20200818 WEALTH, THE GREAT OBSTACLE TO THE KINGDOM
18 August, 2020, Tuesday, 20th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading | Ezekiel 28:1-10 © |
Against the arrogance of the king of Tyre
The word of the Lord was addressed to me as follows, ‘Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre, “The Lord says this:
Being swollen with pride,
you have said: I am a god;
I am sitting on the throne of God,
surrounded by the seas.
Though you are a man and not a god,
you consider yourself the equal of God.
You are wiser now than Danel;
there is no sage as wise as you.
By your wisdom and your intelligence
you have amassed great wealth;
you have piles of gold and silver
inside your treasure-houses.
Such is your skill in trading,
your wealth has continued to increase,
and with this your heart has grown more arrogant.
And so, the Lord says this:
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.
Are you still going to say: I am a god,
when your murderers confront you?
No, you are a man and not a god
in the clutches of your murderers!
You will die like the uncircumcised
at the hand of foreigners.
For I have spoken – it is the Lord who speaks.”’
Responsorial Psalm |
Deuteronomy 32:26-28,30,35-36 © |
It is the Lord who deals death and life.
I should crush them to dust, said the Lord.
I should wipe out their memory among men,
did I not fear the boasting of the enemy.
But let not their foes be mistaken!
It is the Lord who deals death and life.
Let them not say: Our own power wins the victory,
the Lord plays no part in this.
What a nation of short sight it is;
in them there is no understanding.
It is the Lord who deals death and life.
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 the Lord has delivered them up?
It is the Lord who deals death and life.
For it is close, the day of their ruin;
their doom comes at speed.
For the Lord will see his people righted,
he will take pity on his servants.
It is the Lord who deals death and life.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps24:4,5 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Teach me your paths, my God,
make me walk in your truth.
Alleluia!
Or: | 2Co8:9 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Jesus Christ was rich,
but he became poor for your sake,
to make you rich out of his poverty.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 19:23-30 © |
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
Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you solemnly, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 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.’ When the disciples heard this they were astonished. ‘Who can be saved, then?’ they said. Jesus gazed at them. ‘For men’ he told them ‘this is impossible; for God everything is possible.’
Then Peter spoke. ‘What about us?’ he said to him ‘We have left everything and followed you. What are we to have, then?’ Jesus said to him, ‘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.’
WEALTH, THE GREAT OBSTACLE TO THE KINGDOM
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [EZEKIEL 28:1-10; MATTHEW 19:23-30 ]
We can imagine the reaction of the disciples when Jesus said, “I tell you solemnly, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” This statement of our Lord went against the popular and traditional understanding that wealth is a sign of God’s blessings for living a holy life. Moses told the people that if they obey the commandments of God, they would enjoy prosperity. (cf Dt 30:15-18) Scriptures always taught the just are rewarded, “Happy are those who fear the Lord, who greatly delight in his commandments. Their descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever.” (Ps 112:1-3) Indeed, all the time, the Jews associated riches and wealth as blessings from God for a life well lived, whereas poverty and illnesses were the consequences of sin. If we shared the tradition of the Jews, we too would be scandalized at Jesus’ remark.
However, Jesus did not end with this startling remark. He went on further to say, “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.” There are various interpretations to what this “eye of a needle” is. One interpretation suggests the eye of the needle refers to the side gates of Jerusalem, which was small and low, just enough for a man to lower himself down to pass through. During the day, people and animals go in and out through the main gate of Jerusalem. However, at night, the main gate was closed and only the side gate was accessible. How could a camel ever use that small gate?
Regardless which interpretation we hold, the point made is that it would be very difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. Jesus was not making an academic statement or philosophical truth. A case in point was the rich young man who earlier on, when asked to give everything to the poor and follow our Lord, “went away grieving, for he had many possessions.” (Mt 19:22) Hence, “when the disciples heard this they were astonished. ‘Who can be saved, then?’ they said. Jesus gazed at them. ‘For men’ he told them ‘this is impossible; for God everything is possible.'”
