From the Pastor's Desk - September 28, 2025

Dear St. Martin’s Parishioners,

Thankfully, many of us are aware of the dangers of drugs, alcohol, pornography and other addictive substances and materials. We have seen first-hand their ravages in our lives or those of family and friends. Are we aware of the dangers of wealth, though? Jesus speaks often in the gospels about how difficult it is for the rich to inherit the Kingdom of God, and St. Paul says that the love of money is the root of all evil. Although wealth and possessions are not in themselves sinful, we should be aware of the dangers they pose to our spiritual life.

This Sunday’s readings show us that wealth tends to make us complacent: “Woe to the complacent in Zion!” roars the prophet Amos in the first reading. We become numb to the sufferings of others and the evil we see in the world around us. We yawn before immorality and degradation. Whereas we are called to hunger and thirst for righteousness, the wealthy can become self-satisfied and cease desiring to grow in holiness and virtue. Complacency is akin to lukewarmness, about which the Lord says in Revelation, “So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth” (Rev. 3:16).

Wealth tends to make us comfortable. Again, from Amos: “Lying upon beds of ivory, stretched comfortably on their couches . . . they are not made ill by the collapse of Joseph.” The comfort that wealth can bring makes us soft and avoidant of suffering. Whereas the disciple of Christ must “take up his cross daily, deny himself, and follow after him,” the comfortable seek to eliminate the cross with distractions, amusements and pleasures. They don’t find their joy and fulfillment in God, but in the passing things of this world.

Wealth tends to make us contemptuous. The rich man in the gospel seemed to have nothing but disdain for Lazarus, who sat at his door wasting away. Wealth is often accompanied by a hatred of or disgust with the poor. The rich man has no time for Lazarus, because he is nothing but a hindrance to him in his self-centered pursuits. The poor in a very real way show us our true state of neediness and dependence on God and others. They are a mirror for us, and we hate the way our true reflection looks. That is why they so often produce contempt within us.

Lastly, wealth tends to make us conceited. We are so self-satisfied and averse to being humbled, that conversion of heart becomes almost impossible. In the gospel, Abraham tells the rich man who worries (too late) for his brothers’ fate, “If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.” Pride is the most dangerous vice, and it makes us stuck in our ways, unmoved, and unrepentant, even in the face of the miracle of the Resurrection.

“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”

In Christ,

Fr. Dave