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.
Athaliah's is not a happy story, but it might serve to illustrate today's Gospel. The pagan daughter of King Ahab, a worshipper of Baal, seized power as queen of Judah in Jerusalem; and in the same daring move ordered her henchmen to murder several legitimate descendants of King David, each with some claim to his throne. However, one child, Joash, was hidden among the mazes of the temple -- a building more complicated than the Phantom's Opera House.
When the time was right, probably because the populace was tired of eight years of corrupt rule and royal idolatry, the teen was revealed and acclaimed by loyal soldiers. The unhappy Athaliah was immediately despatched by the sword.
Devout worshippers of God -- Jews, Christians, and Muslims -- are urged to commit their lives and energies to more stable, less volatile enterprises. Whether we're speaking of positions of power like Athaliah's, property, or money, they all depend on the worth others put in them. The value of a dollar shifts by the hour; property can be destroyed by violent weather, fire, earthquake, or a dozen other natural disasters; and positions of power mean no more than what others think they mean. Humans enact laws and make contracts to shore up the worth of all their stuff, but no contract lasts forever, and many don't last at all. Any two-bit lawyer can challenge them in court and render them worthless.
Ordinary reflection suggests that we invest our energies in that which lasts into eternity. We have seen believers in Baal and other idols; along with their comrades who idolized the State (fascists, Nazis, communists, nationalists); and ideologues who swear by their opinions (on which they can never agree); and those Christians who pick and choose, mix and match their doctrines: all those who invest in human values go down into the dust.
We believe in the eternal invitation offered by the God who abides with us eternally, who remains with us in the person of Jesus. Under his governance we know how to own and disown the world's stuff.
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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.