Whether we are rich or poor, we can find
real happiness in life. It is a matter of perspective. It is how we handle and
manage what we have. Those of us who are poor, or those of us who are rich,
either way can destroy us. Indeed, those of us who are poor, sometimes and
quite often, perhaps, fall into the sin of envy. We always envy those who are
rich, those who have plenty. And this can lead to resentment, to greed and
cheating and corruption. And as a consequence, they become indifferent to
what is right and what is wrong. They justify every action of theirs in order
to become richer. For those of us who are rich, the same snares are also
present. The rich who have become rich, not because of God's blessing, but
because of greed, because of corruption, because of injustices. A businessman is not
just to grow his company, his organisation to make more money for himself. But
actually, a businessman has a grave responsibility to ensure that the
profits that he has made will somehow go back, not just to the workers or their
families, but even back to the community. Whatever profits we make
cannot be for ourselves. And I think this is a grave danger today. Because
there is a separation between investors and workers. Investors are those with
capital. They have the money. They use money to create money, but they
don't really do the work. They just have to invest, make sure they invest
correctly. Perhaps, that's all and pay people to help them to invest. But
actually they are doing nothing, just using money to make money. And that is
why the CEO is often paid a very high salary, the one who can bring in the
most profits to the company. But between the investors' relationship and the
workers', it is very far. Investors don't think of their workers, because they are
not directly in charge of them. They are only thinking in terms of the bottom line, what
is the profit, before they invest. And so, labourers very often are underpaid. They
work very hard too. But you look at the kind of disparity between the salary of
the one who ensures profits for the company, and those who are just workers.
And everybody works equally hard, the same amount of time. But the profits are
not distributed. And this is where it's a grave sin against injustice of being
done to those who have contributed. And of course, it's important for us, for
those of us who are rich, or those who are poor to have the right
perspective. Because, very often, those people who are poor, think that those who
are rich are very happy. Those of us who have plenty of money, those who have plenty
of wealth, there are more problems actually, always fighting. Family members
are always fighting for wealth. They have also plenty of struggles in their
own lives. And so, it's very important to realise that happiness is not a matter
of wealth. It is how we live our lives in contentment, the joy sometimes of living
a very simple life, great company, the freedom to be who you are, to go where
you want. Those of us who are rich, who live fairly lavish lifestyles, at the
end of the day, we are tempted to pleasure, to sin. We become absorbed in ourselves.
We no longer feel with people, feel with the suffering, feel with the poor.
Those of us who come from rich families, sometimes, we are in positions of
authority. We make decisions, not understanding how the poor are going
through, the ordinary man who is going through the daily struggles. We make
decisions based on our own comfort level. If you are from a middle class
society, of course, you think everybody is facing the same struggles, but your
struggles are different. And therefore, sometimes we come up with
policies that actually for the poor, it is not applicable. Jesus gave us
the example, how we can truly be rich. A rich person is really one who not just
live a life of contentment, but making use of his resources always to bless people.
In blessing people, we bless ourselves. In sharing, we find great joy. It is in
service, it is in charity, it is in sharing, that we find friendships renew,
bonds are being established. Those of us who are rich, those of us who are
powerful, those of us who are in position, we must remember the grave
responsibility we have towards those who are under our charge, under our care. We
need to defend the poor, the vulnerable, the weak. And I think this is a great
responsibility for those of us who are in power. Because at the end of the day,
the Lord will bring us into account, how we have protected those people the Lord
has entrusted to us. We must be careful not to be like those rich, to make use
of the weak, the poor for our own benefits. When we are given a position
in authority, it is always for the service of the common good. And the
common good includes truly a preference for those who are weak. The
powerful, they can defend themselves. The rich, they can look after themselves,
but not those who are suffering.
