B
Blackspur7
Guest
Ok so today at church, I picked up the newsletter and we usually have a type of message type thing on the front of the newsletter and the message on this one kind of confused me so I am asking if anyone could aid me with what it means, here it is:
"*A sobering comment on the worthlessness of working unnecessarily for material possessions is the old saying that there are no pockets in a shroud. Every generation learns, often through bitter experiences that life is brief and entrance into heaven cannot be bought with riches. We leave the world the same way we came into it so what is the point of hoarding, when someone else, who may care nothing about us, will inherit and perhaps waste all we have worked to achieve. The rich fool found this out to his cost because death exposed his real poverty. During his life he behaved as if he was going to live forever. He failed to realise that what counts when we die is not wealth but the person we become in the process of living. Greed cut him off from God and other people. It showed up the foolishness of thinking that happiness can be attained without taking God and death into the reckoning.
In case we are in the process of switching off, because we think that this gospel applies only to the rich, it’s well to remember that Christ preached this parable to people who were very poor by our standards. This is the story of the person who spends life without any reference to God. Christ is really warning us against going it along, and trying to hold the future in our hands - of wasting our time, gloating over possessions and setting ourselves down securely in this life’s comforts. This is a caution about greed and the hold which possessions exercise over the human heart. Greed and meanness are not confined to the wealthy but the most common of human failings and all of us can become victims of them in our struggle to earn our daily bread. They spell disaster for us and blind us as to where true values lie. The frustrations, disappointments and incomplete joy that the pursuit of material possessions bring are a reminder that happiness does not come from having what we want, but being content with what we have.
We can overcome the temptation to greed by helping those who are less fortunate than ourselves. What is given to others is not lost but is transformed into a treasure for eternity. In the evening of life we will be measured by the good we have done. Rather than wrap money around our hearts, we are urged to give our money to the poor. God is at the end of the line waiting for us when life is over.*
Ok so what I gathered from this is that you shouldn’t put processions before other people, but it confuses me with my situation.
My situation is I am 16 and I do not work I have no money other than what my family have gave to me or they have sold some of my old possessions, and for a fairly long time now I have been getting rather excited and looking forward too a new video game (Saying this, I am not the kind of person who goes out partying or spending lot’s of money all the time. I also sometimes put money into charity pots and such. So really video games is one of the only things I actually buy and I would say that doesn’t happen too often).
I have the money in order to get it before it comes out as like a preorder thing but not I am quite worrying over buying it, I mean I have been looking forward too it for some time now and myself and my friends have been getting rather excited for it but now I am just thinking that if I buy it, It will be greed, and it’s kind of making me depressed and worried.
Here the thing as I don’t have a constant income I can’t exactly do the things in which donate to some charities as they require monthly payments which I do not have, nor do I earn pocket money from my family.(I must note that just because I said my family give me money it is not often and I only receive some when it’s either my Birthday, Christmas or like this situation after a holiday)
It is really quite stressing me out because I am just looking at it there is no point me buying a game, or a DVD or a book or other things because I don’t need them for my survival and it’s making me really quite depressed.
What I am trying to say here am I worrying for no reason like have I misunderstood the message here, perhaps it is saying it’s OK to buy material possessions but as long as you don’t rank them above other people or God.
I stand by the thought of Money doesn’t buy happiness, but I think I may be over thinking the message too much.
Also as my normal Priest is in South Africa, the stand in Priest said something along the lines of “Greed is like worshiping a false God” and that has freaked me out even more, I mean I enjoy playing video games and watching films and reading and other things but I don’t think I have ranked these things above anything that what they are, lumps of metal and plastic, I mean I’d be sad if they were lost or broken but they aren’t like people.
So yes sorry about the long post but I just need some reassurance here as I am feeling rather depressed and quite stressed out at the moment.
Any answers would be greatly appreciated, as an added note though I do ask that you give the answer in as simplest form, in plain English as I think that, the language in the message may have been the reason for me not fully understanding the message.
