Is God against us being rich?

Readings for October 14, 2012

         

           28^th Sunday in Ordinary Time Yr B

           It-28 Ħadd matul is-Sena B

          Messalin B p 487

        Reading 1 - Wisdom 7:7-11

I prayed, and prudence was given me; I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me. I preferred her to scepter and throne, and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her, nor did I liken any priceless gem to her; because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand, and before her, silver is to be accounted mire. Beyond health and comeliness I loved her, and I chose to have her rather than the light, because the splendour of her never yields to sleep. Yet all good things together came to me in her company, and countless riches at her hands. This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Qari  -  Għerf 7, 7-11

Jien tlabt u qlajt għaqal; Sejjaħt, u ġie  fuqi l-ispirtu tal-għerf. Dan  l-għerf qistu aqwa minn kull xettru tron, u ntbaħt li l-għana m'hu xejn ħdejh. Ma  xebbaħtx miegħu l-ħaġra l-aktar prezzjuża, għax id-deheb kollu ħdejh mhuwiex ħlief ftit ramel, u l-fidda quddiemku qisha ftit  tajn. Aktar  mis-saħħa u s-sbuħija ħabbejtu, u għoġobni aktar mid-dawl; għax id-dija tiegħu ma tgħib qatt. Mal-għerf ġieni il-ġid kollu, u miegħu ġiebli għana bla qjies. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Responsorial Psalm - pS 90:12-13, 14-15, 16-17

Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!                                                       

R. (14) Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!

Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
Make us glad, for the days when you afflicted us,
for the years when we saw evil.                                     

R. (14) Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!

Let your work be seen by your servants
and your glory by their children;
and may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!                                      

R. (14) Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!

Salm Responsorjali - Salm 89 (90)

           

Għalliemna ngħoddu jiem ħajjitna,

sabiex aħna nimxu bil-għaqal.

Dur lejna, Mulej!  Kemm se ddum?

Ħenn għall-qaddejja tiegħek.                            

R/   Imliena bit-tjieba tiegħek, Mulej.

Imliena kmieni bit-tjieba tiegħek,

biex nifirħu u nithennew ħajjitna kollha.

Ferraħna daqskemm għakkistna,

għas-snin li fihom rajna l-ħsara.               

R/   Imliena bit-tjieba tiegħek, Mulej.

Ħa jidher għemilek quddiem il-qaddejja tiegħek,

u l-kobor tiegħek quddiem uliedhom.

Ħa tkun fuqna l-grazzja ta' Alla Sidna!

Wettqilna inti  x-xogħol ta' idejna,

Wettaq, iva,  xogħol idejna.                                         

R/   Imliena bit-tjieba tiegħek, Mulej.

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Reading 2 - Hebrews 4:12-13

Brothers and sisters: Indeed the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account. This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Qari – Lhud  4, 12-13

Ħuti,  l-Kelma ta' Alla hi ħajja u qawwija, taqta' aktar minn xabla b'żewġt ixfar; hija tinfed sa  jinfirdu minn xulxin ir-ruħ u l-ispirtu, u l-ġogi u l-mudullun;    u tgħarbel il-ħsibijiet u l-fehmiet tal-qalb. Xejn ma hemm fil-ħolqien li hu moħbi għalih, imma kollox hu miftuħ  għal għajnejn Alla, li lilu rridu nagħtu kont. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

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Gospel - Mark 10:17-30

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him,
"Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother." He replied and said to him, "Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth." Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, "You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God." Peter began to say to him, "We have given up everything and followed you." Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come." This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Evanġelju – Mark 10, 17-30

