20 May, Antonio, Cardinal Bacci: Meditations For Each Day

A Lesson From Scripture

1. The following is a passage from one of St. Paul’s letters to his disciple, Timothy: “Godliness with contentment is indeed great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and certainly we can take nothing out; but having food and sufficient clothing, with these let us be content. But those who seek to become rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many useless and harmful desires, which plunge men into destruction and damnation. For covetousness is the root of all evils, and some in their eagerness to get rich have strayed from the faith and have involved themselves in many troubles. But thou, o man of God, flee these things; but pursue justice, godliness, faith, charity, patience, mildness. Fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on the life eternal...” (1 Tim. 6:12)

These words may seem hard, but they are very true. All the evils of the world spring from an excessive longing for earthly possessions and from self-love. How far apart are the Gospel and modern life. Those who can afford to do so lead lives of luxury and of pleasure, while those who cannot are tormented by the desire to do the same. For many people life has become a weary pursuit of money, pleasure and reputation, and when they fail to achieve these they rebel against everybody and everything. This is a quest, St. Paul reminds us, which leads to “destruction and damnation.” (1 Tim. 6:9)

“Do not be anxious for your life, what you shall eat,” Jesus tells us in the Gospel, “nor yet for your body, what you shall put on. Is not the life a greater thing than the food, and the body than the clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns: yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of much more value than they?... Consider how the lilies of the field grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which flourishes today but tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more you, O you of little faith! Therefore do not be anxious, saying: ‘What shall we eat?’ or, ‘What shall we drink?’ or, ‘What are we to put on?’... for your Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His justice, and all these things shall he given to you besides.” (Cf. Mt. 6:25-34)

The teaching of the Gospel and of St. Paul does not forbid us to look after our affairs carefully. It only forbids us to become obsessed with worldly matters and to live without trust in Divine Providence. It tells us not to fret about things which should not be the goal of our lives and cannot satisfy our hearts which were made for God. St. John Bosco's great principle was that a man should work as if he were never going to die, but live as if he were about to die very shortly.

2. Mary lived a life of poverty and suffering even though she was close to Jesus, Who could have made her wealthy and happy on this earth by a single act of His will. But she never asked her divine Son for worldly happiness. She regarded Jesus as her only treasure and her happiness consisted in perfect obedience to the will of God. When she arrived in Bethlehem with her holy spouse, St. Joseph, she could not find room in the inn nor in any of the houses. This did not matter to her. She found refuge in a stable and there she gave birth to Jesus, the only treasure of her life.

When Herod planned to kill the Divine Infant, Mary did not ask for a miracle in order to escape, but undertook a long and difficult journey into exile. Only once did she ask her Divine Son for a miracle. Then it was not for herself, but for the newly-married couple at Cana, who had run short of wine. What is our attitude? How important are worldly matters to us? What place has God in our hearts? Are we chasing after money, pleasure and success? If we worry a great deal about these things we shall suffer torment and disillusionment. The final disillusionment will be the restlessness of our hearts, which can find peace and lasting happiness in God alone.

3. O Mary, my most holy Mother, free me from useless desires and from an excessive longing for worldly things. Help me to think always of Heaven. Grant that I may find my happiness in God as you did by acting in perfect accordance with His holy will. By loving Him above everything in the world, may I one day enjoy with you the everlasting happiness of Heaven. Amen.