St. Matthew Catholic Church

Weekly Message     

40. Hope for Rich and Poor

Dear brothers and sisters,   

      In the world there is a tension that divides rich and poor, power and weakness, greed and generosity. Yet in this tension, God offers a hope that He wants all to be saved. A wealthy merchant and a poor farmer were neighbors. The merchant, though rich, could not sleep at night because of constant worries, while the poor farmer, though having little, slept peacefully after praying with his family. When asked how he found such peace, the farmer said he trusted God and shared what little he had. The merchant learned to use his wealth for others, and in giving, he finally found peace.

     Prophet Amos denounces the ‘Complacency of the Comfortable’, the wealthy, while they are blind to the ruin of the poor. Comfort becomes dangerous when it closes our eyes to the poor. Jesus deepens Amos’ warning with the story of the rich man clothed in purple and fine linen, who feasts daily, while at his gate lies Lazarus, covered with sores. The rich man is not condemned because he was rich, but because he was blind to Lazarus. He ignored him. Even in the afterlife, his arrogance lingers—he still wants Lazarus to serve him. The chasm that separates them in eternity was dug in life by the choices of the rich man, who refused to cross the small chasm of compassion while he lived. Wealth without love creates walls; compassion tears them down.

     St. Paul exhorts us to flee from greed. Wealth is fleeting; virtue endures. True greatness is not found in luxury, but in fighting “the good fight of faith” and extend- ing our compassionate hands to others in love, patience and gentleness. Wealth without love creates walls; compassion tears them down the division. Let us be rich in God.

Prayers and Blessings!

Msgr. Xavier Pappu
                                      Insert:  Giving to God/Dar a Dios.pdf

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