The poverty of riches

Bible verse:
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” (Mark 10: 17-27)

Inspiration:
Saint Mark tells us that upon hearing Jesus' words, the young rich man's face fell "and he went away sad, for he had many possessions." He just couldn't let go of what he possessed; or, more properly, what possessed him. The bigger the bankroll, the tighter the rubber band.

Jesus wasn't calling the rich young man to a life of poverty for there is no merit in simply being poor. Not every pauper is a saint nor is every saint a pauper. That is not the point of today's Gospel message.

Jesus was calling the rich man to a life of generosity. He was saying that, when we give freely, we free ourselves of the need for more and more. He was saying that our self-worth is not measured by our valuables, but by our values.

The attitude of Jesus toward money is best expressed in the Lord's Prayer when He instructs us to pray for "our daily bread." In other words, Jesus preached a life of moderation in which our basic needs are met by a loving, provident God.

Studies show that 80 percent of us consider ourselves middle class, neither rich nor poor. In other words, we believe we are living a life of moderation. But are we?

Rampant consumerism that has led many families to amass crushing debt burdens in pursuit of the good life. Yet, as MasterCard readily acknowledges in its advertising, "There are somethings that money can't buy." One of them is the peace of mind and contentment enjoyed by those who give freely in the certain belief that God will meet their daily needs.

In preaching moderation, Jesus was asking us to examine how we spend our money. He expects us to live within our means and for many that means scaling back on our spending. Nearly 20 percent of American families say they are in financial trouble and, more often than not, it is due to confusing their needs and their wants. It's an easy mistake to make in a culture of consumerism.

Thrift is a precursor to generosity. We can't give what we don't have. If we have been over-spending, we have to change our standard of living in order to change our standard of giving. But, there is no alternative. As stewards of the Lord, we will one day be called to make an accounting of how we have used our money and possessions.

In giving freely, we will come to discover how truly blessed we are.

Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner.