Lazarus at the Rich Man's Gate |
St Francis Renounces Worldly Goods |
The answer is 'Yes and No'. The Gospel echoes the Old Testament passage set for this Sunday. in which Jeremiah also contrasts those who are 'blessed' and those who are 'cursed'. But a key addition is 'trust'. The cursed are not those who are rich and powerful, but those who place their trust in their wealth and power. The difference is emphasized later in Luke's Gospel, when Jesus expressly says that 'where your treasure is, there will your heart be also'. The distinction is crucial, but in practice not so easily drawn. One of the great temptations we face in a rich society such as ours is to believe that we can control wealth and power, when the reality is that they control us. Better to stay poor, St Francis and many others have thought, in affirmation of truth at the heart of the Beatitudes.
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