Friday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
By Melanie Rigney
For the love of money is the root of all evils, and some people in their desire for it have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains. (1 Timothy 6:10)
Fear not when a man grows rich, when the wealth of his house becomes great. For when he dies, he shall take none of it; his wealth shall not follow him down. (Psalms 49:17-18)
Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God. Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources. (Luke 8:1-3)
Piety
Lord, help me to be a good steward of the financial, emotional, physical, and spiritual wealth you have given me.
Study
Even in the first century, there was some overhead to carrying the Good News to the world: Food. Clothing. Shelter.
Today’s Gospel acknowledges some of those who provided for the ministry, including Joanna, the wife of Herod Antipas’s steward. There are differing views on where Joanna got her money, whether Chuza too converted or whether she received a settlement in a divorce. But there is no doubt she was a key member of Christ’s circle; she was among the women who found the empty tomb when she went to anoint Jesus’s body.
We know from Jesus’s other teachings that wealth is not a guarantee for salvation. But neither is poverty. Rather, the point, as today’s Psalm reading says, is that we will take none of our earthly wealth with us when we die.
Some of us are blessed with gifts or situations that lead to financial wealth. To use those gifts to ethically amass wealth is not sinful in and of itself; after all, Paul tells us today that it is “the love of money,” not money itself, that is the root of all evils. The issue is what we do with that wealth as we amass it.
In his World Day of Peace message last January 1, Pope Benedict XVI spoke of the strong linkage between peace and poverty:
In today's globalized world, it is increasingly evident that peace can be built only if everyone is assured the possibility of reasonable growth: sooner or later, the distortions produced by unjust systems have to be paid for by everyone. It is utterly foolish to build a luxury home in the midst of desert or decay. Globalization on its own is incapable of building peace, and in many cases, it actually creates divisions and conflicts. If anything it points to a need: to be oriented towards a goal of profound solidarity that seeks the good of each and all. In this sense, globalization should be seen as a good opportunity to achieve something important in the fight against poverty, and to place at the disposal of justice and peace resources which were scarcely conceivable previously.
Let us all find ways to follow the example of Joanna, and use less of our wealth on toys and frills and diversions and channel more of it in support of causes and movements “towards a goal of profound solidarity that seeks the good of each and all.”
Action
Many of us are planning our 2010 charitable giving through the United Way, the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) for federal employees, or other means. Consider upping your contribution enough that it pinches a little. If you’re looking for ideas on places to share your wealth, check out the CFC’s Catalog of Caring
(http://www.cfcnca.org/files/cfcnca/docs/2009communications/catalog/FINALPROOF_CFCNCA_CL09.pdf) to learn about local, regional, and national causes.
