GOD CANNOT BE BRIBED

XXXII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Mark 12:38-44

Today’s world is ruled by those who have plenty of money and make more money. The higher your profits are, the greater your power is. In the capitalist system that has taken over the world, the big companies must maximize their profits or they will they lose the confidence of the investors and risk be wiped out. The markets rule the world, and we speak of the markets as if they were personal powers able to make decisions. But the markets are just people buying and selling, most of the times manipulating prices and the supply of money. 

The capitalist economy is an economy dominated by greed, without consideration or respect for any other values. And when greed invades our hearts, setting therein its throne, mercy and compassion are thrown out. As a result, the poor are exploited and oppressed. Greed is never satisfied, and grabs everything that is within its reach, taking over the hearts of people and dominating all institutions. Even the Church is not free from its filthy dominion and exploitation. Jesus reproached the Pharisees for exploiting the poor for whom they prayed.

Since old times, many people have tried to buy their way out to salvation with money. However, salvation cannot be bought with money, since God cannot be bribed into favouring us. There is no way we can use the money of corruption to enter heaven. In fact, God has no need for our money or for the goods we buy with our money.

In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus makes it very clear that God does look at the amount of money that we offer, but at the attitude of our hearts. And he presented the widows’ offering as an example to his disciples. In terms of numbers, she gave so little that it would not make any difference in the income of the Temple, but she gave everything she had, and so she gave herself wholly, heart and soul, without reserves. She offered her life totally to God. Her offering was a sign of her trust in God; she put herself in his hands, knowing that God will not abandon her. This kind of faith is found only in those who know the futility of relying upon the things of this world. 

Money, no matter how important it may be, is never enough to sustain any relationship, be it with God or with those who are most close to us. In fact, it easily destroys relationships, because the love of money does not leave space in our hearts to love the others, but leads instead to use and abuse them.