THE SALVATION OF THE RICH MAN
Many are the Christians of comfortable position who feel themselves bothered by that «fashion» which has entered into the Church of speaking so much about the poor. They don’t know why the Gospel can be good news only for them. And when all is said and done, it can only be heard by the rich as a warning for their interests and as a questioning of their wealth.
It seems to them that all this is nothing but cheap demagoguery, illegitimate ideologization of the Gospel and definitely «doing politics on the left». Because, as we see, didn’t Jesus come close to everyone equally? Didn’t he welcome the poor and the rich with the same love? Didn’t he offer salvation to all?
Certainly Jesus comes close to all offering salvation. But not in the same way. And concretely to the rich he came close to them to «save them» above all from their wealth.
In Jericho, Jesus goes to stay in the house of a rich man. The man receives him joyfully. It’s an honor for him to welcome the Teacher of Nazareth. When he meets with Jesus and listens to his message, the rich man is going to change. He discovers that what’s important isn’t piling up things, but sharing them, and he decides to give half of his goods to the poor. He discovers that he has to do justice to those he has robbed, and he commits to give back with interest. Only then does Jesus proclaim: «Today salvation has come to this house».
To the rich man he doesn’t offer any path of salvation except that of sharing what he possesses with the poor who need it. It’s the only «Christianly profitable investment» he can make with his goods.
The reason is simple. A more fraternal world is not possible if the rich don’t change their attitude and accept the reduction of their goods to benefit the impoverished of today’s economic system.
This is the path of salvation that he offers the rich. «They can only receive help when they recognize their own poverty and are ready to enter into the community of the poor, especially of those whom they themselves have reduced to suffering by violence» (Jurgen Moltmann).
José Antonio Pagola
Translator: Fr. Jay VonHandorf
