By Fr Adolf Washington –
Did you hear of the man who was walking down the street and found a dollar note? Ever since he found that dollar he always looked down as he walked. Eighteen years later he had a collection of 22 dollars a few cents, over 8,000 pins and buttons, developed a hunch back, missed the beauty of flowers blooming and the sun rising, the splendor of the skies and birds flying across and the joys and smiles on the faces of people around.
How true it is that we miss the beauty and experience of the Divine and the splendor of creation when we become too pre-occupied with material pursuits. When we are too focused on money and material wealth, we lose the real joy of life.
A young man goes up to Jesus and asks “What must I do to inherit everlasting life?” Jesus tells him to keep the commandments. The young man immediately asks “which commandments?” and Jesus says, “Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man replies excitingly “All these commandments I have kept what do I still lack?”
Jesus answers, “Go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
When the young man hears this, his countenance falls and he goes away very sad because he had great wealth.
Jesus then tells his disciples, “I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
Jesus wanted his disciples to know that he was not against rich people, but against rich people who want to possess the riches of the world rather more than the riches of the Kingdom of heaven.
There is story told of a King who was exceedingly unhappy. He called all his wise men and asked them to find the happiest man in his kingdom so that he might wear his shirt. The wise men dispersed into every corner of the kingdom. And finally they said “Your majesty, we have found the happiest man in the kingdom.” The king cried out “Bring me his shirt”. The wise men said “Your majesty, he is so poor, he does not even have a shirt”.
Happiness does not consist in riches and wealth. It is an inside job. Our relationship with God is what makes us rich. The deeper the relationship, the richer we are. So look upward also, don’t develop a hunch back spirituality.