Let Us Keep Our Eyes On The Prize: The RIches Of Our Faith

GK Chesterton, “The problem of disbelieving in God is not that a man ends up believing nothing. Alas, it is much worse. He ends up believing anything.”

Monsignor Charles Murphy wrote in his 2014 article entitled,” Challenges of Consumption,”  the following: "Christianity is not about feeding yourself. Christianity begins with what people do with the leftovers." So spoke Professor Megan McKenna, whose field is social ethics, alluding to the biblical miracle of the sharing of the loaves and the admonition that the leftover fragments be gathered (Mt 14:20) Faces fell. A certain religious complacency was pierced, giving way to a degree of consciousness-raising. It is startling to be told, in culture as wasteful as ours, that Christianity begins with what we do with our leftovers. Just visit a typical school lunch program and see the mounds of garbage. "Waste not, want not" means little to children brought up to believe that if something does not meet your taste or adhere to the current fashion, toss it.

If we were to stop there then some people may get the idea that consumption of goods and services are bad.  This could not be farther from the truth.  It is lust after the consumption of goods and services that are bad.  If we were just the sum total of all the wealth we accumulated here on earth, we would be totally fooled on why we are on this earth in the first place. We are not products or the service we work with, we are Children of God.  As such, we begin to act like this as well. 

The Gospel and Wealth

When Pope John Paul II paid his first visit to the United States in 1979, he delivered one of his most memorable homilies on the subject of consumption. Speaking to a congregation gathered in New York City at Yankee Stadium, the Holy Father said:

Christians will want to be in the vanguard in favoring ways of life that decisively break with the frenzy of consumerism, exhausting the joyless. It is not a question of slowing down progress, for there is no human progress when everything conspires to give full reign to the instincts of self-interest, sex, and power. We must find a simple way of living. For it is not right that the standard of living of the rich countries would seek to maintain itself by draining off a great part of the reserves of energy and raw materials that are meant to serve the whole of humanity. For readiness to create a greater and more equitable solidarity between people is the first condition of peace. Catholics of the United States, and all you citizens of the United States, you have such a tradition of spiritual generosity, industry, simplicity, and sacrifice that you cannot fail to heed this call today for a new enthusiasm and a fresh determination. It is in the joyful simplicity of a life inspired by the Gospel and the Gospel's spirit of fraternal sharing that you will find the best remedy for sour criticism, paralyzing doubt, and the temptation to make money the principle means and indeed the very measure of human advancement.

As the basis of his teaching, the Holy Father drew upon the parable in St. Luke's Gospel regarding Lazarus and the rich man. The Lukan Gospel is particularly harsh regarding the hazards of wealth. The parable may be read as another illustration of the biblical saying that it is easier for a camel to pass through the needle's eye than for a rich person to enter God's kingdom (Lk 18:25). What is noticeable in the parable is that the rich man is condemned because he is rich or is he?  It really is just that simple to reject wealth and go to heaven.  I should say not and I would like to focus on two different approaches to this argument.

First, the rich man’s problems were not that he was rich, it was that he had an overinflated opinion of himself, his self-worth, and more importantly the worth of others.  He simply did not notice other people.  People were like obstacles in his way.  He would use who he could and abuse the rest.  He was very satisfied with his life here on earth and was rewarded amply for all of his deeds.  The problem was that he lost sight of the eternal perspective.  All he could see was blinded by opinion of himself.  He felt like he did not need God.  Was he mistaken?

Second, during the Middle Ages, there was a great deal of information written about this passage.  Blaming wealth for his problems is really missing the entry point of the passage.  The message is and should be clear to one and all.  Involve yourself in your life, help others, and never forget that the purpose is not here to amass a great deal of wealth.  We are here to celebrate the Mass.  The Divine Liturgy where we get the body and blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

If we keep this eternal perspective we can amass a great deal of wealth and still put the wealth to good use helping others.  

GK Chesterton, “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.”