of money and of the things money can buy.
History teaches us that all over the world individuals, families, clans, and nations have always been at war with one another mostly because of greed for money and power. The tragedies and sufferings and deaths caused by wars to gain possession since Cain and Abel are so many to be beyond all telling! Even the so-called religious wars were often just an excuse for land and power grabbing.
In today’s words Jesus seems to divide the whole of humanity into two groups, the people who serve God and those who serve money, those who live for God and those who live for money.
If for God, then human beings fulfill the divine purpose to become God’s family both here and there, both now and forever. If for money, then they turn things of this world into an end to themselves, with no meaningful relationship to the Creator or, least of all, to the Saviour. People, who have no other desire in life than to get money, have no divine horizon to hope for. They make things their necessary idols and their only reason to live and to die. They become themselves what they love most, they just become tainted money!
“Lord, what about us, “good Christians”, who go to church every Sunday and even receive you as our communion? Are we serving money more than following you all the way to the Calvary? Tell us, even in your strong ways, to be humble and sorrowful for all our mistaken preferences and priorities. Tell us clearly that, more often than not, we did not want to look at your Face or listen to your Word. Tell us to admit our fear of losing money and power and control. With your grace make us realize that the lure of things has very often conditioned our faith, dampen our hopes, limit our generosity, and, above all, belittle the eternal life you promised us. You know well, Lord, that for money we stopped praying well, we only loved people for personal interest, and we left you alone, in a corner, meaningless. Please, Lord, forgive us, and restore us to your Kingdom, which you said that “it is always at hand,” much better than any money!”
Years ago, one successful politician here in Sierra Leone admitted to me: “Pawa pass all”, in Krio for “Nothing is more important than power.” A few years later this guy fell into political disgrace and was even paraded naked in his own town by the opposition party. Did he then turn from the power of things to the God of true life? Let’s hope so.
Yes, at times, in moments of disasters, people lose everything. But some of them, in those tragic events, learn to turn their lives completely to God, valuing first and above all his merciful and all-fulfilling love. Nothing then becomes more important to them than being in love with God and with one another.
We all remember the Devil’s temptation to Jesus: “Everything will be yours, if you worship me.” Everything! And what could He do with everything without His Abba and His will? Nothing, nothing at all.
How about us? What would we do with everything the Devil wants to give us, if we worship him? Would we be ready to lose our soul for everything that is not God?
May the Lord today help us to renew our total faith in Him by making His will the only indispensable centre of our life. Yes, we certainly need money, but only to serve God and the poor, only as means for eternal life.