The burden of riches

We live in a world in which we’re made more aware of the disparity that exists within it with each news story.  The very fact that we sit here looking at a screen reading this reflection separates us from most of the world who can’t do so.  We try extremely hard each day to be caring for those around us but our efforts, no matter how grand, seem to be insignificant because there’s always so much more to do.  Guilt can overwhelm us.

God loves us so much that He’s given us an amazingly bountiful and renewable world so that we might ensure that everyone has what they need to live a good life.  Unfortunately, there’s no bell within us that rings and says, “Okay, enough, you have plenty; let someone else have the rest.”  The more we have, the more we want; and God knows that ultimately this stops us from loving Him fully.  We can’t.  We’re too distracted.

Jesus often spoke about the burden of riches and how it keeps us from devoting our lives to God.  His messages are always simple and clear.  We can’t accumulate wealth without it interfering with our relationship to our God who has made all that we have possible, no matter how much or how little (Luke 16:9-15).  The problem comes in knowing what it is that we must do in order to be among those who will “inherit the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:17-31).  Or is it like the story of the young, rich man who asks Jesus what he must do to have eternal life and is told to give away all of his wealth to the poor? (Matthew 19:16-26)

For all of my adult life I’ve been blessed, or maybe cursed with being a privileged white man, meaning I’ve been able to financially meet my needs.  I relate well to what Saint Paul writes in his letter to the Philippians, “I am very well supplied because of what I received from you…” (Philippians 4:18)

Whatever we have in this life is on loan and can be taken away in the time of a single breath.  We must work to understand that the day will come when we’ll leave behind every “thing” we’ve accumulated to those who follow us.  Wouldn’t all of us want that to be memories of someone who was loved rather than the things that we’ve bought?

It's all about relationships.  How we relate to God and how we relate to our fellow man.  Think about Christ's relationship with Thomas.  Thomas had walked with Christ.  He’d seen most of the miracles with his own two eyes.  And yet, at the resurrection, "doubting Thomas" wouldn’t believe (John 20:19-31).  Did Christ reject him?  Did He send him packing?  Did a lightning bolt fly down from heaven?  No.  Christ afforded Thomas an opportunity not granted to any other disciple or to anyone else that we know of.  Thomas touched Christ's wounds.  And then Thomas went out as an ambassador for Christ and changed the world forever.  Being called a "doubting Thomas" shouldn’t be considered a bad thing.  It's OK to doubt.  God's the one who gave us the brain where doubts arise.

How we live our life should be how we relate to God.  Our relationship with God should be all about the spirit with which we wake up in the morning and get busy, the faith that shapes how we love and care for our family, and the grace we rely on from God to face the mystery of life and death each day.  

Our relationship with God is as much about what we decide to buy, how we choose to present ourselves, what sacrifices we become comfortable making, as it does if we go to church and whether or not we take time for formal prayer each day.

“God knows the heart!”  What a great truth to be deeply aware of.  So often in life there are misconceptions we have of others and misconceptions that others have about us.  The passage in Luke (16:14-15) goes to the heart of this tendency of the Pharisees to create a false image of themselves for others to see and to care little about the inner truth that only God is aware of.

So what’s more important to you?  What do you prefer?  Are you more concerned about the opinions of others or the truth of your life in the mind of God?

This struggle can go two ways.  On one hand, like the Pharisees, we can strive to present a false persona of ourselves to others while, at the same time, God is fully aware of the truth and is aware of the false image we are trying to portray.  On the other hand, we may find that others have a false image of who we are, which can cause us much hurt.  When this happens, we can be led into anger towards others and tend to irrationally and excessively defend ourselves. 

But what’s important?  What should concern us?  The Truth is what matters, and we should care little about that which God is not concerned.  We should care only about that which is in the mind of God and what He thinks about us and our lives. 

God wants us to live an honest life by which we present ourselves in the truth, and not to be like the Pharisees who were obsessed with the flattering and false images others had of them.  Worry only about living in the truth and what is in the heart of God and leave the rest to Him.  In the end, that’s all that matters.