True Wealth

“Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,
and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”

2 Corinthians 9:6

If I were to ask you what is true wealth, what would you say? Some might differentiate spiritual wealth from material wealth. Perhaps the definition of wealth is very subjective. For me true wealth is something that really cannot be measured quantitatively. It’s a feeling that cannot be put into words. Although it may be a feeling, is it real. Wealth involves family and friends. And so I guess for me to have true wealth is to have true joy and peace, and ironically to have true wealth then really is to not have it at all. For it is in giving that we receive. If I were to have a ten dollar bill in my pocket and I see a homeless father and daughter on the street corner, some would say I am wealthy because I have money in my pocket. But to me, true wealth would be giving away those ten dollars to the father and daughter and watching them enjoy a nice ice-cream snack together laughing and smiling. The joy and peace that arises in the heart — that is true wealth.

Today we celebrate St. Lawrence who was a deacon in the persecuted Church who eventually gave up his life for Christ. He taught us what the the true wealth of the Church is. When the Pope Sixtus II was taken away to be martyred, he charged Lawrence with distributing the wealth of the Church to the poor. Lawrence was the one in charge of the properties and assets, if you will. So when the authorities asked Lawrence to gather up all of the gold and treasures of the Church and surrender them, he said “Okay, but I need two days.” In two days the authorities came back to collect the treasures. Lawrence presented to them the sick and the poor, saying “Here are the treasures of the Church!” For all that the Church had, Lawrence gave to the sick and the poor, and so they are the true treasures of the Church. Needless to say, the authorities did not find this amusing. Lawrence was tortured and grilled to death.

Brothers and sisters, wealth, true wealth, true treasure is not in material things. True treasure is in the people around us. The poor, St. Lawrence taught us is the treasure of the Church. Where is your treasure? We are told that where our treasure is there also is our heart. What is true wealth to you? May we today pray for the poor and perhaps if we encounter someone on the street today, may be smile at them, say “hello,” and ask how their day is going. You never know what will unfold. May they encounter Christ in you. But also, may you encounter Christ in them.

Befriend the Alien

“So you too must befriend the alien,
for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.”

Deuteronomy 10:19

Befriend the alien. What was Moses talking about? What am I talking about? Are we saying if we see green Martians coming out of disc-shaped aircrafts we should welcome them and be nice to them? No (but if that were the case, I guess we should too…!) Moses was reminding the Israelites who they were and where they were from. We must always remember how we got to where we are today. Who are those people that have helped us along the way? We must never forget them. In the same way, we must do the same for others.

Usually the term alien is used to refer to foreigners, to those who are not citizens of a particular country. When my parents immigrated to the United States from Hong Kong they were referred to as aliens before they became U.S. citizens. Several decades later when my aunts, uncles, and cousins came over they too were called aliens and had alien registration numbers. We are called to extend our hospitality towards aliens. We are called to be Christian to them. After all, as Catholic Christians to do otherwise would be contrary to our name for “catholic” means universal. Our Christian charity is to be extended to all peoples.

Who were the people in our lives that helped us get on our feet? Who were those who encouraged us and supported us along the way? Let us thank them today, and let us honor them by doing the same for those around us. We do not need to look far to help an “alien.” Do our neighbors need help? Is there someone at work with whom I have not been getting along that maybe I should try to say hello to? Is there someone in our family with whom we had an argument and are not on speaking terms? Is a friend struggling with something that maybe checking in and letting them know we are here might help? Let us never forget that we too are aliens in this land for we do not belong to the world because our true citizenship is in heaven. But since we are living in this land, let us do our best to let Christ and His love be known to all.

The Last Straw

“This is enough, O LORD!
Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”

I Kings 19:4a

Have you ever been at your wits’ end and wanted to throw your hands in the air and give up? That is how Elijah felt. Elijah was doing good and getting rid of evil and falsity, but then he had to run for his life because Jezebel, the pagan wife of the King, heard what he had done to all the pagan prophets of Baal and wanted him dead. So, Elijah fled to Mount Horeb (remember? Mountains…!)

While on the way, Elijah wanted to give up and asked the Lord to take his life instead. The Queen was out to get him, and it seemed like the whole world was against him. Although he was the prophet of the Lord, he was being hunted down like a missing fugitive. Should this surprise us? Think about Jesus. He is the Son of God, and how did the people treat Him? And so, Elijah wanted to give up, but still He turned to the Lord and prayed instead of turning to other means. And what did God do? He heard him.

God encouraged Elijah and provided food and water from Him. He sent angels to minister to him. And we are told that “he was strengthened by that food.” Then Elijah walked 40 days and 40 nights to Mt. Horeb, the mountain of God. Just as God gave to Elijah bread and cake, so too does He feed us. We are told although the Israelites ate of the manna, they died. But Jesus, who is the bread that came down from heaven, gives is Himself, the bread that will sustain us, the bread that feeds us into eternal life.

When we are at our wits’ end and when all seems hopeless, we must remember that the Lord comes to us and is with us. He will encourage us and console us. He will send angels and people into our lives to help us. He will provide for us. But we must make a decision. Will we be like Elijah who listened, ate the cake and drank the water, and walked to the mountain, encouraged by the Lord, or will we turn to our devices and leave God out of the situation? God wants to walk with us. Will we let Him?