24th Friday in Ordinary Time, September 22, 2023
1 Tm 6:2c-12; Ps 49: 6-10, 17-20; Lk 8:1-3
I’ve been studying the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes again lately. It seemed to be the right thing to do, and of course, the teachings are sound. While the Church spends a lot of time discussing the Ten Commandments in its catechesis, I find sometimes, a deep dive into the Beatitudes is lacking. That does not mean, however, we do not hear about the Beatitudes. I would be willing to guess that in just about every Gospel reading we hear at Church, we would find one of Christ’s teachings about love in it. Today, in the Psalm, we respond: “Blessed the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs!” Keep in mind, being poor in spirit does not mean feeling dejected or depressed, it literally means to be detached from the worldly goods and ideals of today. While the stuff we have in this world can help us to live a meaningful life, an unhealthy detachment to it can bring us away from the love of God, and thus be an obstacle to a holy and eternal life.
It is quite a call to live a holy life, and it puts a tremendous burden on us to do so. So much so that St. Paul does not mince words today. Either you are with Jesus, or you are against Him, and Paul uses some strong words to say how you are against. Paul’s three letters to Timothy are written for those who are out evangelizing the Gentiles, not necessarily for the Gentiles themselves. It is a good reminder to us, as well, of how we should live our lives, and how to conduct our affairs. We have been hearing from Paul’s first letter for the last week or so, and now, in Chapter 6, we get a final exhortation on how to live our lives. The book concludes in tomorrow’s readings, but today we get the gist of his final chapter.
Envy, rivalry, insults, evil suspicion, and mutual friction…wow, strong words for that time. Paul challenges us to look at where we have our hearts. What are we coveting? Are we desiring goods to make ourselves happy? And do those riches really make us happy or do we end up desiring more, even to the point of not treating others fairly? It seems to me what happened 2,000 years ago is still happening today and has throughout the centuries. We all know the great lines from this reading, “Money is the root of all evil,” and “We shall not be able to take anything” (out of this world), meaning, you cannot take it with you when you die. And the old line we have heard over and over again, “Have you ever seen a U-Haul following a hearse?” Strong reminders to be careful of what we pursue.
We have hope, and St. Paul makes sure we know that. Pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness, he says. Compete well for the Faith. To compete well for the faith reminds us that we need to be living the life of the Beatitudes, not the life of coveting behavior. These are the things we need to focus on, the attitudes of the Beatitudes. The way we live our lives is what truly matters, not all our material possessions. As the Psalm Response says, “Blessed the poor in spirit, the Kingdom of heaven is theirs.”
Saint James Catholic Church 