The Problem With Money

The problem with money is that it can become an addiction and once that happens the priority shifts from God to possessions.  It makes a terrible bedfellow because love for money leads to greed, greed to envy, envy to hatred and hatred kills love.  It robs you of your peace of mind and peace of soul.  It is difficult to  have inordinate wealth and give God His rightful place in your life.

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Mark 10:17-26

17 As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"  18  Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good?  No one is good but God alone.  19  You know the commandments: 'You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother.'"  20  He replied and said to him, "Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth."  21  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."  22  At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.  23   Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!"  24  The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!  25  It is easier for a camel to pass through (the) eye of (a) needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."  26  They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, "Then who can be saved?"  Mark 10:21 You lack one thing: go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.

The rich young man had everything and yet he hungered for more.  He knew that there was still something he lacked and when he ran up to Jesus to make his need known to Christ, he was certain that He would give him that something that his heart yearned for.  On finding out though the means to complete fulfillment he discovered that  he was prepared to settle for the mediocre rather than give up all he had and follow the Lord.  He was prepared to sacrifice eternal bliss for present pleasure.

He gave his wealth priority.  Wealth makes it difficult for us to have a right relationship with God.  Sit lightly on money neither hoarding it or throwing it away.  Our entry to the Kingdom of God depends on whether we give some of our money away.

Matthew 6:33

Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness.

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Flesh and Blood

Every faith filled Catholic knows that once the Priest speaks the words of Consecration in Persona Christi, the bread and wine become transubstantiated into the Body and Blood of our Lord.  This is not rocket science, this is faith – Jesus said so and we believe.  It cannot be less complicated than this simple truth.

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John 6:51

51 I am the living bread which has come from heaven; whoever eats of this bread will live forever. The bread I shall give is my flesh and I will give it for the life of the world.”

John 6:52

52 The Jews were arguing among themselves, “How can this man give us flesh to eat?”

John 6:53

53 So Jesus replied, “Truly, I say to you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

Many of Jesus’ disciples left Him because they said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?" and so they did not follow Him anymore.

Although this is  neither scandalous  nor a stumbling block to  Catholics, it was a scandal and a stumbling block to His followers. 

The truths of our faith cannot be watered in order to make it more palatable.  Peace  will not and cannot be achieved at the cost of compromising God’s word.

John 6:63

It is the spirit that gives life the flesh is of no avail.

To feed on Christ by faith is to eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood.

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FIRE AND DIVISION

There are some sayings of Jesus that can perplex and probably make you scratch your head wondering, what on earth could He mean?  I hope that both explanations Fr. F’s crisp one and Fr. Francis Jamieson more detailed version will throw light on what Jesus meant when He made difficult and sometimes downright controversial statements.

I think that one must take several points into consideration when understanding a difficult or  hard statement made by Christ. 

1. Read the preceding and following verses or even the whole chapter if it is the same theme.
2. Find out the context in which it is written
3. Who is Jesus addressing
4. Read similar texts written by the other Gospel writers to get a better understanding or insight. 

• Fire and Division
• Flesh and Blood
• The Problem with Money
• Hating
• Let the Dead Bury the Dead
• Marriage and Divorce
• Mystification
• Using Money to Make Friends
• The Unpardonable Sin
• We Have Done Only Our Duty

FIRE AND DIVISION

Luke 12:51-53  

Do you think I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; for henceforth in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against her mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

Luke 12: 13-15

13 Someone in the crowd spoke to Je­sus, “Master, tell my brother to share with me the family inheritance.” 14 He replied, “My friend, who

has appointed me as your judge or your attorney?”

Mark 3:21

21 Knowing what was happening his relatives came to take charge of him: “He is out of his mind,” they said.

John   7:5

IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE - THE FIRST LAP

Every face was lit with smiles as they took their places in the courtyard.  There was not much fidgeting with clothes or  other decorative apparel as all of them were dressed in a simple white robe gathered with a cord at the waist.  The focus remained on Jesus which is as it should be.   I spotted  familiar faces and  felt a rush of affection in my heart. All the hard work and practice had paid off,  the children knew exactly what was expected of them.  I took my place in the seat assigned to me and looked around, St. Therese Church was beautifully decorated with flowers and lights and I found myself musing on the year that seemed to have gone in the blink of an eye. 

I was assigned as the junior catechist to the class that would be preparing to receive First Holy Communion.  There were butterflies in my stomach as I walked into the class room, I had absolutely no teaching experience and I wondered if I would be up to the task.  There were forty children in the class, forty souls whom we had to prepare for one of the most wonderful day in their lives.  Thankfully, being a neo-catechist, I was required to play a secondary role most of the time.  This gave me an opportunity to observe the senior catechist and learn from her. Looking back I realize  how blessed I have been to have been a part of their lives if only for a short while. 

It isn't easy to remember all their names but each face is etched in my heart.  I remember each smile and I have a fair idea of each ones personality.  I can pick out the naughty ones, the rowdy ones, the quiet and shy ones, the ones who are playful and easily distracted, the girls whose attention span grows shorter by the minute, the smart ones who ask interesting questions, the funny ones who can make you laugh when you know you ought to be serious.  There have been a few classes that I had to take on my own and I relished the idea of testing the water solo, once I had found my sea legs.  The most wonderful times have been when I was able to grasp their attention - when they seemed to hang on my words as I spoke to them about the awesome love of Jesus and the wonder of it  struck a responsive note in their own hearts and they were still and silent as they listened to me.  

It has been a blessed year.  There is much I have learned from  the senior catechist who has been very generous and  patient as I learned the ropes. I look forward to the next Catechism session and a new group of children with greater confidence, thanking God all the while for the gift and the privilege of being called to share the faith with these little ones so dear to the heart of God.