We have today a set of two-line moral aphorisms which are quite distinct from each other and with which we are not likely to quarrel (Proverbs 21:1-6, 10-13). However, whether they reflect the way that we always behave is another question, so we do need to read or listen to each statement carefully.
The writer tells us that everything is ultimately in God’s hands. The heart of the greatest king is just like flowing water in the hands of the Lord. He can direct it where he pleases. Great kings like Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and Cyrus of Persia might have seemed all-powerful when compared to Israel, but before God they were impotent. They were merely instruments in his hands. Whether we are dealing with the great suffering that Nebuchadnezzar brought on Israel, or the liberations from the Babylonians which came with Cyrus—in either case, for all their apparent power, they were only doing God’s work.
It is not enough for a person’s external behavior to seem good. God will see and judge the inner intentions of the heart. In the true follower of Christ there is no difference between his outward behavior and his inward intentions. As Paul writes to the Corinthians: “I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me; (1 Corinthians 4:4) and in the Letter to the Hebrews we read: “Indeed, the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12). To act virtuously and in a spirit of true justice towards others pleases God more than any sacrifice.
This is a theme that goes right through the Old Testament, but is put, with particular force, in the prophets. Says the prophet Hosea, for example: “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings;” (Hosea 6:6) and from Micah: “Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with tens of thousands of rivers of oil? (Micah 6:7) And there are powerful words from Jeremiah: “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat the flesh. For in the day that I brought your ancestors out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to them or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. But this command I gave them, ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people; walk only in the way that I command you, so that it may be well with you.’” (Jeremiah 7:21-23)
The Gospel will continue to emphasize this. For instance, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: “So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23-24)
For us it means that regular attendance in church and at Mass, by itself, is not enough unless it is accompanied by a daily life that gives real witness in word and action to the loving demands of the Gospel. Arrogance and pride, which result in trampling on the dignity and rights of others, can only be seen as belonging to sin. The ‘hardworking’ man reflects on the value of what he does and is a gainer in the long run. The one who rushes to gain wealth and material success for himself ends up the loser.
Similarly, to make a fortune through lying and deceit is tantamount to seeking death rather than life. As our society becomes more prosperous and people have more, paradoxically the level of dishonesty also grows at all levels of society. Even some who have more than they could possibly spend will commit massive fraud to get even more. We may not be in that league, but we might profitably ask: How honest are we in the use of our material resources?
The mocker ends up being punished by his own arrogance and the dead end he chose to follow. The formerly ignorant can learn from this. The wise person, however, is always ready to learn more from those who can teach him.
Finally, a very serious warning for all of us: if we close our ears to the cry of the poor and the needy, we cannot expect to have our own cries for help to be responded to either. Again, as our society grows richer, there are still many—far too many—who are shut off from sharing in that prosperity. Ironically, growing prosperity for some all too often exists with growing poverty for others.
In Luke’s Gospel we remember the parable of the rich man and the poor man, Lazarus, whom he totally neglected (Luke 16:19-31), or the unmerciful servant who had a huge debt forgiven by his master, but then threw a fellow-servant into jail for not paying back a paltry amount (Matthew 18:23-35). And we pray the words: “Forgive us our sins, AS WE forgive those who sin against us.”
How much of what we have gained over the years has been shared with those who have not gained or even lost? The fact that what they have lost may have been largely through their own mistakes does not lessen their need for help. The term ‘deserving’ poor cannot be found anywhere in the Gospel. As someone once said: “God loves the poor, not because they are good, but because they are poor.” Each of these sayings can stand by itself, but together they build up a picture of the kind of person God calls each of us to be.
May God Bless You and Grant You His Peace!