Please any help or answers, please.
-Michael
"*A sobering comment on the worthlessness of working unnecessarily for material possessions is the old saying that there are no pockets in a shroud. Every generation learns, often through bitter experiences that life is brief and entrance into heaven cannot be bought with riches. We leave the world the same way we came into it so what is the point of hoarding, when someone else, who may care nothing about us, will inherit and perhaps waste all we have worked to achieve. The rich fool found this out to his cost because death exposed his real poverty. During his life he behaved as if he was going to live forever. He failed to realise that what counts when we die is not wealth but the person we become in the process of living. Greed cut him off from God and other people. It showed up the foolishness of thinking that happiness can be attained without taking God and death into the reckoning.
In case we are in the process of switching off, because we think that this gospel applies only to the rich, it’s well to remember that Christ preached this parable to people who were very poor by our standards. This is the story of the person who spends life without any reference to God. Christ is really warning us against going it along, and trying to hold the future in our hands - of wasting our time, gloating over possessions and setting ourselves down securely in this life’s comforts. This is a caution about greed and the hold which possessions exercise over the human heart. Greed and meanness are not confined to the wealthy but the most common of human failings and all of us can become victims of them in our struggle to earn our daily bread. They spell disaster for us and blind us as to where true values lie. The frustrations, disappointments and incomplete joy that the pursuit of material possessions bring are a reminder that happiness does not come from having what we want, but being content with what we have.
We can overcome the temptation to greed by helping those who are less fortunate than ourselves. What is given to others is not lost but is transformed into a treasure for eternity. In the evening of life we will be measured by the good we have done. Rather than wrap money around our hearts, we are urged to give our money to the poor. God is at the end of the line waiting for us when life is over.*
Ok so what I gathered from this is that you shouldn’t put processions before other people, but it confuses me with my situation.
My situation is I am 16 and I do not work I have no money other than what my family have gave to me or they have sold some of my old possessions, and for a fairly long time now I have been getting rather excited and looking forward too a new video game (Saying this, I am not the kind of person who goes out partying or spending lot’s of money all the time. I also sometimes put money into charity pots and such. So really video games is one of the only things I actually buy and I would say that doesn’t happen too often).
I have the money in order to get it before it comes out as like a preorder thing but not I am quite worrying over buying it, I mean I have been looking forward too it for some time now and myself and my friends have been getting rather excited for it but now I am just thinking that if I buy it, It will be greed, and it’s kind of making me depressed and worried.
Here the thing as I don’t have a constant income I can’t exactly do the things in which donate to some charities as they require monthly payments which I do not have, nor do I earn pocket money from my family.(I must note that just because I said my family give me money it is not often and I only receive some when it’s either my Birthday, Christmas or like this situation after a holiday)
It is really quite stressing me out because I am just looking at it there is no point me buying a game, or a DVD or a book or other things because I don’t need them for my survival and it’s making me really quite depressed.
What I am trying to say here am I worrying for no reason like have I misunderstood the message here, perhaps it is saying it’s OK to buy material possessions but as long as you don’t rank them above other people or God.
I stand by the thought of Money doesn’t buy happiness, but I think I may be over thinking the message too much.
Also as my normal Priest is in South Africa, the stand in Priest said something along the lines of “Greed is like worshiping a false God” and that has freaked me out even more, I mean I enjoy playing video games and watching films and reading and other things but I don’t think I have ranked these things above anything that what they are, lumps of metal and plastic, I mean I’d be sad if they were lost or broken but they aren’t like people.
So yes sorry about the long post but I just need some reassurance here as I am feeling rather depressed and quite stressed out at the moment.
Any answers would be greatly appreciated, as an added note though I do ask that you give the answer in as simplest form, in plain English as I think that, the language in the message may have been the reason for me not fully understanding the message.
Please any help or answers, please.
-Michael
