Missionaries of the Sacred Heart

‘Wealth’ has been regarded as a blessing on man from the beginning of time. All religion talks about wealth as a gift of God. Goddess Lakshmi in Hinduism is viewed as the goddess of wealth. In Islam, all wealth is the possession of Allah with which humans are entrusted. It is a responsibility; it must be earned through permissible means and spent in permissible ways, such as spending on one's self and those for whom he is responsible for, without extravagance or waste. The Jews and the whole of Old Testament is very clear that being wealthy is synonymous with being blessed by God.

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed” said Gandhi. Whether it be Wall Street, or corrupted politicians greed catches us up very quickly and easily. Casinos attract us more than our sweet little homes. Our most important achievements are quite often financial achievements. A lot of our petty talks are subjects of comfort and financial security. We tend to forget that happiness does not come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. Oscar Wilde said, “There are many things that we would throw away if we were not afraid that others might pick them up.”

In Luke Chapter 12, Jesus conveys a message that if we are not ready to appreciate God’s presence in all that he has given us, we would never appreciate what he would give us in the future. The man in the parable did nothing wrong: he was blessed by God; he had bountiful harvest; he stored all the grains; thought of widening the store houses. What he had failed to do was to appreciate God’s presence in all his happy moments. Much is given and much is expected.

Wealth is also a responsibility for Christians. Early Christians had everything in common. That may not be a good idea in the pluralistic and a vast Catholic Church of modern day. What could be possible is that the Christians see themselves as responsible people. In what way can I take part in my responsibility to share the work of God? What are some of the things that I can share with the people around me to spread the love of God? Amen.

By Fr. Antony Lazar, MSC