Indeed, religion with contentment is a great gain.For we brought nothing into the world,
just as we shall not be able to take anything out of it.
If we have food and clothing, we shall be content with that.
Those who want to be rich are falling into temptation and into a trap
As I study the scriptures, minister in the hospital among Veterans and their loved ones, and live within a Franciscan community, I become less and less convinced of my personal salvation. I am not convinced that Jesus saves us "one soul at a time."
Rather he saves us by the gathering us into fellowship with one another. We are saved all together; we are lost one by one.
For many the spiritual significance of money resembles their personal salvation. It's about "how much can I get?" and "how much am I worth?"
Idealistic young Christians sometimes begin by wondering how much virtue can I acquire. But with experience and disappointment, realizing that there are no measures of virtue and little to show for it, they turn to more measurable quantities like money. Personal salvation becomes personal money. If you close one eye and squint the other in just the right way a pile of money can look like happiness.
Religion, as Saint Paul describes it, is what we do together. It is a source of great gain because one finds contentment in the family, neighbors, church, work and life she has been given. If we have "food and clothing" we are content.
The urge to be rich is a useless passion. With all due respect to the Duchess of Windsor, one can be too rich and too thin. Wealth can only lead to anxiety about losing one's possessions. Saint Francis and the poor of the earth have assured us, "The less you have the closer you are to Christ."
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.