A Balancing Act

Jesus did not come to teach us how to make money, indeed, he spoke about the danger that wealth can cause in our following him.  He told the rich young man sell what he had, five the proceeds to the poor and follow him, and he commented to the disciples, "Amen, I say to you it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven.....it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of an needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God." (Mt 19: 23-24).  Yet without money, it's not possible to run a parish,hospital, school...to feed the poor, etc...So many good projects get "put on hold" because of a lack of funds.  Looking closely at the rich and the poor, we can find cases where the wealthy are very generous in sharing what they have earned or inherited with those who have less.  And there are the poor who suffer from the same greed that plagues us all and connive and finagle to get MORE.
One writer suggests that if we concentrate more on Jesus...his use of time and whatever goods he had, and indeed his total gift of self on the cross...we won't be as prone to relying on wealth or things and detached enough from them to keep the from separating us from the poor or from Jesus himself.
Worth a try.
Bro. Rene