28th Sunday Ordinary Time Cycle B
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”
“Positions are temporary. Ranks and titles are limited. But the way you treat others will always be remembered.”
This post surfaced on the net almost immediately after a woman punished a waiter letting him stand for a couple of hours just because the latter did not address her properly. She might have a lot of accomplishments in society yet how she treated the poor waiter left no one with good taste in the mouth.
Positions and even schooling are not as important as respect for others whoever they maybe.
Who is really educated among us? Are people schooled if they leave trash on their seats in the airport lounge letting the poor janitor to clean up their mess? Who is really wise; those with diplomas yet mistreat their servants?
There are students who inspite of CLAYGO leave trash all over the campus except in bins. Are they really learning in school?
In the first reading (Wis 7:7-11) we heard King Solomon say “I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me. I preferred her to scepter and throne, and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her.” Wisdom must always be preferred over wealth. In fact, wealth that one has is nothing if one is not wise in using it. But how can one be wise in using wealth?
Jesus answered this when he told the rich young man, “You are lacking in one thing.
Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” To be wise with wealth one need to be charitable in sharing or even giving it up to help others. The rich young still lacked one thing which is charity which showed in his hesitance to share to the poor. Charity especially evident in the way we treat others is what gives one wisdom.
Don Bosco’s mother, Mama Margaret Occhiena was not schooled. Yet she was so wise to have raised up a saint who pioneered a system of education called the Preventive System. Mama Margaret when famine struck did not hesitate to slaughter the calf that plowed the field to feed the family and her needy neighbors. We might have our diplomas but are we wise enough like her?
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