F'dak iż-żmien, Ġesu' kien se jaqbad it-triq lejn Ġerusalem, meta mar fuqu wieħed jgħaġġel,  niżel għarkupptejh quddiemu u qallu: "Mgħallem tajjeb, x'għandi nagħmel biex nikseb il-ħajja ta' dejjem? Qallu Ġesu':  " Għaliex qiegħed issejjaħli tajjeb'?  Ħadd m'hu tajjeb ħlief Alla biss. Inti l-kmandamenti tafhom:  la toqtolx, la tiżnix,  la tisraqx, la tixhedx fil-falz, la tiħux bil-qerq dak li hu ta' ħaddieħor;  weġġaħ lil missierek u 'l ommok". U dak wieġbu u qallu:   "Mgħallem, jiena dan kollu  ili nħarsu minn żgħożiti."    Imbagħad Ġesu' xeħet fuqu ħarsa ta' mħabba u qallu:   "Ħaġa waħda tonqsok: mur  bigħ li għandek,  agħtih lill-fqar, u  jkollok teżor fis-sema; imbagħad ejja u imxi warajja."   Imma għal dan il-kliem ir-raġel qarras wiċċu u telaq b'qalbu sewda, għaliex kellu bosta ġid. Ġesu' mbagħad ħares ħarsa madwaru u qal lid-dixxipli tiegħu:  "Kemm hi iebsa għall-għonja li jidħlu fis-Saltna ta' Alla!"  Id-dixxipli stagħġbu għal din il-kelma, imma Ġesu' reġa' qalilhom:  "Kemm hi iebsa, uliedi, li wieħed jidħol fis-Saltna ta' Alla!  Eħfef li ġemel igħaddi minn għajn ta' labra milli wieħed għani jidħol fis-Saltna ta' Alla."  Huma stagħġbu wisq aktar, u bdew igħidu wieħed lil ieħor:  "Mela min jista' jsalva?"   Ġesu' ħares lejhom u qalilhom:  "Għall-bnedmin dan ma jistax ikun, imma għal Alla iva; għax għal Alla kollox jista' jkun. Qabeż Pietru u qallu: "Tajjeb! Aħna ħallejna kollox, u ġejna warajk."  Qallu Ġesu':  "Tassew ngħidilkom, li fost dawk kollha  li minħabba fija u l-Evanġelju jħallu lil darhom jew lil ħuthom jew lil ommhom jew lil missierhom jew  lil uliedhom jew l-egħlieqi tagħhom, ma hemm ħadd  fosthom li minn issa, f'din id-dinja stess, ma jirċevix, għal mitt darba iktar, djar,  aħwa, subien u bniet,  ommijiet, ulied u għelieqi flimkien ma' persekuzzjonijiet, u l-ħajja ta' dejjem fiż-żmien li ġej." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

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COMMENTARY:

    God Is Not Against the Rich, Says Father Cantalamessa

Here is a translation of a commentary by the Pontifical Household preacher, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, on next Sunday’s readings.

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"How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!"  Mark 10:17-30

A preliminary observation is necessary to clarify any possible ambiguities when reading what this Sunday's Gospel says about wealth.

Jesus never condemns wealth or earthly goods in themselves. Among his friends is, also, Joseph of Arimathea, a "rich man"; Zaccheus is declared "saved," though he kept half his goods for himself which, given his office of tax collector, must have been considerable.

What Jesus condemns is exaggerated attachment to money and property; to make one's life depend on these and to accumulate riches only for oneself (Luke 12:13-21).

The word which God uses for excessive attachment to money is "idolatry" (Colossians 3:5; Ephesians 5:5). Money is not one of many idols; it is the idol par excellence, literally, "molten gods" (Exodus 34:17).

It is the anti-God because it creates a sort of alternative world, it changes the object of the theological virtues. Faith, hope and charity are no longer placed in God, but in money. Effected is a sinister inversion of all values.

"Nothing is impossible for God," says Scripture, and also: "Everything is possible for the one who believes." But the world says: "Everything is possible for the one who has money."

Avarice, in addition to being idolatry, is also the source of unhappiness. The avaricious is an unhappy man. Distrusting everyone, he isolates himself. He has not affection, not even for those of his own flesh, whom he always sees as taking advantage and who, in turn, really nourish only one desire in regard to him: That he die soon to inherit his wealth.

Tense to the point of breaking to save money, he denies himself everything in life and so does not enjoy either this world or God, as his self-denial is not for him.

Instead of having security and tranquility, he is an eternal hostage of his money. However, Jesus does not leave any one without the hope of salvation, including the rich man. The question is not "whether the rich man is saved" (this has never been in discussion in Christian tradition), but "What rich man is saved?"

Jesus points out to the rich a way out of their dangerous situation: "Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes" (Matthew 6:20); "make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal habitations" (Luke 16:9).

It might be said that Jesus was advising the rich to transfer their capital abroad! But not to Switzerland -- to heaven! Many, says St. Augustine, exert themselves to put their money under earth, depriving themselves of the pleasure of seeing it, at times all their life, just to be sure it is safe.

Why not put it no less than in heaven, where it would be much safer, and where it will be found again one day forever? And how to do this? It is simple, continues St. Augustine: God offers you the carriers in the poor. They are going there where you hope to go one day. God's need is here, in the poor, and he will give it back to you when you go there.

However, it is clear that today almsgiving and charity is no longer the only way to use wealth for the common good, or perhaps the most advisable.

There is also honesty in paying one's taxes, to create new jobs, to give a more generous salary to workers when the situation allows it, to initiate local enterprises in developing countries.

In sum, when one makes money yield, makes it flow, they are channels for the water to circulate, not artificial lakes that keep it for themselves. [Translation by ZENIT]