MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, IT’S A RICH MAN’S WORLD

“All I ask is the chance to prove that money can't make me happy.” Spike Milligan.
“Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough, money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So, spread your love everywhere you go.” Mother Theresa.

Can you imagine that pure Irishman, Spike Milligan, and the declared Saint, Mother Theresa of Calcutta to be living in the days of Jesus, in Palestine. With their mentality, according to these quotations, they would surely have been close followers of the Rabbi from Nazareth, Jesus Christ.

Like Jesus they would have gone against the grain, because that was not the Jewish mentality. That was a time when God was considered to be a friend of the rich. Well-being, luck, abundance of goods were considered signs of His blessing. On the other side, it was disgraceful to be poor. Because they thought that It was a result of laziness, idleness, and debauchery. “A little sleep, a little drowsiness, a little folding of the arms to rest, poverty will come” (Proverbs, 24:33-34). That was the heritage of the “Old Testament’’ mentality.

Then came the time when the Prophets and wise men of Israel thought … and taught otherwise. We find it the Book of Ecclesiasticus: “But the rich man who has had his fill cannot sleep”. Jesus was plain and straight in His words, He warned that greed for money and even honest earning are both great obstacle to enter into the Kingdom.

 Lazarus, sick and poor begged for some thrown away crumbs. Or, did he beg? It is not mentioned in the Gospel … but the rich man, sometimes called Dives (in Latin Dives means rich), knew about him and about his plight and needs. And yet! Let’s get into the picture. In those days cutlery did not exist, they used to eat with what we today call finger-food. But then they had bread for the sole purpose of wiping their mouth and hands.  No serviettes or paper napkins. When they were ready they used to throw away that piece of bread outside, not the litter the floor. And that, was what Lazarus ate. Now we can understand better the situation.

Lazarus always remains silent, in the shadow. He does not say even a word; he says absolutely nothing, does not move a finger nor makes a suggestion. When on earth he was always seated on the ground by the door of the rich, in heaven Lazarus is at the bosom of Abraham, and during the trip he is carried by angels. How things change! Whilst on earth Lazarus was dying for a piece of bread, Dives is NOW yearning, begging, imploring for a drop of water. How things change! It is worth noticing that Jesus gave a name to the poor man, he was called Lazarus which means ‘God helps’. Food for Thought. Things in heaven are reversed.

Injustice will reign till the end of this world, and the millionaire can live next to the miserable. God does not condemn the rich because they are wealthy, rather because they are conscious of the poverty around them … and still refuse to help. Goods are given to all, and those who have more must share with those who have less or have none so that there is equality. Worth remembering the words of St.Theresa of Calcutta. For the same reason Francis of Assisi wanted all those who joined him, if they were wealthy, to give up all their property and wealth, when joining the Order.

The only force capable of detaching the heart of the rich from his goods is God’s word.

SET A THIEF TO CATCH A THIEF

In the Gospel Text of the 25th Sunday (tomorrow’s) after having read and digested the account narrated by Luke, we would have expected Christ to speak differently from what is recorded. I mean, how is He commending the behaviour of the administrator, He should have told His Apostles: “Do not behave like this villain, be honest.” Instead He approved his behaviour.

But we reason this way because we will be missing something very important. This is one of the reasons why the Holy Scripture cannot be read and interpreted by the man in the street, without having a thorough study and scholarship on the subject... a delicate subject. The reason why we should accept the Church’s authority on this point.

The reason for the master’s behaviour, likewise, should be given some deep thought. If the master praised his administrator, though he was conscious of having cheated him quite an amount, this proves that the master was very reasonable. Yes, his administrator was clever, we have to admit it, just as the master has, but, it follows that dealing with a ‘clever’ chap one has to handle with great care.

And that is just what the master did. With great calm he accepted to forfeit part of his ‘great’ margin of profit ... as it was shared by his cheating administrator, and played it ‘cool’. The admiration of the owner and the praise of Jesus have a logical explanation. The administrator was shrewd—according to Jesus—because he understood the value of priorities: not on goods, products that he was entitled to, that could rot or be stolen, but on friends. He chose to renounce the first in order to gain for himself the second. This is the point.

Some of Christ’s sayings are directly linked to the use of riches in this particular parable. These should be applications,teachings taken from the parable. The first: “The people of this world are more astute, in dealing with their own kind, than are the people of light” (v. 8).

Yes, Christ has admired, appreciated the astuteness, or ability of the administrator, but what is more important is His remark, observation regarding riches and money-management

After having appreciated the ability of the administrator, Jesus makes an observation: with regards to money-management or doing business. His disciples (the children of light) are less cunning than those who commit their whole lives in hoarding goods (the children of darkness). The administrator is a model of ability because he had a brilliant idea. If he had to consult his business-colleagues, they would encourage him to take more advantage.

St. Ambrose used to say: “We must not consider riches that which we cannot carry with us because that which we should leave behind in this world does not belong to us. It belongs to others.”

God and mammon; they don’t tolerate that there could be a place for another in the heart of man. Above all, they give opposing orders. God says “Share your goods, help the brothers and sisters, forgive the debt of the poor…” The other says: Think of your own interests, nobody helps you in life, you have to help yourself, hoard money, have all for yourself….” In our heart there is only a place for one.

The decision is YOURS, and YOURS alone.

THE UPS AND DOWNS AT THE STOCK MARKET

“If any man comes to me,” says Jesus, and, not “if any man wants to come to me” (v. 26). The difference is subtle but significant because it reveals the intention of the evangelist. There is a great difference, there is a wide ocean between “going” and “wanting to go”. Saying that I go … I am going …to Venice, is a reality, whilst saying, I want to go to Venice remains a dream, a wish if I do not get down to it and make it a reality. We r...ealise how important it is to have a ‘good, scholarly’ translation of the Holy Scripture, otherwise such subtleties will not be noticed.

Luke is addressing the great crowds, the thousands who are following Christ, who are sympathising with the Rabbi, those who are genuinely following Him. The reason is clear, there must have been a ‘misunderstanding’. The majority of the crowd was on a different wavelength. They were interpreting Christ’s message according to their own belief, their culture and their dreams.

He must have been amazed to see that “large crowds were walking along with him” (v. 25). He must have realised that the crowd was not understanding Him. As He was on His way to Jerusalem, they must have thought that He was on His way to declare His Kingdom, His Empire. Christ was honest and true, as we should always be. He therefore turns and starts to explain what is involved in the choice to be his disciples (v. 25).
The conditions that Jesus mentions are crystal clear, they are not negotiable. This is no ‘Stock Exchange’ business. The conditions involved in the choice to be his disciples (v. 25) mentioned by Christ, are loud and clear. Without mincing His words He is telling them that all those who follow Him must be loyal to such an extent as to be ready to sacrifice the dearest things in their life. A sacrifice, a suffering which would be like the agony of a man upon a cross.

His examples must not be taken literally. We must understand that Christ was influenced and acted according to the Eastern culture and language. The way they expressed themselves was always so vivid, just as the human mind could express it and understand it. Certainly, Christ did not mean it literally that we should hate our father, our mother, spouse and children. It’s unthinkable, out of this world, too cold and scary. HE means that no love in life can compare with the love we must bear to Him.

We can’t be distant followers of Christ, we must be real disciples. If a man is discouraged by Christ’s demands, let him remember that He is always present, closely following, and at times he will be carried in His loving arms.