Friends,
There is more to life than wealth and riches. Today’s readings are about material things and our attitude towards them. Are they at the center of our lives? The texts also suggest that what we are is more important than what we have.
Qoheleth, ‘the Preacher,’ who wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes 300 years before Christ, gives a pessimistic view of the world. Is it worth working hard and worrying about our wealth since we have to leave it to others after our death? He declares: ‘All is vanity!’
The Gospel develops the same theme. The main problem with wealth is that it risks taking center stage in our life and displacing God from his rightful position. What matters is making ourselves rich in the sight of God.
In the second reading, St Paul develops similar ideas that, as Christians, we should put aside our former preoccupations, particularly greed, and turn our thoughts to ‘heavenly things, for Christ is ‘in everything. Moreover, as the psalm encourages us, we should praise and thank the Lord in word and song rather than grumble and worry. We should listen to his voice today.
This week, let us make time each day to listen to what the Lord is telling us about ourselves and our relationship with others and money.
Joy and peace.
