The miracle is this: The more we share the more we have

“The good you do today, will often be forgotten.  Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.  Give your best anyway.”
 - Mother Teresa

(Gospel text: Jas 5:1-6)

Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries.

Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten,

your gold and silver have corroded,

and that corrosion will be a testimony against you;

it will devour your flesh like a fire.

You have stored up treasure for the last days.

Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers

who harvested your fields are crying aloud;

and the cries of the harvesters

have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.

You have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure;

you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter.

You have condemned;

you have murdered the righteous one;

he offers you no resistance.

Consumerism at the cost of human dignity is something we have all come into contact with at some point or another in our lives, whether we realize it or not.  From the clothes we wear, to the fruits and vegetables we eat, we are consistently making choices in regards to which companies we are going to buy from and which products we are going to purchase.  While doing this however, we may also be supporting companies that treat their workers in an unjust and inhumane manner.  This is an issue that I think directly ties into today’s reading.


Throughout Jesus’ ministry, he spent much of his time reaching out and loving the marginalized and suffering; in so doing, Jesus strived to make the splendor of each human person recognized in the eyes of everyone around him.  As Christians in today’s world, we are time and again barraged by the stark reality of the suffering surrounding us in our lives.  Often times though, it is difficult to know what to do in regards to making this world a better place; it is difficult to feel like we have the power to do anything.  It is a feeling of helplessness I think we all can relate to.  Instead of giving up entirely, we can work to understand that even the smallest of our actions can indeed help to make this world a better place and move us closer to bringing about the Kingdom of God.    

We as human beings have so much potential to make this world a more just and loving place, and it begins with our own individual decisions. 

Again and again, Jesus chose to love in the face of adversity; let us also, as Christians and human beings, strive to do the same.