When archeologists look back on our generation what will they say we valued most?
In the first reading today we switch to the prophet Haggai, and we hear the people of Israel after they have all the money from Darius, saying Well, now is not the time to be spending all that money on building a temple. God, through the prophet takes them to task for their hypocrisy, because they have wasted no time building nice houses for themselves, but take the attitude that the house of God can wait.
How little we have changed! What are the great edifices of our time? Hotels, sports arenas, and corporate headquarters are our temples, into which we sink all of our money. Our churches and schools we build on the cheap. And no, Vatican II cannot be blamed for that.
The more basic question this reading puts before us is do our spending patterns truly reflect our values. As St. Matthew puts it
Where your treasure lies, there your heart will be also
If the forensic accountant went through your last year's spending, what would he say you care most about? Where would God, the Church, the poor fall on your list? How Christian would it be?
