Getting through the eye of a needle

 Photo: Canva.com

Before we look at the gospel for today, I would like to take note of what Ezekiel (28:1-10) is saying in the first reading. The prophet is speaking out against the arrogance of the king of Tyre, who claims to be a god. Speaking through the prophet, God threatens to send a powerful army against the king and have him thrown down into a pit where he will suffer a violent death. So much for those rulers who try to give themselves divine status. It reminds me of one of the present-day leaders who presented himself in the image of Jesus Christ. This brings me to today’s gospel from Matthew 19:23-30 where Jesus says, “it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” Here Jesus is following up on his conversation with the rich young man who was challenged to give up all that he owned. This brings to mind another man in present-day society who became the first trillionaire in history.

 

Recently, we have been looking at the increasing number of elderly people in New Zealand who are living below the poverty line. At the same time, just ten per cent of New Zealand’s population own half of the wealth while the bottom 50% share less than 7% of the country’s wealth. Does this growing gap between the rich and the poor in this country partly explain why over 50% of New Zealanders no longer profess any religious faith at all? Mind you, I am pretty comfortable myself. This brings me back to a belief that I learnt from my family. We are not meant to all be poor. Rather, we are all entitled to share in the wealth of this country. This is why I am very much disturbed by the increasing levels of poverty in this country, particularly among the elderly. Perhaps this brings up the connection between the political and the economic. Sometimes I sense that the wealthy few have far too much say in the running of this country. The trickle-down theory, that the hard-earned wealth of the few trickles down to the many who are poor. Therefore, according to this theory, we need to give greater support to those who are wealthy because they are the ones whose wealth will ensure that even a little will get down to feed and support the many at the bottom. What! I hope we can restore some sense of vision to our country and our world. I hope we haven’t given up on the belief in a more equitable distribution of our nation’s and our world’s wealth.

 

Tom Rouse