Something About The Meek Inheriting The Earth....

I may be presuming, but did we all hear the story this week about the theft at the church?

This is another story about the $25,000 reward being offered for the recovery.

I know, I know....$25,000 to recapture the pittance that would have been stolen from a church.  A theft at the church....it should be unbelievable!  The thieves made away with $600,000 in cash.  Once again, it should be unbelievable.

Am I remembering Matthew 5 correctly?  Something about "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land."

I think I am reading it correctly from the link, but how in the world does any church have $600,000 sitting around...much less, in cash?


The more fundamental question though is how do "holy men" amass such riches?  Isn't the purpose of Christ's kingdom to serve those who are in need?  Isn't the purpose of a tithe not to enrich a pastor, but to enrich the lives of the many?

Blessed Pope John Paul II had a great comment about this issue: "The great danger...in the midst of any society whose idols are pleasure, comfort and independence, lies in the fact that people close their hearts and become selfish."  I wonder where the focus is when you spend as much as I guess Mr. Osteen does on hair care products and $2000 suits.

It frightens me to think of this with all the need out there.  No matter how cheery your disposition, isn't it appropriate to find a way to comfort those with no comfort.  I find solace in my Holy Father.  Here is a man who has stayed away from a magnificent palace he could occupy as a head of state, but instead chooses to live through community service, living close to those who tend the property that is the Vatican.  He doesn't lunch in private dining halls, but in community facilities.

Isn't this the image we want from our holy men?

When I think of this situation, I think of the homeless in the City of Houston.  When I think of this situation, I think of the hungry in Houston.  When I think of this situation, I think of those usually marginalized.  But after realizing that a single church in Houston is grossing $32M from normal Sunday donations, I have to think about who is actually committing the theft.