The WORD in Other Words by Fr Carlos Macatanga SVD (Canada)
Friday 2nd Week of Lent
Genesis 37,3-4.12-13.17-28 Matthew 21,33-43.45-46
My reflection centers on the attitude of the tenants. The landowner entrusted them with his property hoping that they would be responsible stewards. But in the end, because of their greed they also killed the son of the landowner in order to grab the vineyard and its produce.
Pope Francis warns us with these words: “What is destructive is not “money” but the attitude called greed!” We need money to live and survive but inordinate greed for money destroys our humanity.
A short story by Leo Tolstoy, How Much Land Does a Man Need, reminds us that when our pilgrimage is over we only need enough land to bury our body. That is all we need at the end of our life.
Some people equate happiness and success with the money and properties they have accumulated. The more you have the more successful you are. But experience tells us that what we have, especially if acquired through devious means, does not guarantee happiness.
Today‘s gospel, in this season of Lent, also invites us to choose wisely. Not everything that glitters is gold. Sometimes, we hang around people who can help us climb the ladder of success, power, and prestige. Be warned! “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes.”
As Christians, as children saved by the blood of Jesus on the cross, the question for us is not: how much land nor how much money do we need in this life? The question is: Who do we need in this life that we may really be satisfied”?
The answer my friend is right before us: Jesus, the Son of God.
One comment