THE WEALTH OF THE WORLD VS. THE WEALTH OF GOD.

TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B.
October 15, 2006.
(First reading: Wisdom 7:7-11) (Second reading: Hebrews 4:12-13)
(Gospel: Mark 10:17-30)

THE WEALTH OF THE WORLD
VS. THE WEALTH OF GOD.

Sunday afternoon is a time when millions of people around the world watch sports competitions of all sorts. The gospel this Sunday presents us with another kind of competition, the competition between the wealth of the world vs. the wealth of God. But unlike the sports competitions, the competition between the wealth of the world and the wealth of God has profound consequences for the life of individuals and the entire human race.

Let us define each type of wealth:
1. The Wealth of the World (The wealth of the rich man in the gospel). The gospel defines it as that which has a use different than that given to it by God. In other words, the wealth of the world is that which is not used for the satisfaction of the needs of all human beings.

This wealth ceases to be wealth only when is destined to be used for the satisfaction of the needs of all human beings. When asking the rich man: "Go, sell what you have, and give it to the poor"(1) (Mark 10:21), the Lord is saying "your" wealth belongs to those who need it. The wealth of the world, therefore, is that which is accumulated in the hands of the rich(2).

The wealth of the world causes the rich man to possess not only the material goods of which wealth is made up, but, in addition, it causes him to possess the very person of the one who is dispossessed, thus turning the latter into a mere object, deprived of all human dignity. The wealth of the rich man perpetuates poverty in his fellow human beings and maintains a state of subjugation on the dispossessed(3).

The wealth of the world becomes so desirable to the rich man that very soon he cannot live without it, it becomes an addiction, it generates a dependency almost impossible to break from. Behold the reason why the Lord Jesus says "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God" (Mark 10:25). The wealth of the world has, indeed, turned against the rich man.

2. The Wealth of God. (Life in the kingdom of God). This wealth goes beyond the possession of material goods. The wealth of God begins when the wealth of the world ends, that is, when the material goods are used for the satisfaction of the needs of all human beings.

If the rich man of the gospel had done as Jesus advised him to do, that is, if the rich man had sold his possessions and given them to the poor, then the rich man would have ended his worldly wealth and taken over the wealth of God; he would have had no obstacle to following Jesus.

The wealth of God is therefore the way of life which is based on mutual respect, care, justice and peace among all human beings. The wealth of God exerts neither possession over material goods nor over human beings.

The competition: What are the attractions of each type of wealth? What they have To offer?
The attractions of the wealth of the world. The wealth of the world gives the rich man the possession of material goods and of other human beings. It places him as the owner of his world, in control; other people are to serve him, the rich man is powerful; the world rewards him for being rich; his possessions are visible, and, although temporary, he has no problem believing that his possessions will last forever.

The attractions of the wealth of God. The Lord Jesus tells us what there is in the wealth of God, namely: Being close to him, walking with him, sharing his wisdom, his experiences, his power. The wealth of God allows us to live our true human nature, enjoying our human relations at the level of their highest quality, free of destruction and dispossession.

The wealth of God gives us "a hundred times more now in this present age". Jesus tells us that if we "give up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel ... we will receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands"(4) (Mark 10:29-30).

Furthermore, Jesus warns us that persecutions will fall upon those who aspire to own the wealth of God. The reason being that the "rich man" is compelled to persecute those who aspire at the wealth of God. After the persecutions, those who own the wealth of God, will continue on their way into "eternal life in the age to come"(5) (Mark 10:30).

Now, What type of wealth is more attractive? For the rich man of the gospel the wealth of the world was more attractive, so his decision was to keep it. How sad it was for Jesus!

Later on, however, Jesus had a reason to be glad when Peter reassured him: Lord "We have given up everything and followed you" (Mark 10:28).

This Sunday, let us give God a reason to be glad, let us go for the wealth of God.
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Footnotes.
(1) The words of Jesus: "give it the poor" represent a precise direction as to how the wealth is to be used. He does not say "destroy your wealth" or "throw your wealth away" or "make it disappear". Wealth in the Christian sense has only one proper use: The care of the needs of all human beings without exception.
(2) It refers to the possession over the material goods above and beyond what is necessary for a man to fully meet his own needs.
(3) The same definition of material wealth applies to other forms of personal wealth such as intellectual talents or abilities. Persons endowed with intellectual talents and abilities will make proper use of them only when they use them for the well being of other human beings.
(4) The gift of having meaningful, loving relationships with family members (Mother, father, siblings) is enhanced in our present life by extending such gift to all human beings. In doing so, we gain the wealth of relating to all human beings as if they were our mother, our father, our children.
(5) Within the context of this gospel reading, the reality of "the age to come" is intimately connected with the reality of "the present age", as a continuity of the one after the other.