25 November | EVERYONE
"For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition." 1 Timothy 6: 7-9
It was late in the night when Job fell on his knees and prostrated himself before God and said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). He had lost everything all at once. He was lonely and sad. Perhaps a mysterious voice whispered in his ear the idea that God had forsaken him; but still, he declares with conviction: "Blessed be the name of the Lord."
Centuries later, Paul evokes to a significant extent the message of Job, as we read in today's text. The secret of a happy life is that it is incompatible with excessive material ambitions, which make us anxious about the future.
We live in a consumerist world that seems to seek to make us feel unhappy if we cannot buy what advertising shows us. It is not difficult to understand that this is a very seductive trap because it has at its disposal the most sophisticated advertising techniques capable of turning expendable items into "necessities.”
The American writer Henry David Thoreau used to say that a man's true wealth is proportional to the amount of things he is capable of living without. It is not that you have to aspire to be poor, but that you have to learn to live and be happy with what you have and receive from God.
Take Action
Live each day with the assurance that you are in the arms of Jesus, and that the One who cares for the birds will also take care of you. Do not go with the flow of mercantilist and consumerist waters. Be free! The Lord is with you.