Buried in the fourth Eucharistic prayer is a line, “To the poor, he proclaimed the good news of salvation.” Years ago, a pastor for whom I worked received a letter from someone protesting, “Are you saying that those of us who are not poor aren’t saved?” Had the anonymous author given me a chance to respond, I would have replied, “That’s right!” I would have then cited today’s gospel in which we heard Jesus say, “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours.” To reinforce his point, Jesus then adds, “But woe to you, who are rich, for you have received your consolation!”
Does this mean that we have to be dirt poor to get into heaven? I doubt God is rejecting those who are financially secure so what gives? In our culture, we think of the poor as having very little. What they have is often in shoddy condition, well used, worn out, ragged, rusty, and ready for the land fill. Jesus doesn’t want his followers literally live in poverty, so what is he getting at with this beatitude and those that follow?
A good starting point would be to understand that to Jesus and the people who first listened to him, being poor meant more than the lack of money. Anyone who was poor also lacked influence and power. Being poor meant being helpless, consequently, many who were poor put their trust in God. The poor know that they cannot depend on the things of this world for lasting happiness. Jesus calls them blessed for they are open to hearing the good news of salvation.
A better way to understand what Jesus is getting across would be, “Blessed are they who realize that they cannot depend on the things of this world for lasting happiness, thus they put their trust in God.” Their dependence on God drives them to say, “Nothing will ever take precedence over Christ in my life.” Can you say that?
For some people that statement does not ring true. They see little need to be dependent on God. Instead, they seek to be in control of what is going on in their lives. When we are taking care of our own needs, we may not realize our dependence on God. I’ll never forget a story that illustrates this point.
A group of eminent scientists got together and decided that man no longer needed God, so they picked a scientist to tell God that they were done with him. The scientist walked up to God and said, “God, we’ve decided that we no longer need you. We’re to the point now that we can clone people and do many miraculous things, so why don’t you just retire?”
God listened patiently to the scientist and then said, “Very well, but before I do, let’s have a man-making contest.” The scientist agreed. Then God added, “Now, we’re going to do this just like I did back in the beginning with Adam.” The scientist said, “Sure, no problem,” as he bent down to grab a handful of dirt. God looked down at him and said, “Excuse me, get your own dirt!”
When we are in need, our attitude is gratitude. We are not in need, we risk forgetting what it is like to be dependent. The bottom line is this: we are all dependent on God. Without God, we wouldn’t even be alive. All that we have comes from God. We may think that we can earn our happiness with our own sweat, blood and tears or that we can create whatever we need to be content but without God, there is nothing in the world that can give us lasting joy, much less life.
Mother Theresa of Calcutta often said that Christians in the west suffered from a much deeper and pathetic poverty than those whom she and her sisters served in the slums of Calcutta. “The spiritual poverty of the West is much greater than the economic poverty of the East. In the West, there are millions of people who suffer loneliness and emptiness, who feel unloved and unwanted. They are not hungry in the physical sense; what is missing is a relationship with God and with each other.”
I just read a line from another anonymous author, “What makes us discontented with our condition is the absurdly exaggerated idea we have of the happiness of others.” How often do you find yourself comparing your situation to that of others, striving to keep up with the Jones and not feeling satisfied until you surpass them only to discover that no matter how much you have, you still feel that something is missing?
To sum up the readings, what makes one blessed isn’t abject poverty or hunger or sadness but commitment to the Son of Man. Jesus cautions us that either we live for the kingdom and die to our superficial wants or we live for ourselves and lose the kingdom of God. The choice is ours.
Lent begins soon; many of us will endeavor to spend more time with God as we prepare for Easter. Lent is an ideal time for us to step back from the hustle and bustle of our daily routines and evaluate our values from Jesus’ point of view.
His wisdom has withstood the test of time yet there are many in our community who hesitate to really follow his advice. You likely know some of them: they are preoccupied with worldly pursuits instead of spiritual pursuits. Should they mention to you that something is missing from their lives, that they aren’t truly satisfied or happy, encourage them reconsider making time for God as we journey toward Easter. Invite them to reflect on one of my favorite lines from Robert Frost’s poetry. “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” Come Easter, may we all see that making time for God in our lives makes all the difference.