I haven’t
set foot in a grocery store since March and the onset of the COVID scare. My daughter has been doing all the shopping
for the household at least once and sometimes twice a week. Every once in a while, I will ask her to pick
up something for me that I’ve been craving: a certain brand of lunchmeat, or a specific
flavor of ice cream, for example. Her
usual reply to me is, “If it’s in stock, I’ll get it!” Then she explains that the “hoarding” of just
about everything is one of the more frustrating, yet preventable side effects
of the pandemic mentality, next to the refusal of some to wear a face mask when
in public. It brings to mind the news
reports we saw on TV of people literally running through Costco the minute it
opened up so they could fill their entire cart with toilet paper. Some people bought 8 packages of 12 rolls each
– 96 rolls of toilet paper! Others
hoarded Lysol, flour, pasta, or whatever they felt they must secure for
themselves before someone else got it. Evidently,
based on my daughter’s observations, it’s still going on.
As I reflected
on this today, I think that the root of this behavior is an attitude of
scarcity, which teaches that there’s only so much, and if I allow you to get
some, there’s less for me. So I’d better
get all of it that I can, even if I won’t use it in a year’s time and even if
it means several other people can’t have any at all. We can contrast that with an attitude of
abundance, which says that even if there’s a finite supply, there’s enough for
everyone. Your gain is not my loss. In fact, your gain is my gain, too. The entire world benefits when more people
have what they need.
I believe
this is what Jesus meant when He said that “whoever loves
their life in this world will lose it, but whoever hates their life in this
world will gain eternal life.” (John 12:24-26) He didn’t mean we shouldn’t enjoy our lives,
provide for our families, and love with all our hearts. Jesus certainly loved life – so much so that He
was accused of being a drunkard and a glutton (Luke 7:34, Matthew 11:19)! But He doesn’t want us to cling to the things
of this life, to grab whatever we can at another’s expense, to discriminate
against anyone, or to strive for power and prestige. In fact, Jesus immediately continued this teaching
by saying that we need to be servants of all, putting others before ourselves,
and follow Him.
Whenever
someone needed comfort, healing, care, or kindness, Jesus gave willingly and
generously. When others were hungry, He
shared His food and helped them multiply their food until all were filled. He never turned His back, told people they
deserved their state in life, called them demeaning names, or judged them. He always looked for ways that He could personally
make it better, and at the same time He called out the authorities and powers
of the day for the ways they made it worse. He operated from an attitude of abundance. He was
never concerned that if someone else gained something, He was diminished. He never looked at life as a win-lose
proposition in which He made sure He was always winning. He looked instead for win-win, where everyone
had what they needed and was treated with the dignity that we all deserve. He truly was a servant to all.
We too, are
called to serve, not to cling. We have
to speak up, act, and raise the bar in a world where so many people are
lowering it. As the prayer attributed to
St. Teresa of Avila speaks so well: “Christ has no body now on earth but yours;
no hands but yours; no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which the
compassion of Christ must look out on the world. Yours are the feet with which
Christ is to go about doing good. Yours are the hands with which Christ is to
bless all people.”
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