In the Office of Readings, we have a great selection of a sermon from St. Gregory Nazianzen. St. Gregory quotes from St. Peter, 'Be ashamed when you hold on to the gifts that have been given you, imitate your Father in justice.' This passage is an admonishment against greed and gluttony to be sure, but even more so, how we use the 'things' and 'goods' that we have. St. Gregory goes on to say that when we act in justice, these actions will alleviate poverty.
We are talking about charity here, but also stewardship and discipleship. As God's children what are we to do with the garden that is entrusted to us. Yesterday I had advocated the rice bowl for CRS, and this is a good way to respond to the poor and the needy. A faithful steward also must be aware of the needs and the concerns of the world. So we are an informed people acknowledging the world in all of its matter and desires. As always we reflect on how our use of money or goods might affect the lives of people across the globe.
In addition to our use of money, and the justice issues associated with it, how much 'stuff' is too much? With five siblings and countless cousins, we all shared clothes down through the ages. The last stop for anything that we wore was the rag basket. This might offend our consumer mentality, but our awareness of the needsof the earth, and the people therein, should be primary in our prayer, reflection, and response to men and women around us.
"Am I my brother's keeper?" In a word, 'Yes.' We are responsible for one another and are called to take care of all of our brothers and sisters. I really believe that we have to move away from the notion that being nice to each other is enough. Political, social, and economic concerns, are also the concerns of the Body of Christ.
We might want to reflect back to last Wednesday, when we were told, "Turn away from Sin and believe in the Gospel."
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