Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal.
But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.
What is it about stuff that so fascinates us? The wisdom literature of every nation ancient and modern warns us not to invest deeply in possessions. Philosophers and sages tell us that family and friends and neighbors are worth far more than any material good. Nor should offices in business, politics, the military or church supplant those who are close to our hearts. The world must go on its way -- and it will -- but it doesn't need me to surrender my heart to its idolatry.
Jesus' teaching, "Where your treasure is, there also will your heart be!" is not a gentle warning. These hideous rental units that have sprung up like mushrooms from coast to coast, with all the eye appeal of a boxcar, contain millions of disappointed hearts.
We're possessed by possessions. Sometimes too, we're owned by other people's stuff; the furniture, clothes, toys and paraphernalia they could not take with them. What are we supposed to do with them? Pets fall into that unhappy limbo too, as their owners die and they are passed into the unwilling hands of the heirs.
"For freedom, Christ set you free!" Saint Paul declared to his Galatian friends.
The human body provides a metaphor for our unhappy state. When a body takes in more than it gives out it must become obese. Health demands a careful balance of intake and outgo. Beyond a certain point, when I buy something or accept something as a gift, I have to shed something else. My drawers and closets are maxed out; my book shelves are full; the garage has no room for a car; something's got to go. Renting extra space only forestalls the inevitable reckoning when I, or my heirs, have to dump stuff in the dumpster.
And yet, surrendering ownership is so difficult. My stuff is valuable! I've invested $$$ in it! Someone should prize this clothing, book, camera, jewelry, computer; and that moral obligation has fallen on me. Will they have to prise it out of my dead fingers?
Franciscans tell the story of Bernard of Quintavalle, the Assisian's first disciple. Both young men were fabulously rich. Francis went through a long painful ordeal of shedding his bondage to family, friends and property before he found his freedom. Bernard of Quintavalle watched the younger Francis from a distance and finally invited him to his ancestral palace to dine with him. They spoke of the joys and privileges of poverty deep into the night. Bernard was deeply touched by Francis' manifest joy.
Soon after that he surrendered to the will of God and announced his readiness to abandon his estate. His parents were dead; he was pursued by no creditors. So he opened his house to his neighbors. Within a few hours the place was stripped! Every stick of furniture, every article of clothing, every weapon, kitchen utensil, picture, and statue vanished as the mob tore through the estate. Francis and Bernard watched with amusement then abandoned the city for the freedom of the open road and the Providence of God.
Not everyone is called to such abandonment, of course, but everyone is challenged by the Lord's warning, "Where your treasure is, there also will your heart be!"
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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.