REFLECTION FOR THE 25TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR C
I find it interesting that on United States money we imprint the words, “In God We Trust”. Giving the surface upon which it is printed, I find the words almost an oxymoron. In the history of our nation, it has been proven that for many in our nation, it is not God in whom we trust, it is the money upon which the words are printed. So I ask, in whom do we place our trust? God or money?
In the reading from Amos (Amos 8:4-7*), we hear the prophet condemning the wealthy of his time who place more trust in their wealth than in the God who created them. In fact, their religious rituals are nothing more than rituals devoid of all spirituality. The words spoken in their rituals are empty. They wait impatiently for the Sabbath to end so that they can abuse and cheat the poor. “We will buy the lowly for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals; even the refuse of the wheat we will sell!” Their greed is so abominable that God responds with these words, “The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob: “Never will I forget a thing they have done!”
In Paul’s 1st letter to Timothy, we hear Paul asking Christians to pray for those in government so that all people may live in peace. Then He follows that up by stating very clearly that there is only one who is Lord of heaven and earth, whose power overshadows those of earthly leaders. That one is Jesus Christ.
In the Gospel, Jesus addresses clearly that the greatest false god that humans worship is wealth/greed. Jesus challenges his followers that they must make a clear choice as to whom they will serve. Will they serve God, or will they serve wealth/greed? They cannot serve both.
Every time we turn on the news, we are presented with those who serve God and those who serve wealth and greed. Both God and wealth/greed are served equally by those appointed and elected in our government. We see the horrendous impact of wealth and greed in the policies of our government. The denial of climate change, the systemic deregulation of that which protects our environment, benefits economically the interests of the petroleum, natural gas, and coal industries. The deregulation of our financial institutions benefit only the wealthy and greedy and cheat and bankrupt all others. The defunding of the safety nets that protect the poor, the elderly, and the unemployed of our nation, for example, the defunding of food stamps, programs like Head Start, unemployment, the assault on the Affordable Healthcare Act, Medicare, Medicaid, on Social Security, benefit the big pharmaceutical and insurance companies. This is just a sampling of the choice of wealth/greed being served in our government.
If we begin to examine the policies of many of the conglomerates of our nation and the world, wealth/greed is overwhelmingly the god that is most greatly served. God’s words we hear in the first reading from the prophet Amos are very pointed. “Never will I forget a thing they have done!”
It is easy to blame all the woes of our world on the wealthy and greedy that serve in world governments and world conglomerates and industries. However, to quote the great philosopher, Pogo, “We have met the enemy and he is us!” It is necessary to examine how we might be as guilty as the wealthy and greedy, albeit in lesser ways, of the same idolatry.
On a personal level, it boils down to whether we adopt a lifestyle that models that of Jesus, who came to serve God and those most in need, or whether we adopt a model of life that serves our own self-interests only. Are our lives governed by the Great Commandment of Jesus to love God with all our minds, strength, and hearts? Or are our lives governed by Original Sin, best described by Norm Peterson from the television comedy, Cheers, as, “It’s a dog eat dog world and I’m wearing Milk Bone underwear.”?
We have to reflect on that which motivates us to do the things we do. Do we hoard what we have, or are we willing to share from our abundance with those who are in need? Do we hoard use the gifts that God has given us to benefit only ourselves? Or, do we use our God given gifts to benefit others? Is everything in our lives defined by the question of “What’s in it for me?” Or, our lives defined by the question, “What’s best for all concerned?” These questions begin to define whether we live idolatrous lives worshipping wealth/greed, or whether we worship the one, true God.
In my ministry to the Latino community, I remember one family who was experiencing some car trouble. I asked my friend whether he needed some assistance. He said no. There was a Latino mechanic that lived in the same building who fixed the car. When I asked my friend how much it cost, he told me that the mechanic fixed it for nothing. Then, taking down a framed picture from the wall, my friend took $40 that was taped to the back of the picture and said, “You can’t eat nothing.” And, then gave the money to the mechanic. This is how we live lives that worship God.
In whom do we trust? God or money? We can’t do both.
