Wednesday, 3 December 2014

20140819 THE PROSPERITY GOSPEL

20140819 THE PROSPERITY GOSPEL   

Reading 1, Ezekiel 28:1-10

1 The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows,
2 'Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, "The Lord Yahweh says this: Because your heart has grown proud, you thought: I am a god; I am divinely enthroned far out to sea. Though you are human, not divine, you have allowed yourself to think like God.
3 So, you are wiser than Danel; no sage as wise as you!
4 By your wisdom and your intelligence you have made yourself a fortune, you have put gold and silver into your treasuries.
5 Such is your skill in trading, your fortune has continued to increase, and your fortune has made your heart grow prouder.
6 "And so, the Lord Yahweh says this: Since you have allowed yourself to think like God,
7 very well, I am going to bring foreigners against you, the most barbarous of the nations. They will draw sword against your fine wisdom, they will desecrate your splendour,
8 they will throw you down into the grave and you will die a violent death far out to sea.
9 Will you still think: I am a god, when your slaughterers confront you? But you will be human, not divine, in the clutches of the ones who strike you down!
10 You will die like the uncircumcised at the hand of foreigners. "For I have spoken -- declares the Lord Yahweh." '


Responsorial Psalm, Deuteronomy 32:26-27, 27-28, 30, 35-36

26 I should crush them to dust, I said, I should wipe out all memory of them,
27 did I not fear the boasting of the enemy.' But do not let their foes be mistaken! Do not let them say, 'We have got the upper hand and Yahweh plays no part in this.'
28 What a short-sighted nation this is, how thoroughly imperceptive!
30 How else could one man rout a thousand, how could two put ten thousand to flight, were it not that their Rock has sold them, that Yahweh has delivered them up?
35 Vengeance is mine, I will pay them back, for the time when they make a false step. For the day of their ruin is close, doom is rushing towards them, for he will see to it that their power fails. that neither serf nor free man remains.
36 (For Yahweh will see his people righted, he will take pity on his servants.)


Gospel, Matthew 19:23-30

23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'In truth I tell you, it is hard for someone rich to enter the kingdom of Heaven.
24 Yes, I tell you again, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for someone rich to enter the kingdom of Heaven.'
25 When the disciples heard this they were astonished. 'Who can be saved, then?' they said.
26 Jesus gazed at them. 'By human resources', he told them, 'this is impossible; for God everything is possible.'
27 Then Peter answered and said, 'Look, we have left everything and followed you. What are we to have, then?'
28 Jesus said to them, 'In truth I tell you, when everything is made new again and the Son of man is seated on his throne of glory, you yourselves will sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.
29 And everyone who has left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children or land for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times as much, and also inherit eternal life.
30 'Many who are first will be last, and the last, first.'

THE PROSPERITY GOSPEL   
SCRIPTURE READINGS: EZ 28:1-10; MT 19:23-30
http://www.universalis.com/20140819/mass.htm
Some Christian churches preach the spirituality of the prosperity gospel.  What is this spirituality all about?  They claim that Jesus was not poor and He did not live poorly.  He did not advocate poverty as something to be valued.  Instead, He desired that all of us be rich.  In fact, to be poor is a sign that we are cursed, and to be rich means that God is blessing us in the way we live our lives. So if anyone is living the gospel life, the sign that he is on the right direction is when he is blessed with riches.

On the surface, there appears to be some scriptural basis for such a theology.  The disciples held such a view.  Hence, they were shocked when Jesus said it “will be hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.”  As if He wanted to be heard clearly, He repeated “Yes, I tell you again, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.”   So scandalized were they by Jesus’ remark that Peter asked, “’What about us?  We have left everything and followed you.  What are we to have, then?’”

Apparently, Jesus seemed to accept this tradition as well, though not without qualification, “I tell you solemnly, when all is made new and the Son of Man sits on his throne of glory, you will yourselves sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.  And everyone who has left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children or land for the sake of my name will be repaid a hundred times over, and also inherit eternal life.  ‘Many who are first will be last, and the last, first.’”  Of course, the answer in itself is also ambiguous.  After all, expectation of such rewards in this life was an outlook of the Old Testament where blessings from God were reckoned in terms of land, wealth, power and kingdom.  Conversely, the wicked were cursed and were deprived of worldly goods.

