Rich In What Matters To God

(My part II to my story comes slowly. I put this up at my Church blog and am putting it here too.)

Humility. Dignity. Generosity. These may not be words that you automatically associate with the Middle East. For many reasons, images from that part of the world often portray anger, hatred, death, oppression.

In 2006 I had the great opportunity to visit Jordan. When I was there I some encounters that will never leave me. The first was that the brother of a Jordanian friend who lives in the US hosted me for a week's visit. Now this man is a man of some regard, socially and financially, but that matters not. He rolled out the red carpet for me and gave to me so lavishly in ways that showed his heart and character; his wealth was not what made him who he was... It was his great presence and generosity.

The second was a woman who I met in passing. She was the restroom attendant at the Roman ruins at Jerash. It was a small, old dark restroom which she kept spotlessly clean. I'm sure she wasn't paid much and she seemed pretty elderly.  Some women from another country walked by her little tip plate and looked directly at it and laughed as I entered the room. As I left, I did put something in but what I also did was to look her directly in the eye and say "Shrukan, salaam." This means thank you and peace. Her dignity struck me so deeply at that moment; she was standing in her own presence with no sense of shame and no sense of arrogance. It was quite moving.

The third encounter was with my driver and his family. The generosity of my host had provided me with a driver and a guide and on my last day it was just the driver and me. Legendary Bedouin hospitality offered me many opportunities to get invited for tea. My driver wanted me to come to his house and meet his family and have tea also. (Bedouin hospitality is based on the idea that all guests are welcomed as God.)

His family lived in a very run down area in a very small, hot apartment. He lived there with his wife and 2 year old daughter along with his wife's sister and her twin girls who were 8. You can tell that they struggled to get by yet I was treated like royalty. I was served tea and every kind of "sweet" imaginable, all sorts of pastries and cakes. It seemed to me that everything was turned out and over in order to have me as a guest. I was struck by the notion that real hospitality does not require anything fancy - simply a most open and welcoming heart.

All three encounters defy the stereotypes we so often encounter as well as addressing some Scriptural themes.  Today's readings speak to these themes of equality, dignity, generosity and what might be rich in the eyes of God.

In the first reading from Ecclesiates, we are reminded of the downfall of vanity. This is not just about feeling all puffed up and proud. It is about the vanity of feeling like we are somehow in charge and that power, position and prestige elevate us. This is something that I know I can be guilty of; it is the bane of our culture to "get ahead." And our culture also contains no shortage of disdain for the poor.  Vanity is when we create ourselves in our own image rather than to defer to the person that God has loved into being.

The second reading from St. Paul reminds us to put aside our earthly desires and to focus on being risen in Christ. In the risen Lord we have put on our new selves and all are equal in Christ. This too remains something that is hard for our world to deal with as equality seems more a dream than a reality for so many - inside of church and out.

Luke's Gospel offers up the final challenge for us to consider when Jesus is asked about inheritance and he reminds us to "guard against greed." Then he goes further by relaying the parable of a man who stored up all his grain. This reminded me of something I recently read at the Jesuit blog, People for Others. In the post entitled Wisdom Story 22 we read about similar storing up notions. Ironically, this is an Islamic story and this post begins with the Islamic world.

What is rich in God's sight? In our hearts we know, but yet we strive for so many other things. Money, material goods, over-achievement of every sort. Yet - is this what God really asks of us? And how do we also get lost in stereotypes - both good and bad, that make us admire one person and feel disdainful of the other? And yet both are children of God, created, like ourselves, in God's own image!

There is much to ponder and pray with here as we begin a new week.