Monday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

 Lectionary: 347

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.

In his novel Hawaii, James Michener recalled a Hawaiian expression about the first Christian missionaries from New England. "They came to do good, and they did very well." 

The married ministers raised their American children to expect the same opportunities and entitlements as their parents. Those who didn't become pastors became successful businessmen, bankers, and lawyers. And they prospered. If the first generation relied on God's providence and support from home, their children and grandchildren did very well without either.

That seems to be a truism of Protestantism in America. Catholicism has traditionally been skeptical of wealth, success, and prosperity; while the "Protestant work ethic" expects that virtues like hard work, efficiency, and dedication will be rewarded in this world and the next. 

As I have followed the headlines through the past several decades about the latest scandals, and remembered that Hawaiian aphorism, I have sometimes suggested, "If you hope to do well by doing good, be careful. Be very careful." 

Headlines about the pharmaceutical industry especially raise eyebrows nowadays. We'll be a long time recovering from the remarkable success of opioid sales. The manufacturers of these dubious cures for pain bought influence in state and national capitals. The Joint Commission, a nonprofit organization which oversees 22,000 health organizations in the United States, combed the hospitals and sounded the alarm about any patient who suffered discomfort. "No one should ever be in pain!" they decreed; and nurses and doctors were told to make sure it never happened. Many patients have never recovered from the addictive medicines their doctors pushed on them, and some have died. 

But the American pharmaceutical industry, salespeople, and pill pushing doctors did very well. 

The economic crash of 2008 was brought on by reputable banks who urged poor people to accept huge loans, and then sold their debts to shadier operations. (Who knew that their debts could be bought, sold, and traded?) And I remember when farmers were going bankrupt in the early 1980's after accepting fistfuls of dollars to buy more acreage and larger machines. 

I also remember when multinational institutions loaned money to corrupt national leaders in "third world countries." When the tinpot dictators absconded with the funds -- some like Idi Amin were rescued from "terrorists" and whisked to safety by wealthy friends -- leaving their impoverished nations leaderless and desolate. 

But isn't lending money to poor people and impoverished nations a good thing? And profitable for everyone? And isn't selling painkillers a blessed thing? 

If you expect to do well by doing good, be very careful. Be very careful. 

In his book Crazy Like Us, Ethan Watters reports that highly paid university professors who accepted enormous gifts as well as luxurious vacations from Big Pharma replied, when asked about the ethical dimensions of their giving advice, "If I had not done it, someone else would have." 

Wealthy, prosperous Americans may agree with that assessment. But God judges differently. 

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. Isaiah 55:8

On this Memorial Day, we pray, 

May God remember, save, and raise up all those 

sacrificed to American wars. 

War, never again. Never again.