Most people don’t really want to hear the truth about their actions or desires. Let’s face it. The Gospel is full of stories where Jesus was just calling it like He saw it, but the Pharisees and the society elite didn’t want to admit their reality. They would do just about anything to cover up how they really believed and lived. Has anything really changed in our society today?
Just tune in to for a few brief moments to the weekly talk shows on cable or radio and you hear a constant buzz of excuses and redirecting comments away from reality. When a man is accused of having an affair, he is declared incapable of being president – EVEN THOUGH the reality of sexual chastity and marital faithfulness continues to dwindle in our nation. How is it people think their own lack of sexual morality make them qualified for what they do every day but not someone else’s lack of sexual morality. That is really just one example.
There are others where greed is the governing moral. After all, isn’t our nation’s class struggle nothing more than just greed? The poor want something they don’t have and the rich want more of what they do have. Before you jump down to the comment button hear me out on this one….An objective evaluation of poverty I believe reveals a subjective practice. What is too rich for one is not rich enough for another. What is poor for one is wealthy for another. Wealth is a matter of perspective for sure, but Saint Paul and the early Church Fathers spoke about being content with the blessings our Lord gives us. If we are poor (and I must admit I am not but I don’t think that excludes me from speaking a spiritual truth) with cable TV and cell phones, are we really poor? I don’t mean to suggest that people don’t suffer. I see them with my own eyes, but there are many more whose suffering is brought upon by poor decisions and an overall lack of disciple. BUT THE WEALTHY ARE NO BETTER! There are millions (quite literally) who have been blessed by God beyond what they need and are still demanding more. They are not satisfied with what they have. Most people rarely are I suppose.
Anyway, since today is the fifth day of Christmas (the day of FIVE GOLDEN RINGS) I suppose it’s appropriate that I made mention of greed. “They” say money makes the world go around, but I learned something different in geology. “They” say that hard work pays off, but I have learned that many hard working servants never get ahead. Christmas isn’t about money; it’s about life – life in Christ.
Christ came down from heaven and put on flesh for our salvation so He could unite us to Him. When the times comes for us to join Him, will we bring our wallets or our hearts?
No comments:
Post a Comment