A Reflection for Thursday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Find today’s readings here.
“Blessed the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked…Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.” Today’s responsorial psalm neatly bridges two readings that are harsh in their warnings about the trappings of wealth and power leading down the road to perdition. It’s a story we have encountered often in the Bible, but obviously one that needed repeating then and still needs repeating today. Sirach reminds us to “rely not on your wealth; say not ‘I have the power.’ Rely not on your strength” at the expense of others, for God will surely exact the punishment on behalf of the disadvantaged. In the Gospel reading, Jesus reiterates that helping those in need is the way to salvation while a life of selfishness and greed is a one-way ticket to Gehenna. “Keep salt in yourselves,” he tells his disciples, “and you will have peace with one another.”
A year ago I attended a swearing in ceremony for U.K. citizenship at the British consulate in Los Angeles. Part of the oath included a promise to fulfill your duties and obligations as a citizen of the United Kingdom. Afterwards there was a question and answer session and one of the new citizens asked what exactly was required to fulfill your duties and obligations as a British citizen. I suppose he expected specific laws and decrees but instead the consular officer, in a lovely Scottish accent, responded: “just be a good person, that’s all we ask, just be a good person.” Do no evil, be a good person: That’s all that God asks of us. Be the salt of the earth, live in peace with each other, love each other and help each other. This is what Christ constantly teaches us, and what it means to be Christian. But all too often we get caught up in the rigors of daily life, and we forget what it means to be Christian and to do good.
In his Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius of Loyola also recognizes that the allure of daily life too often distracts us from following God’s call to be good. One of those exercises is his meditation on the Two Standards, in which Ignatius asks us to imagine a battlefield with two opposing armies flying their standards, or banners. One of those standards represents the armies of Mammon—of this world and its promises of wealth and power. The other standard is that of Christ and his promise of the world to come. Ignatius reminds us to ignore the false promises of this world and to focus on Christ’s promise of the next.
And so Jesus reminds us again today to place our trust in God, not in man. He reminds us today with very stern imagery what will happen if we focus only on ourselves at the expense of others, our reward will not be the Kingdom of God. So today, follow not the counsel of the wicked. Reject the false notion that greatness and success is tied to wealth and dominance. Be a good Christian, a good person, and lend a helping hand to others, give drink to those who thirst and feed those who are hungry. Welcome the stranger and the immigrant. Remember that to hope in the Lord is also to hope in each other, that the kingdom is already but not yet and that we must also work to bring it forth. In “Evangelii Gaudium,” Pope Francis reminds us of St. John Chrysostom’s counsel: "If we have more than we can possibly need or use, and we know of others who have nothing, is not withholding God's gifts to us from them theft?” That is what it means to be a good person, to be a true follower of Christ.
