August 21, 2009
The Christian Journey
Rich or poor, all are called to share God’s blessings
BY FATHER JIM SAUER
What’s your attitude towards wealthy people? Are you envious of their prosperity? Do you believe most of them are self-serving? Would you feel comfortable in their presence? We all have stereotypes of the “rich” (and the “poor”) based upon the social class in which we were raised, or what our families said about them. No one escapes this prejudice, just as we don’t avoid racial, religious or gender biases. Last Sunday’s alternate Opening Prayer from Mass affirmed this truth: “Almighty God, your care extends beyond the boundaries of race and nation to the hearts of all who live. May the walls, which prejudice raises between us, crumble beneath the shadow of your outstretched arm. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
When Bishop Gettelfinger asked me to serve as pastor of Holy Rosary Church in 1996, one major drawback was “How will I get along with the wealthy people?” since I came from a middle-class family. Which fork would I use at a dinner party? Could I carry on an intelligent conversation? I (or the Lord) convinced me this was all rubbish, so off to Holy Rosary I went.
The people were welcoming and kind — from every class of people. Oh, there will always be some who will try to use their wealth to “get their way” or who “feel entitled to have things done their way,” but that was not my experience over all. Some Holy Rosary friends told me, “The wealthy have more money which doesn’t make them necessarily happier; it just gives them opportunities to have more and to do more.” I soon discovered that people from every way of life loved God, and all needed and wanted to hear God’s Word. We all stand in need of salvation.
While attending Creighton University’s summer school Christian Spirituality Program (1986-90), Jesuit Father John Sheets, (later auxiliary of Fort Wayne-South Bend) wrote an article on how God gives some people the gift to know how to make money. That was a far different theme than what I learned that, “money is the root of all evil!” (Actually St. Paul writes in 1 Timothy 6:10 that “the love of money is the root of all evils” — in other words, “greed.”) Father Sheets wrote further “in giving some people the ability to make money, God also expects them to share their wealth.” No gift that God gives us is ever just for ourselves. I learned that many wealthy people were thankful for the opportunity to share their blessings when called upon. After three years, it was difficult to leave the good parishioners of Holy Rosary of whatever background or status. They were all generous to a fault.
Last week, a unique woman in our country was called home to heaven, Eunice Kennedy Shriver. She came from wealth and had her own. From photographs of her, it wasn’t her highest priority to spend her money on making herself look more beautiful. Just think about the life of leisure she could have enjoyed; or the jetsetter she could have been. However, she chose a different path! She taught us a priceless lesson that mentally challenged persons should no longer be hidden away in homes and institutions. Through the Special Olympics, she showed us that they are gifted people. Her efforts started a global movement that has brought mentally challenged people into society’s mainstream, unthinkable just 50 years ago. Eunice Kennedy Shriver is one of those legendary people, a comet God shoots through our atmosphere to remind us of “God’s saving presence” in our day (Preface for Holy Men and Women).