Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - 1st August 2010

Today's readings speak a lot about wealth and possessions.  In some ways they give a sense that possessions are bad things and that those who accumulate possessions are bad people.  This is very much the language of the idealist who sees things in black and white.  Of course, those who have a lot of possessions are almost bound to understand things in a more nuanced way.  Thus we can find people who will argue that it is good to have a minimum of possessions with perhaps a little bit more so as to "have no worries".  Often, people say that they would like to win the Lotto but would prefer to win it when it is not too big because this would only cause problems.

It is quite interesting to note that in each of these attitudes a power is attributed to possessions that they simply do not have.  Possessions are things - inanimate and unthinking they do not wield any power over us and cannot influence us in any way.  The problem with possessions is that sometimes we invest them with an importance they do not have.  Gold, diamonds, money; these things may be valuable in the context of our society but do not - in and of themselves - have any intrinsic value.  It is our attitude to them that transforms them into something else.

What is at issue in today's readings is not really possessions but acquisitiveness and selfishness.

Acquisitiveness is an attitude whereby the accumulation of things becomes an overriding passion.  The importance of acquiring things becomes the lens through which we view the world and our actions are dictated by the opportunity to continue to amass more and more.

Selfishness is similar.  It is an attitude that places me at the centre of everything.  It dictates that my actions will be determined by what I like or what is useful to me.

Both of these attitudes create a blindness in our lives because they do not allow us to see things as they actually are.  They distort our ability to see clearly and this blindness means that we can't see the way (literally and metaphorically) we should and could live.

When it comes to following Jesus this is self-evident.  If our guiding principle is acquisitiveness we will never be able to look towards where Jesus wants to bring us.  If our guiding principles is selfishness we will never be able to love.

Possidius

Article posted on 31st of July 2010