"How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" – Mark 10:23
Take a moment and tally up all the “stuff” you have. Perhaps you’re reading this on your computer or phone. You’re wearing clothes (I hope!). Most likely, there is food in your refrigerator and possibly a car in your driveway. You might have several books or movies.
When we stop to think about it, many of us do in fact have a lot of “stuff.” It could be personal belongings, but it could also be amenities that we take for granted, such as running water and paved roads. My visit to Uganda this summer helped me better appreciate the conveniences that we enjoy here in the United States but which other countries often lack.
I am not considered wealthy here in the United States – far from it. Yet, I am exceedingly wealthy compared to so many people throughout the world. Let me give you an example: I typically eat three meals every day and a couple snacks here or there. In comparison, for several of the children at St. Anthony’s Nursery School in Nkokonjeru, Uganda the cup of porridge and roll of bread that they receive for lunch is the only sure meal that they might have in a given day.
It is a reality that haunts me, as it should, because it is not right, it is not just. I have what I need and they do not; yet I do not deserve food any more than they do. Every time I sit down to eat, I wonder and worry about those kids.
You and I have a responsibility to share what we have with those in need, because God entrusted all of the created order to mankind as a whole. All that we possess is ultimately a gift from God. Thus, “the ownership of any property makes its holder a steward of Providence, with the task of making it fruitful and communicating its benefits to others…” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2404).
If we fail to share our resources with the less fortunate, we fail to love. And if we fail to love one another, then we are not living in the kingdom of God. Thus, we should heed Jesus’ warning and avoid accumulating excessive wealth for ourselves, lest we miss out on the joy of the Kingdom.
Our goal should be to imitate the generosity of Christ, who "though he was rich, yet for your sake…became poor so that by his poverty, you might become rich” (2 Cor. 8:9). Only through His great love is it even possible for us to enter into His Kingdom. In the end, as Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen once noted, our generosity will not be measured by how much we have given, but by how much we have left.
Heavenly Father, Giver of all good gifts, grant us a share in Your Love. Help us appreciate the gifts we have been given and share what we have with the needy in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
