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The Perspective of
Justice
18th Sunday of Ordinary Time C
August 4, 2013
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Today’s
liturgy contains a very strong message to those who have
much and to those who want more: “Avoid greed in all its
forms.” We are to avoid the mistake of the rich fool,
who saved up a fortune, only to die and have it left to others.
“That
is the way it works with the man who grows rich for himself
instead of growing rich in the sight of God.”Christians
are challenged to be “intent on things above rather than
on things of earth”; anything else “is vanity and a
great misfortune.”
Our society, based on the civil religion of capitalism, perceives greed as good
and desirable, for it fuels the drive to improve ourselves. “Greed is not
a bad word,” said a prominent American economist and erstwhile Secretary
of Treasury.
But in the Christian scheme of things, greed is a bad word, and
money does not save: God is “the only one who helps (us) and sets (us) free.”
The Eucharist is a sign of the Christian commitment to satisfying basic human
needs such as food; all our other desires should prompt us to fall on our knees
with the prayer: “Forgive our sins and restore us to life.”
Neither
individuals nor nations should regard the possession
of more and more goods as the ultimate objective. . . .
The exclusive pursuit of material possessions prevents
man’s growth as a human being and stands in
opposition to his true grandeur. Avarice, in individuals
and in nations, is the most obvious form of stultified
moral development.
(Pope Paul VI, Populorum Progressio, 1967:19)
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Gerald Darring
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Now
published in book form,
To Love and Serve:
Lectionary Based Meditations, by
Gerald Darring
This entire three year cycle is available at
Amazon.com.
Copyright ©
1994, Gerald Darring.
All Rights Reserved.
Art by Martin Erspamer,
O.S.B.
from Religious Clip Art for the Liturgical
Year (A, B, and C).
Used by permission of Liturgy Training
Publications. This art may be reproduced only
by parishes who purchase the collection in book
or CD-ROM form. For more information go to:
http://www.ltp.org/
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