Making and Spending Money

I was just recently greeted by a friend that 2012 will be a lucky year for me because it is the year of the water dragon. I am not sure how but there are lots of people who will believe that 2012 indeed will be a lucky year. My guess, next year will be another year where we will chase money more than ever. Our growing needs and wants will not stop and so our quest for more money will continue to drive us to work harder and work longer.

“It is mine; I worked for it; I can do what I like with it!” These are common expressions for many of us. What we may not realize is that there is no sense for anything to be considered “mine” as it does not make any sense to speak of “me” owning “myself” or ”my bodily powers.” We live and exist using the resources of this world, food, air, water, etc. (which are “owned” by God). Moreover, my human labour would not be able to produce anything unless it made use of the goods of the earth (which are still “owned” by God).

So as not to be deceived, we need to understand the proper attitude towards money. It is anyway a blessing that God wants us to have and enjoy. Fr. Michael T. Ryan in the book “The Social Attitudes of Catholics” suggests the following which I find very practical:

First, we need to realize that making money is proper and even required so that we can carry out our particular role in God’s world. This is the principle of involvement. The amount of money we make will vary to our role. The more roles we have on this world, the more money we need to make to carry out those roles. Mt. 25:29 - For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.

Second, we must see ourselves as stewards of what we possess rather than absolute owners. We are accountable to God who is the source of all our blessings and to others for how we use or spend our money and possessions. This is the principle of accountability. Mt. 25:19 - After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them

Third, we need to cultivate a spirit of detachment. Money can easily steal our hearts. It destroys relationship and fosters wrong sense of hope and confidence. This is the principle of detachment. The best remedy against these is to practice generosity. 1Tim. 6:10 - For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Fourth, as followers of Christ, we are called to be witnesses. Our use of money and possessions should witness to the gospel values, our belief in eternal life and our awareness that the poor of this world are our brothers and sisters. This is the principle of witnessing. Ac 2:4-5 - They made it their practice to sell their possessions and goods and to distribute the proceeds to anyone who was in need.

It is true that our attitude towards money is the final barometer of Christian maturity. We can argue on so many terminologies and technicalities on how we deal with the money God has blessed us with. In the end, we will be measured by the same standard we use on how we earn and spend our money. The question is – will we measure up? 

Happy New Year

This is the time traditionally we make resolutions to be a better person. We aim to outdo ourselves this year to the next. But as always, at the end of each year, we will find ourselves in the same situation. We gained more inches and weight, debts increased and we are no better than last year.

New year is supposed to give us new hope and I believe that our focus has been misguided so we end up most of the time not doing well with our “resolutions.”

In the Church Tradition, the real “new year” begins with First Vespers of the First Sunday of Advent. Advent is the Church’s meditation on the two coming of Christ – first, His coming in the flesh at Christmas, and second is His coming in glory which establishes his reign as the Lord of History.

The missal offers a helpful reminder of this fuller dimension of the mystery of the Incarnation in one of its auxiliary prefaces for Advent:

“You have hidden from us the day and hour in which Christ your Son, the Lord and judge of history, will appear upon the clouds of heaven clothed in power and splendor; on that great and glorious day, the present world will pass away, and new heavens and a new earth will arise. Now, Christ comes to meet us in every man and in every time, so that we may accompany him in faith and bear witness in love to the blessed hope of his reign."

  

Now that’s something worth considering even as we celebrate the “civil” new year. Maybe this time we focus on what is really essential, i.e., renewal than resolution. This coming new year, let us not wait but to actively come and meet Him…let us renew our resolve to come and meet Him in the sacraments, especially the sacraments of Eucharist and Reconciliation where we can find Him and dwell in His presence all year long. Then we won’t really worry about how well we are doing with those resolutions.

Have a blessed New Year to all!

Here I Am, Send Me!

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8)

People are so worried about commitment and will do anything just to get away with it. There are more and more people nowadays who are going away to self preservation. In our culture of individuality, who in his right mind who would commit him/herself into something that he/she is not familiar with? Who is willing to dwell into unchartered territories nowadays? Some who have had bad experiences about commitment are hurt and have now become afraid to try again.

We see many of them every time the temperature drops on a Sunday morning, would prefer to sleep in and do not bother going to church anymore? That Sunday worship has become just another “activity” or “disposable commitment” that one can get away with anytime one wants? And our concept of God has been reduced to that of a fairy godmother or a genie? We only call when we need something from them.

Come to think of it, would your life be any better if you are free of commitment? Would you rather spend time sitting at your Lazy boy and watch TV, than out in the cold of the night volunteering to make life better for other people?

As I dwell into the book of Isaiah, I have come to appreciate the depth and meaning of committing one’s life to God. Isaiah experienced the emptiness of his religious experience despite the richness of their faith as a people. He saw that their processions are well attended, the clergy is powerful, but behind this facade life is absent. It was a religion that is learned and does not spring from the heart.

Unless what we do are products of an encounter of God and not just of religious experience, it will always be difficult to say – here I am, send me! God dwells in our heart and when we experience this person in our heart and not just in our mind, love is now no longer a mere “command”, it becomes a response to the gift of love with which God draws us near to Him. It propels us to move and do beyond what we think we are capable of.

There was once an occasion I was listening to a prayer leader who were leading us in prayer and mentioned those who are poor and have nothing to eat. He asked that God may bless them and may send somebody to help them. It has dawned on me that it might be more pleasing to God if the prayer would be “Lord we remember those who have nothing to eat at this hour and we ask that you may give us courage to reach out to them and share whatever blessing you have given us.”

Being sent does not mean you are the most qualified or the most capable. Being sent means your heart is ready to love and to trust. That your life is to be one of simple, childlike faith, and that our part is to love and to trust, not to do. While humanity will always look for the tangible result of what you do, God does not. He is more interested in your heart than in all that you have accomplished. 

Remember, God chose Peter to be the foundation of His Church not because he is good but because God is good. He chose Peter because of his heart and in His goodness, He qualified him. This will be so to anyone whom He will put to task. 

So when the Lord asks: who do I send? Don’t be afraid, look at your heart then say, here I am, send me!