However, it does not mean that it is impossible for the rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven. In the gospel, we have very rich people who managed to follow Jesus and gained entry into the Kingdom. We have the example of the chief tax-collector Zacchaeus who followed our Lord. Then we have the rich man, Arimathea who asked Pilate for the body of Jesus and laid Him in a tomb. (Mt 27:57-60) Nicodemus too, “who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews.” (Jn 19:39f)
Still, whilst not excluding the rich, the fact remains that it is much more difficult for them compared to the poor to enter the kingdom of heaven. What are the reasons? Firstly, because the rich tend to be self-sufficient and self-reliant. They think money can buy everything, even a man’s soul. They will use money to buy fame, power, recognition and all kinds of pleasures in this world. Is it not true that sometimes those in authority are tempted to support the rich and the powerful because without them, they cannot remain in power or grow the economy? Even religious people could be bought over by money because of greed. Money is the root of all evil. So those who are rich do not need God, they think money can get them all that they need. God is secondary in their life.
Secondly, material wealth and personal wealth make a person proud of himself. Those of us who are intelligent and hardworking think that success is due to our hard work alone. We give credit to ourselves rather than to God. This was the sin of the King of Tyre in today’s first reading. The Lord condemned the king thus, “Being swollen with pride, you have said: I am a god; I am sitting on the throne of god, surrounded by the seas. Though you are a man and not a god you consider yourself the equal of God. You are wiser now than Daniel; there is no sage as wise as you. By your wisdom and your intelligence, you have amassed great wealth; you have piles of gold and silver inside your treasures – houses. Such is your skill in trading, your wealth has continued to increase, and with this your heart had grown arrogant.”
When one is arrogant and thinks highly of himself, he does not need God in his life. The sin of the King of Tyre is the sin of secularism, atheism and humanism. Today, humanity proclaims itself as the god of this world. We think we can solve all problems by ourselves with science and technology. We do not need God who is seen to be a hindrance and an opium of the poor. We have the ingenuity to make humanity progress and be prosperous. This explains why the world does not need God. So, too, when we think our wealth, intelligence and power can protect us from all harm, poverty, hunger, pain and even death. The Lord would tell us this, “You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” (Lk 12:20) When we are in the face of death, no wealth, no power, no science, no technology can save us or allow us to keep the world’s possession with us. This was the judgement of God on the King of Tyre, “No, you are a man and not a god in the clutches of your murderers! You will die like the uncircumcised at the hand of foreigners.”
Thirdly, when we are rich, we tend to be selfish. We need to protect our happiness, because we think it is found in wealth and possessions. We will not share our wealth with others lest we do not have enough for our old age. Most of us keep more than enough money to live comfortably until our death. We keep so much money only to bequeath them away upon death because we do not really need so much. Because we are selfish, we do not have real friends. We prevent ourselves from enjoying life and friendship with people. Indeed, the Lord warns the rich farmer, “So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.” (Lk 12:21) It is said that misers are always miserable. They are afraid to spend and most of all to spend on others. They cannot share their joy with others. However, when joy and love are shared they increase a hundred fold.
In contrast to the values of the world, Jesus proposed a reversal of values for those who wish to enter the kingdom. Jesus said, “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.'” The values of the kingdom as expressed in the Beatitudes are values that upset values of world. Wealth and possessions are means to an end. They are to be used for the work of love and service. They are not ends in themselves. If we follow the disciples and leave everything to follow our Lord, we will enjoy a life of true freedom, peace and love. Everyone will be our friend, relative and our loved ones. We will enjoy being loved and loving. Our circle of friendship will grow. Indeed, the Church as the family of God offers every lonely soul fellowship not just with God but also with the community.
Life has meaning only when it is spent in love. At the end of the day, it is not how much we have, how many titles we have accumulated, how famous we are, how well-known we are in the world, but rather how deep our friendship with people is. It is the company we enjoy with each other, the love that is shared, the joys and sorrows that we carry with each other, the acceptance of people of our strength and weaknesses that make life meaningful and worth living. Indeed, when there is true love and friendship, life is beautiful and lovely.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved. The contents of this page may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission from the Archbishop’s Office. This includes extracts, quotations, and summaries.
No comments:
Post a Comment