June 20: Riches / Riquezas

There is a story told about a rich man who went  to give a gift of money to the Abbot of a monastery. The Abbot said “No thanks, we have enough at present.” The man was shattered, and he said, “I just realized how poor I am. I have nothing to give you but money.”

Riches don’t make us rich – they are a substitute for any number of things. Real wealth, according to Jesus the Lord, is a generous spirit. In fact, according to the Bible, there is nothing so bad for your eyesight as wealth! In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16, 19-31) the rich man did not chase the beggar Lazarus from his doorway – he just didn’t see him at all. Thus, if we have eyes only for wealth, then we see nothing but wealth.

Perhaps part of our fascination with money is that it can be counted. We can tell exactly how rich or poor we are. Compared with it, other things, like virtue, seem so imprecise. And as for "virtue being its own reward," that would never satisfy a business person. We become so easily addicted to the idea of gain – we want more and more. First it’s money, but then we want more property, more knowledge, more power … just more, of everything. How rich are we, though, in the eyes of God?

***

¿Cuáles son las cosas que nos preocupan, que dan vueltas constantemente en nuestra mente? La respuesta a esa pregunta nos indicará cuáles son nuestros valores, “dónde está nuestro corazón.” 

Para muchos generosos y comprometidos creyentes, estos valores (o mejor, contravalores) raramente serán tan rastreros y groseros, como la búsqueda loca del mero placer y el hambre insaciable por riquezas materiales y bienestar mundano, aunque éstas actitudes no siempre estén descartadas completamente. Pero ¿ qué decir acerca de la ambición por la promoción y el poder, la tendencia a dominar a otros, y modelar a los demás a nuestra imagen y semejanza, más que a la semejanza de Dios? ¿Qué pensar acerca de esa actitud que tiende a colocarnos a nosotros mismos como centro del universo? ¿Dónde, cuándo, y cómo buscamos lo que el Señor llama la única riqueza y la “única cosa necesaria?” (Mateo 6, 19-23)