The Richness of Being Instead of Having

Dear brothers and sisters, and dear pilgrims! The Holy Gospel calls us to poverty. We can see that Jesus is on the side of the poor. They have the opportunity to discover and then enter the kingdom of God, while for the rich this most often slips through their fingers. Today's Gospel warns us to re-examine some of the fundamental determinants of human life.

Let us consider in the light of Jesus' words: what is more important to us, having or being? Observing the world around us, but also our own reactions and way of thinking, it may happen that having becomes more important to us than existence. People often judge each other by what they possess: what clothes they wear, how large and furnished their apartment is, what kind of car they have, how much their salary is, how much money is in their bank account. This seems most essential: that the daughter marries well, that the son has a secure financial background. All of this has come to first place in value judgment. Human happiness and competence are measured by what one has, what one has acquired, and what one has the right to.

But, dear brothers and sisters, Jesus does not judge this way. At the treasury of the temple in Jerusalem, many wealthy people dropped large donations into the box. This was seen, heard, appreciated by the people, and Jesus watched it all. Yet He also saw a poor widow who dropped in only two small coins. Nevertheless, Jesus said that she gave the most. No one among the people noticed this, but Jesus did. Because it is not the amount of money that matters, but how much one gave of oneself.

This woman gave everything, her whole livelihood and life. Nothing was left to her, yet she had the courage to entrust all her wealth to God. It does not matter that it was only small change, because for her this meant life. Jesus sees with the heart: He sees the quality and beauty of the soul, and in this He measures the true value of the gift. This is what the world does not see. Our invitation is also not to judge based on externals and material goods. The deepest wealth of man is hidden in his heart, where the secret of the person resides. We must not waste our strength on superficial things, but strive for the fullness according to the Creator's plan. When a person always wants more, he deprives himself of the essential, friendship with God.

In this light we must also understand today's parable about the rich man whose land produced abundantly. All his thoughts were directed toward securing his own comfort, and he no longer turned toward others. He wanted to build new barns, he gave up his relationship with his fellow men and with God; he conversed only with himself: My soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Rest, eat, drink, enjoy! However, his wealth did not become a blessing. He did not live his goods in love and giving, but in selfish accumulation. His heart closed. In the eyes of the world he seemed a fortunate man, since he had excellent land and a good harvest, yet Jesus points out: a man's life does not consist in what he has.

Earthly goods in themselves do not provide peace and love. We can see wonderful people who, although they lost everything, still preserved their humanity, did not despair, and live selflessly for others. And we see those who, while chasing wealth, lost their human dignity, their peace of soul, and became slaves to greed. I admire those who have learned to share with others even amidst deprivation. In their poverty they may have been able to give little, but they were able to give away everything they had and their very selves.

We know well Jesus' words: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. They have discovered the secret of life: with a free heart they rely entirely on God, and they look upon the person living next to them as a brother, not as a competitor. Jesus calls us to a love that goes to the end, since He Himself gave His life for us. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer said: He was the man living for man. Christ is the true wealth of the Church. The soul finds no rest if the love of God is not in it. True joy consists in sharing our goods with others, just as the bread is broken and distributed at the table of the most holy Eucharist.

If selfishness, the desire to possess, and greed guide us, it leaves only a bitter taste behind, like the forbidden fruit of the fall. How many people are quarreling today over inheritance and goods, proclaiming what rights they have, while losing their souls and true life! We have gathered around the altar to feed on Christ and learn to turn toward others.

When we give selflessly, we lose nothing, but rather multiply our goods and fulfill the meaning of our life. This is taught to us by the saint of this day, Saint Peter of Alcántara, the fifteenth-century Spanish Franciscan mystic, spiritual father of Saint Teresa of Avila. As a lesser brother, he did everything to eradicate selfishness within himself and dedicated his life to the service of others in the spirit of the Gospel. Let us ask God in this Holy Mass to free us from all greed and selfishness, make our life a love turned toward the neighbor, and lead us to eternal life. Amen.