By Fr. Adolf Washington –
How would you answer the question ‘how rich is rich?’ Patrick Henry, (1736 –1799) an American attorney, planter and politician in his last days wrote “I have now disposed of all my property to my family but there is one thing more I wish I could give them and that is ‘faith in God’. If they had that and I had not given them a single shilling, they would be rich, very rich indeed and if they had not that and I had given them all-the-world, they would be very poor indeed”.
For the Christian, richness consists in intimacy with God. When we chase after wealth, we receive something. But when we run after God, we receive things that money can’t buy. That is why Jesus said ‘Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you (Mathew 6:33). All material possessions are often a clothing of our inner poverty.
The New York Times (Dec 06, 1914) which carried a report on the death of billionaire John G. Wendel reveals the extent which one could cling to wealth and yet remain impoverished and bereft of the joys of life.
John and his sisters received a huge inheritance from their parents but spent very little, to keep their wealth for themselves. John influenced five of his six sisters never to marry and they lived in the same house in New York for 50 years. When the last sister died in 1931, her estate was valued at more than 100 million dollars. Her only dress was one that she had made herself, and she had worn it for 25 years. The Wendels had such a compulsion to hold on to their possessions that they lived like paupers.
In contrast, we see disciple Peter who worked all night long but caught no fish and at the command of Jesus they cast their nets again and caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. Yet Peter did not choose a ‘business-partnership’ with Jesus, he instead left his boats and fishing nets on the shore and chose to follow Jesus. (Luke 5:1-11)
The real measure of our wealth is how much we would be worth if we lost all our money.
How rich are you towards God and heavenly things?