The Catholic Calendar for Monday, August 20, 2001
Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
St. Bernard
Complete story: http://www.christdesert.org/public_texts/martyrology/
Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Judges 2:11-19
Psalm 106:34-37,39-40,43-44
Matthew 19:16-22
Full text: http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/index.htm
A Reflection on Today's Scripture:
On achieving perfection....
Jesus was constantly trying to help people undo shackles that kept
them chained in place. He constantly pointed out the danger of wealth
and how close the poor were to the kingdom of God. Does this mean
that poverty is intrinsically better than wealth? That it is better
to live constantly on the edge? Does it mean that poor people are
better than the wealthy?
I don't think Jesus meant to imply any of these messages. What He did
want us to know is that anything that distracted us from God was not
good for us. If we were caught up in acquiring wealth, we couldn't
really be focused on what God wants in our lives. Equally if all we
thought about was our next meal, we couldn't really focus on what God
wants in our lives. The poor were somewhat better off (if they had
sufficient food) in that they didn't have to spend a lot of time
maintaining what they had acquired. Poverty allowed a certain
simplicity.
It's a serious mistake to think that mere poverty makes holy. It
isn't poverty or wealth, but it is the mindset of the person
involved. St. Elizabeth of Hungary and St. Margaret of Scotland as
well as St. King Louis IX of France, were all fabulously wealthy --
but their wealth was not the center of their lives. They used what
they had to serve God completely.
What Jesus wants is our allegiance. He wants us to unshackle
ourselves from mere possessions that keep us bound to material
things, and allow our spirits to soar. When thinking about wealth, we
should not be considering how best to display it, but how best to use
it for the common good. All are welcome, God only asks that we value
what is real and eternal rather than what will pass away with us.
- JuandelaCruz, TOC
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