But did Jesus favor this view, or was He accommodating them?  He was ambivalent towards earthly goods.  Certainly, riches and earthly blessings in themselves belong to the proclamation of the Good News. God does indeed want us all to be happy and be blessed with the gifts of creation.  And so even in the ministry of Jesus, He went about championing the cause of the poor, the call for justice, and He always performed miracles and healings for the poor and the marginalized.  So having earthly blessings is not against the gospel message.

However, in the same vein, Jesus warned us against the danger of riches.  Why will the rich find it difficult to enter the kingdom of heaven?  The answer is found in the first reading. Prophet Ezekiel warned the King of Tyre of his arrogance and self-sufficiency.  Having achieved much success for himself and his kingdom in terms of wealth and the economy, he became so proud of his wisdom and intelligence, his political and economic skills that he even supplanted the position of God.  As a consequence, God pronounced His judgement of destruction.  “Since you consider yourself the equal of God very well, I am going to bring foreigners against you, the most barbarous of the nations. They will draw sword against your fine wisdom, they will defile your glory; they will throw you down into the pit and you will die a violent death surrounded by the seas.”

What happened to them happens to all of us who have allowed our successes and achievements to get into our heads.  We have seen so many tragedies of capable, good and inspiring leaders who, in their success and glory, forgot all about God and the responsibilities that came with their gifts.  Instead of using their talents, power, position, money and influence for the service of others, they allowed themselves to be slaves of power and wealth.  They were swallowed up by their luxurious, self-centeredness and sensual lifestyle.  Eventually, they lost their spiritual life and became worldly in their attitudes.  Yes, riches and wealth, the lure of power and fame have destroyed good people, even those in ministry!

The gospel warns us on many occasions of the potential pitfalls of riches.  In the Magnificat, Mary reminds us that God will fill the starving with good things but the rich, He sends empty away; and the mighty He will tear them down from their thrones and lift up the lowly.  Jesus too, knew the snares of wealth, power and self-worship, for He was tempted by the Devil right at the beginning of His ministry.  These temptations did not end there.  Throughout His ministry, He was constantly drawn to take the easy path and to build for Himself a kingdom.  Like Him, regardless of who we are and in whatever state of life we are in, these temptations will haunt us right through our lives.

This is not to say that riches and power are evil.  In themselves, the value of riches and power are neutral.  They are means only to an end, not the end in themselves.  They can be used to destroy us, or improve our lives.  What is important is that we use our wealth for others and for the service of love.  So money in itself cannot bring happiness unless it is used wisely and responsibly, to uplift the suffering and pain of those around us, especially those who are without the basic necessities of life.

Jesus was rich, but He became poor for our sake.  He emptied Himself of His divinity in order to give us a share in His life.  He Himself lived simply since His birth at Bethlehem.  He was a man who, although could have become rich because of the many miracles He performed, yet remained detached from worldly wealth and power.  Jesus shows us what it means to be a truly free man and a happy person, irrespective of our possessions.

If the rich man in yesterday’s gospel went away sad when he was told to give everything to the poor, it was because he knew his heart was still under the bondage of his wealth.  His heart was not free; a heart that is attached to this world and its possessions cannot be free for God and free for the love of others.  A man who is not free in love and free for love will remain sad always and incomplete.  He might have everything but he does not have a genuine loving relationship with God and others.

Hence, today, we must find true freedom and joy, like St Francis of Assisi.  We must resolve to use our riches and whatever we have for others and for the works of love.  Of course, we must be good stewards, but we must remain indifferent to them.  Otherwise, our love for wealth will make us turn away from the poor and especially from God.  Like St Paul, we must learn to be content in times of plenty and famine, full or empty stomach.  When we are no longer controlled by material riches, then we are truly free.  This is the joy and happiness of the Kingdom.

Of course, this kind of life is not possible for man.  As Jesus in the gospel says, “For men, this is impossible; for God everything is possible.”  Only with the grace of God, can we acquire the Wisdom to see the ultimate values of life.  When we look at things from the values of love and relationship, and also the transience of this earth’s riches, then everything will fall into perspective.  Most of all, when we have the eyes of God to see the sufferings of the poor and the deprivations of our brothers and sisters of the basic needs of life, and how little things can make them so happy, then we will be able to sacrifice what we have for them.  The joy of seeing them alleviated of their pains will bring even greater joy and satisfaction than if we were to enjoy the goods ourselves.  

WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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