Many people today seek comfort and fulfillment in power, money, success and fame.
This quest usually lead to greed, as people want more,
to envy when they want also what others have,
to anger when they don’t get what they want,
to lust when they are unable to curb their inordinate desires,
to pride when their quest for these give them a sense of entitlement.
Christ promised his disciples the fulness of life for eternity
only by going through the narrow door,
the eye of the needle,
taking up their cross daily.
What a stark contrast.
Yet it is the latter group that follows this illogical advice of Christ
who have done a lot more to help the poor,
to give relief to the suffering,
to teach the ignorant,
to comfort the sick and afflicted.
Some of the former might have turned to philanthropy later in their lives,
but they have spent most of their lives
lusting for more power, money, success and fame.
The choice for me is clear but living that choice is not easy.
In the face of the destructive force of the quest for wealth, power and fame,
in the face of all the aridity and disenchantment,
in the face of the the darkness threatening to overtake us all,
love and generosity are actually the only viable choices we have.