Pastor's Page: November 6, 2011
Jesus and Treasure
"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be." In the Semitic world of ancient times, the
heart is the core or center of the human person. Where is your center? "Oh Lord, you are the center of my
life."
"There was a rich man who had a good harvest. What shall I do? He asked himself. I have no place to
store my harvest. I know! He said. I will pull down my grain bins and build larger ones. All my grain and my
goods will go there. Then I will say to myself: you have blessings in reserve for years to come. Relax! Eat
heartily, drink well. Enjoy yourself.
"But God said to him, you fool! This very night your life shall be required of you. To whom will all this piled
up wealth of yours go?"
Although he never graduated college, Steve Jobs, the hugely successful billionaire, was asked to give
the 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University. While he was preparing his address, Jobs knew he
had cancer but still lived in hope of recovery. He told his audience "death is very likely the single best invention of life. It is life's change agent." Jobs has been called a genius for his innovations in the
technology industry. But his words at Stanford, reflect the wisdom of the ages.
From our earliest days, we are conscious of the fact that we are dying. And the end of life, puts
every moment into perspective, because this moment we realize, may very well be my last.
Jesus of Nazareth spoke most often about the kingdom of God that had arrived. Followers were to
live in the kingdom as though they had found a treasure buried in a field worth billions. They were to be
passionately involved in the work of justice, alleviating the wants and cares of others through
compassionate concern and direct action.
A prominent obstacle to living this Way, Jesus said is preoccupation with money. "You cannot
serve both God and money."
In his address at Stanford, Steve Jobs went on to say that we ought not waste life living someone
else's choices. In other words we need to listen to our own inner voice, what Catholics would call the voice
of conscience or the voice of God, and have the courage to follow that voice no matter what the cost.
As the end of his life neared, Jobs showed an intense concern for the people who depended on him,
his four children and his wife, and the people who worked for him at Apple. His sister, Mona Simpson, said
that "his tone was tenderly apologetic at the end. He felt terrible that he would have to leave us."
Steve Jobs was a very private and secretive man who shied away from the public. When he was
asked by the Microsoft founder Bill Gates to give the majority of his wealth to philanthropy with a number
of other billionaire executives like Mr. Gates and Warren Buffett, Jobs declined. His wife, Laurene Powell
Jobs, is expected to oversee his fortune.
You and I have come to know the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ. He is our treasure, and
growing rich in his sight is our primary concern. Every day is a gift and all we have is a gift that we are to
give away. One day it will all be taken from us. In the meantime we are called to travel light, be generous
with our time and money, and make God our greatest love.
Peace and love,
Father Bruce
Peace and love,
Father Bruce
|
