|
INTENTION : |
Let us pray for the proper use of wealth, that, without succumbing to the temptation of selfishness, it may always be put at the service of the common good and in solidarity with those who have less.
|
FOCUS
Structural inequalities require global policies that involve many social agreements and collective work to sustain them over time. Financial leaders must collaborate with governments to help regulate markets and protect citizens. However, for the proper use of wealth, personal discernment is also necessary, something each of us can examine at the family, community, and personal level. What we have today is both the result of our efforts and a generous gift received from those who have preceded and loved us. Our education, values, and the goods that allow us to live are not intended for selfish use, but to continue this chain of solidarity, especially with those impoverished due to the indifference that is often silently promoted in our society.
ATTITUDE OF THE HEART
Serve others through the good use of wealth.
Transform wealth into service. Wealth has enormous potential: it can either close the heart... or open it. We can choose. It's not about having a lot or a little, but about how we use what we possess and how our heart clings to or lets go of our possessions. At home, at work, in the Church, in society: may your possessions - material or spiritual - be means to serve your brothers and sisters. (cf Step 7, The Way of the Heart. Giving and self-giving.)
OTHER DAILY ATTITUDES TO LIVE THIS PRAYER INTENTION
1. Recognise that everything is a gift:
Nothing is entirely ours: everything has been received. Each day, give thanks for what you have as a gift, not as an absolute right.
2. Share with generosity:
Wealth is not measured by what you accumulate, but by what you share. Support solidarity initiatives and encourage a spirit of sharing.
3. Spend with awareness:
Every purchase is an ethical and spiritual decision. Ask yourself: "Do I really need this? Does this expense promote justice or just my own comfort?"
4. Put your talents at the service of the common good:
Your skills, your time, your network - these are also forms of wealth. Use them to help those with fewer opportunities.
5. Live with Gospel simplicity:
Simplicity is not bitter renunciation, but inner freedom. Practise a lifestyle that is simple and focused on what truly matters.
MONTHLY PRAYER
Lord of life,
all we have comes from You:
the fertile land, the talents we've received,
the effort of those who came before us.
Nothing is ours alone - everything is a shared gift.
But so often, Lord,
we let the wealth we seek or attain harden our hearts,
lock us in selfishness,
and make us forget the most vulnerable.
Forgive us for storing up instead of sharing,
for using goods as power rather than as service.
You remind us that true wealth is not found in what we keep,
but in what we give with love.
A heart detached from possessions transforms the world:
it opens paths of justice,
tears down walls of indifference,
and sows hope among the poor.
We ask You, Lord,
that Your Spirit teach us to use what we have
- money, time, talents, opportunities -
as instruments of fraternity.
May each economic, family, or community decision
spring from a free heart,
able to recognise that every good is meant for all,
and that only by sharing do we build the future.
Make us witnesses of a wealth
transformed into service and mercy,
so that our lives, united to the lives of others,
may be a sign of Your Kingdom of justice and peace.
Amen.
|
|
