Lk 12:13-21 Lord, Contradict Us.

Monday of the Twenty-Ninth Week In Ordinary Time

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Jesus 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..."

St. Teresa of Avila would often pray, "Lord, contradict me." 

When I told my extended family I wanted to become a priest, an aunt of mine questioned the wisdom of my decision.  So I asked her what she considered to be important in life.  In a very high pitch voice, she screamed out one word:  "MONEY!" 

"Without money you are worth nothing.  You're opinion is worth nothing.  Without money people will step all over you.  They will take advantage of you.  Money earns respect, especially in America!"

Now, I fully understood what she was trying to tell me.  Unfortunately, she knew not what she was saying. 

Just today I read Malala Yousafzai, the 16-year-old girl from Pakistan, who was shot in the head by the Taliban last October for advocating education for girls, recently spoke at the World Bank in Washington.   I also read that faculty members at George Washington University are creating curriculum tools to accompany her book, "I Am Malala." Back in September of this year she was awarded Harvard University's prestigious humanitarian of the year award.  And just this past week, Malala's name was floating around as a possible winner of Nobel's Peace prize.

Money, like the military, is not a bad thing.  But if it is used incorrectly, it can be very damaging to oneself and to others.

Hence, money, like guts and/or humility, must always be considered a means to a happy end.  The happy end being heaven.  If not, then it becomes a poison to life and a spoiler of happiness. 

Today's parable makes this crystal clear.  A rich man had a very successful harvest...  Now instead of sharing it with his children or neighbors, he decided to build a larger barn and store it all for himself.  Little did he know his life would be taken from him that very night.

Is my life tied to my wealth and/or health?  Do I consider my wealth and/or health the source of my security and peace? 

If so, then "Lord, contradict me." 

Peace Through Faith.  We often pray for peace.  And yet peace continues to eludes us.  We lack it both in our personal lives and as a nation.  Maybe the reason for it is because peace is tied to faith, a thing we have very little of these days.

St. Paul tells us:  "Abraham did not doubt God's promise in unbelief; rather, he was empowered by faith and gave glory to God and was fully convinced that what God had promised he was also able to do" (Rom 4:20).

Lord, increase my faith so I may see the impossible and do the unbelievable!

I think the problem is we don't know how to pray.  We pray for health because we think it will bring us peace of mind.  But maybe we should pray Thy Will be done, so that there is in us an increase in faith, hope and love.  We pray for money, thinking it will bring us closer to security.  But maybe we should pray for faith and humility so that it brings us closer to all humanity.  Or maybe the problem is we don't know what to work for.  We want to see an end to world hunger, so we work hard at promoting abortion.  Or we seek an end to war, but do not take the time to understand history, traditions and cultures.  We say we want peace, but are constantly ordering drone attacks. 

Lord, contradict us.

Well, the Good News is He is.  You see contradictions everywhere:  wealthy nations and high suicide rates; wealthy couples with very angry children; millions of self-esteem programs and a sharp increase in teen bullying and STD's; teens connected at a rate like never before and the rate of depression seen like never before; villages coming together to combat just about everything and families falling apart for just about any reason.      

For some of us, it is happening right now.  For others, it is just a matter of time.   

The bad news is...We won't acknowledge the problem!  What are we waiting for?  Why are we so hesitant?  What are we not convinced of, as yet?

We need to think as God thinks, not as humans.  Let's start now.  Let's not wait for the Lord to do it for us.  Let's do it now.  We need to be more like the Son of God, not the Son of Adam.