IS GOD REALLY AGAINST THE RICH?

SABBATH

When Jesus says that it is harder for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, He is not saying anything against the rich per se but merely making a statement regarding the difficulty they will face in pursuing a life of discipleship. Why is this the case? A simple answer to this question is the distraction that worldly riches give if people are not wary of them. The world is given over to the accumulation of material possessions. This is the motivation that lies at the root of modern western democracy and there is no way that an individual can totally dissociate himself from this underlying reality. What the Christian needs to discover is how to live within the framework without being governed by it. That is, the overwhelming challenge we face is the struggle to maintain the focus on our Christian values over and above the pressures provided by the world. We cannot control the way the world works, so we have to find ways to work with the world in which we live. This challenge is one that Christians have faced from the beginning and one that will be with us probably until Jesus comes again. It is the challenge of discipleship — maintaining a chosen lifestyle within the context of one that is often antithetical to the chosen one. One of the things we can do to help ourselves in our Christian calling is to avoid whatever will hamper our goals. This is where Jesus’ thoughts about the rich fit in. Worldly riches require an enormous amount of time and attention to maintain and will not necessarily add anything to our spiritual development. Thus, more often than not, they will be a distraction to our spiritual goals. Riches are not the only things that can distract us. Commitment to any career can derail our spiritual lives. We need to be aware of these problems as we seek to grow spiritually. Awareness of the temptations of the world is a very big step in keeping them from unduly affecting our Christian commitment to grow in holiness.Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL   Reflection Question: Have I allowed the distractions of the world into my life to the detriment of my faith?   Jesus, help me to recognize the dangers that the values of the world pose to my spiritual life so that I can put measures to combat them.   St. Uguzo, pray for us.