Jer 17:5-8; I Cor 15,12.16-20; Luke 6:17.20-26
Leo
Tolstoy’s story “How much land does a man need,” tells about man’s
insatiable greed for wealth.
Pahom is a poor
man who proclaims to himself that if he had enough land he would not even fear
the Devil. The Devil, of course, hears this and decides to give him
land
without him knowing. Pahom took the chance for land and wanted more.
Finally he
came to the Bashkirs, a family with a huge amount of land. They tell him that,
if he pays, he can have all the land he likes, provided he can walk the
perimeter of it before sunset.
The Chief
took off his fox-fur cap, placed it on the ground and said:
“This will
be the mark. Start from here and return here again. All the land you go round
shall be yours.”
Pahom took
out his money and put it on the cap. He started walking neither slowly nor
quickly. After having gone a thousand yards he stopped, dug a hole, and placed
pieces of turf one on another to make it more visible. Then he quickened his
pace.
Pahom went
straight towards the hillock, but he now walked with difficulty. He was done up
with the heat, his bare feet were cut and bruised, and his legs began to fail.
He longed to rest, but it was impossible if he meant to get back before sunset.
The sun waits for no man, and it was sinking lower and lower.
He looked
towards the hillock and at the sun. He was still far from his goal, and the sun
was already near the rim.
Pahom walked
on and on; it was very hard walking but he went quicker and quicker. He pressed
on, but was still far from the place.
Pahom looked
at the sun, which had reached the earth: one side of it had already
disappeared. With all his remaining strength he rushed on. He took a long
breath and ran up the hillock. It was still light there. He reached the top and
saw the cap. He fell forward and reached the cap with his hands.
Pahom’s
servant came running up and tried to raise him, but he was dead!
In his
sermon on the mount Jesus tells his listeners who were struggling like Pahom to
amass wealth and make their life comfortable, “Blessed are those who are poor for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
A poor man
is one who is devoid of something. Those who are poor in spirit are
genuinely convinced of their own weakness and sinfulness. The tax
collector came to the temple, stood at a distance, feeling unworthy to look up
to heaven. He prayed, “Lord have mercy on me for I am a sinner.” The tax
collector recognized his need for God and for forgiveness as he was poor in
spirit.
“Poor in
spirit” means to be humble. Humility is the realization that all our gifts
and blessings come from the grace of God. Whatever we possess: life,
intelligence, health and wealth are given by God. In the book of Job we read
that Job was a humble man. When he received blessings and material prosperity
he praised God and thanked Him for his bounty. When he lost all his fortunes He
saw the divine plan of God in his misery. He humbled himself before God. And
Job’s life shows that humility brings an openness and an inner peace,
allowing one to do the will of God.
Jesus calls
the poor happy, “because theirs is the kingdom of God.” It is pride the
opposite of humility that brings misery. For pride brings anger and desire
for revenge. Pride and desire for revenge destroys ones peace
“Anger is a killing thing: it kills the man who angers, for each rage
leaves him less than he had been before - it takes something from him.” Says
Louis L'Armour. The psalmist advises us to “Refrain from anger and turn
from wrath; do not fret-it leads only to evil (Psalm 37:8). And “A fool shows
his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult “(Proverbs 12:16).
In the
opinion of Jesus, those are poor who are happy with what they
possess, grateful to God for it all, all are not over anxious to obtain
what they do not have, cherish humility and put their trust in God. Jesus
trusted God the Father and cried out at the most agonizing moments of His
life, “Father, let Thy will be done.” This trust strengthened Him.
Let us
listen to the words of Jeremiah in the first reading:
“A curse on the man who puts his trust in man,
Who relies on things of flesh?
“A blessing
on the man who puts his trust in the Lord.”
Jeremiah
declares that those who put their trust in God are like a tree by the water
side. And they never cease to bear fruit.
Satish