Homily: Friday of the 24th Week in OT 2015 - "the love of money..."

Since last Thursday, the first readings have been from St. Paul’s first letter to Timothy.  Timothy was Paul’s number one assistant. The Acts of the Apostles tells us that on Paul’s second missionary journey je recruited young Timothy from his native town of Lystra, Years later, Paul is thrown into prison, and Timothy is made bishop of the very important city of Ephesus.  Paul wrote this letter from prison to Timothy to encourage and advise him in this great responsibility. 

We find many of the themes from earlier letters condensed into Paul’s pastoral letters to Timothy such as 1) the importance of forming the faithful in sound doctrine 2) the primary importance of liturgy 3) the qualifications of those who aspire to various ministries. Themes stressed particularly by Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Pope Francis seems to stress more of the teaching we find in today’s passage. 

Today’s passage began with a warning against teachers of false doctrine.  These false teachers he says are conceited, they understand nothing, they become full of envy, and seem to use religion for their personal financial gain. In a sense they become overcome by the love of money.

Through the centuries, Christians and non-Christians alike have recognized the dangers of loving money.  Money, in itself, is not evil; many wealthy people have given generously of their resources out of love for God and neighbor.  But Paul writes to Timothy today that famous line, “the root of all evil is the love of money.”

To love money is to desire it beyond reason, beyond need.  Many Christians have lost the joy of being close to God as they pursued the riches of the world. 

Nearly three centuries after Paul wrote these words to Timothy, the great Archbishop of Constantinople, St. John Chrysostom warned his congregation: What evil is not caused by wealth, or rather not by wealth, but by the wicked will of those who do not know how to use it… Take away the love of money, and you put an end of war, to battle, to enmity, to strife and contention…The covetous man never knows a friend…He knows not God himself, driven mad, as he is, by the passion of avarice.

So many of “the human roots of global and ecological crisis” as Pope Francis would call them, come from this disordered love of money.

So what are we to do? Paul writes today: “But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love endurance, gentleness.” We are to shun the way of the world and seek the way of God.  We are to “fight the good fight of faith” Paul says, that we may “take hold of the eternal life, to which we were called”.

May the Lord free us from any and all disordered affections, may we be generous with our earthly resources as God is with His heavenly resources, may we be possessed by nothing other than the total love of God, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.