The Faces of Dissatisfaction, A.K.A. "Greed"

Inspired by the words and example of Pope Francis, a priest in Santa Marta, Colombia, said that he has decided to sell the luxury Mercedes-Benz his family gave to him. On July 9, Father Hernando Fajid Alvarez Yacub, chaplain of Saint Michael’s Cemetery, told reporters that the money he gets from selling the car – valued at $62,000 – will be given to his family members. The family gave him the car a year ago as a gesture of gratitude for caring for his three younger siblings after their parents died. The decision came two days after Pope Francis told a group of seminarians and novices in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall that “it hurts me when I see a priest or a sister with a brand new car.” “And, if you like that beautiful car, think about how many children are dying of hunger,” he advised, urging them to choose humble transportation options. The Pope himself was known for taking public transportation, even as a cardinal in Argentina. + + +

Recently, left fielder, Ryan Braun, of the Milwaukee Brewers was suspended for 65 games due to PED’S (performance enhancing drugs). The Brewers are set to pay Braun $133 million over the next eight years as part of a 2011 contract extension. Given Braun's suspension, the Brewers could seek to void the remainder of his contract. I recently heard an interview with a child in response to the news of Braun’s suspension: “He was already good. Why did he need drugs?” + + +

Someplace deep in our inner selves is this sense that what we have is never enough. There seems to be a culturally induced dissatisfaction that we live in – “a spirit of craving that swirls around us and within us, as pervasive as the air we breathe.” We are bombarded with advertisements everywhere that tell us that we don’t have enough, that we are not enough, that we are not good enough!  So then the illusion nudges, woos ‘n wows us to buy, to buy more, and then we will be enough – at least for this moment in time.

Our gospel is a story within a story. The farmer has a banner crop year – and he lacks the storage space for his high yield. He makes a perfectly normal and wise decision to address his dilemma of what to do with his abundance and not let his resources waste away.  So he builds bigger barns.  However, it’s his rationale that causes great inner scarcity. He speaks only in terms of himself: my crops . . .my barns. . .my grain . . .my goods. . .myself.  So thereafter, God addresses him as “fool” – all this is nothing – it’s the Kingdom not the “thing-dom” that truly is what is worth possessing!

So let us ponder:
• what we have “stored up” (life commandments, material items, attitudes, etc.)
• what our attitudes are toward our possessions;
• if we are possessed by them.

http://www.forbes.com/billionaires/

The "Thing-dom" http://www.usccb.org/bible/reflections/  (See July 11, 2013)

History of Greed http://www.bing.com/videos/search? q=youtube+the+history+of+greed&view=detail&mid=ACC77A851FCFCCFA1688ACC77A851FCFCCFA1688&first=0&FORM=NVPFVR

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+the+dog+and+his+reflection&view=detail&mid=2CF1DE284BDA55FD899C2CF1DE284BDA55FD899C&first=0&FORM=NVPFVR

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+michael+more+and+greed&view=detail&mid=C0B163C4BA2B5B579C6BC0B163C4BA2B5B579C6B&first=0&FORM=NVPFVR