Then he said to the crowd,
"Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one's life does not consist of possessions."
Recently, while nursing a grudge, I was reminded that we are possessed by our possessions. I have been reading existential philosophy lately but I've yet to hear my philosophers remark on that. Saint Francis knew it very well.
Francis saw the hold a resentment, object, idea, position, need or desire could hold on a person, severely restricting one's freedom. There's a sweetness to ownership that promises more than it can deliver.
At first I treasure this thing. It's mine; it's me, an extension of myself. I am proud of it as if I can take credit for it. But things change and the relationship pales. Ownership begins to cloy. It's just stuff and I want something else.
The problem of ownership is that of any system. I can acquire only so much before I have to get rid of something. Closets fill up; storage units pile up; bodies get fat; clutter becomes a way of life. They call it hoarding, an illness of the mind and heart.
Francis' poverty as a virtue would free us from all that. One's life does not consist of riches.
We're seeing in America today how a few absurdly wealthy people, profoundly anxious about the loss of the least amount, have constipated the whole economy. With enormous investments in lobbying they jury rig the system, control the electorate and stifle innovation. As a result, even a prosperous economy does few of us much good.
Eventually only the Holy Spirit can deliver them from their ownership, while the rest of wait and watch for the day of reckoning.
Naked I came forth from the womb; naked I shall go back again; the Lord gives; the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. We accept good things from the Lord, should we not accept the bad as well? (Job)Philosophers tell us the one who fails to reckon with death is a fool. Accepting its inevitability and its necessity we look forward to being stripped of all that stuff. Starting today.
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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.