A lot of pain, a lot of conflict, a lot of division, a lot of violence, a lot of evils could be removed from our lives, our families, our society, our world, if only we seek to give and share, not covet and hoard.
Greed blinds us from the needs of others, and blurs our vision of our true nature and goal.
An old story illustrates this:
A rabbi, concerned over the growing worldliness and materialism of his friend, invited him over to his study and led him to the window.In the Gospel, Jesus cautions us: beware of greed. The illustration is rather blunt, although not lacking in good humor. The man kept everything of his riches to himself. Well, he has a claim on them, since he may have worked well and hard to acquire them. Note however, that the man in planning for his future was concerned only of himself. He had only himself in mind. And his security he pinned on himself and his riches.
"What do you see?", he asked. There was a playground next door.
"I see children playing."
Then the rabbi took a little hand mirror out of his pocket and held it before the visitor's face. "Tell me, what do you see now?"
"I see myself," he said, wondering what was going on.
"Isn't it strange," the rabbi asked, "that when a little silver gets between yourself and others, you see only yourself?"
Irony of ironies, he was not alone, and security does not lie in his possessions. His riches could not save him. The illusion of greed is immortality. But that is just about what riches, material possessions can give - the illusion of immortality. So much cost for so little gain - actually, no gain at all. "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?"
Join me in prayer:
Lord, teach me to see beyond the glitter of this world, to train my eyes towards the true glory of being with you, now and forever.
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