Lent Day 12: Making money spiritual

One of the most difficult things in Christian faith is with regard to money, making of money and spending money. Jesus didn’t show any inclination towards money and towards making of money. His teachings were more in the direction of equality and justice and business was not a concern for him at all. Perhaps we can interpret some of his teachings to bring out some management principles, but not with regard to income generation. The early church was also least concerned with money and instead preached and practiced community living and sharing of resources. But things have changed now. We are all in need of money for practical reasons. So, it is imperative for us to understand what the bible says about money and the creation of wealth.

St. Luke 16:13 says, “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” The teaching is quite clear and yet needs some exploration. Mammon can be seen in different ways. Some church fathers saw it as evil and therefore something to keep a distance from. Others interpreted it as money or wealth and therefore said that we cannot serve God and money at the same time.

So, is it bad to do business and to work? We can’t say that at this point because it will lead to the collapse of the markets and economy. It will also lead to the compromising of jobs which in turn will put a burden on several families. So, working and doing business is fine as people will have the satisfaction for working for their bread/food. But it becomes problematic when people use their money to sway the decision making or the policies of the church, when money is used for purchasing seats, power and authority.

Everyone is equal in the church. Whether one is a business person, working professional, executive, doctor, lawyer, medical worker, small scale trader or daily wage worker, everyone is the same. Everyone is the same before the Lord’s table because the Holy body and Holy blood of our Lord cannot be purchased and bought. Repentance and humility are the only ways of approaching the table and approaching our Lord. But unfortunately, this is not the case in several churches and Christian communities. Money speaks, money matters and money sways.

Lent should be a time to correct this. Money should become spiritual, prayerful and helpful. Money gets value only when used to help the poor and needy and feed the hungry. Till then it is only paper. Many people ask for prayers before starting a shop, starting a business or project and starting a job. But that should also extend to the money and income already at hand. We should pray for the thinking, responsibility and social concern to make best use of the money we have.

I am not just talking about tithes and help for the church but how we can be of help to each other. It can also go on to having a fund for medical emergencies to which everyone contributes according to their ability and from which those having medical emergencies can take from. It is not to say that those who are rich should not have luxuries and buy what they want. But to say that money can only be related to God if it helps God’s people. Without this it is only mammon. And mammon could mean money or even evil.

Money can lead us in two directions. It can make us evil by making us think that money is the ultimate and only thing in life. Or, it can make us good by thinking that money is only a piece of paper which we need but which does not control our life. This lent, shall we pray over our businesses, jobs, shops, work and savings, income, investments, profits and salaries so that we put it to good use and make it spiritual, instead of evil and individualistic. Amen.

 

Lent Day 9: Our churches should not be profitable institutions

Many churches these days are trying to be professional in their approach and running. Some even appoint professionals to run churches. Many are even asked to advise priests on what to say and do. It is like the professional election strategists who advise political parties on how to run their campaign, how to select candidates for the elections and what manifestos to concentrate upon. Even though knowing the pulse of people and realising their needs is important, running a church like a business is fraught with danger.

Many churches do not like giving refreshments to their own people, don’t help the poor and don’t believe in giving but only in receiving. They would also like to have a profit at the end of the year. But are churches supposed to be like this or do they exist solely for the purpose of helping the poor and needy and taking care of the spiritual needs of their community? The business model is then also extended to church institutions like schools and hospitals. I will concentrate on churches for now.

St. Luke 6: 33-34 says, “And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again.” The essence of these verses is a reminder from Jesus that we have to be good and do good to others, irrespective of the response and without expecting anything in return. How many churches are following this advice and model?

Churches these days are looking into the feasibility of prayers, worships and perhaps even miracles. What will we get seems to be the query before we offer a service. What will we get if we give food, what will we get if the church is open for service, what will we get if the church offers spiritual services? So much that the offertory has become a part of every service. Whether we offer anything or not, we would like to get money from people.

This lent, we should rethink what we are doing. Can we offer something without expecting anything in return? Can we stop discussing profits and huge bank balances? Can we end questions of feasibility before giving food to the poor? There are many orphanages and old age homes which do not know where the money will come from for the next meal! And yet, it comes, because of God’s grace and because God makes people act. Christian faith has always run with hope and not with financial planning, feasibility studies and reports.

If we continue with this trend, we will not be far from the day when we will be advised to close our churches and institutions because they are not economically viable. We cannot do sensible charity and community formation. Because there is nothing sensible about our faith. We have a Lord who told us to show our other cheek when someone slaps us on one, to forgive when someone has to pay us and to not ask someone who has taken money from us. There is nothing sensible about this. A negation of this will lead to a negation of the very words of Jesus. May our lent offer us insights to fight the greed of churches, priests and lay leaders to make the church a profitable enterprise rather than a compassionate space which reflects God’s love. Amen.