Dear Friends

“Greed is good”

You may remember those words from the classic 1987 movie, Wall Street. You may also recall smirking and mocking the phrase, thinking how ridiculous to put such an idea into words, who could possibly believe that?

Now 30 years later, it appears that ‘the greed is good’ philosophy has won. I don’t mean the one-dimensional idea of greed, as desiring and accumulating wealth. I’m speaking of a more multi-faceted, pervasive notion of greed, where we want more – of everything: more experiences, travels, the newest models of Galaxy or Apple, possessions, Face Book friends, Instagram ‘likes’!! Evidence suggests that western society, but not only, is gripped by a desire for excess, where truth, honesty and goodness are sacrificed to personal achievement and getting one’s way. I suspect that the post-truth phenomenon is the political expression of such a philosophy.

So why is it that we’re never satisfied, that we’re innately restless? What is it that leads us to believe nothing is good enough as it is? Why are we so impatient for improvement, for something better, for more, always more?

From our Christian spiritual tradition, we can interpret this as emanating from the fire of infinity, the Imago Dei, and is God’s way of assuring us that we will not be satisfied with anything other than everything. In its best sense, greed assures us of the veracity of the maxim of St Augustine, that our hearts will be restless until they rest in God. However, greed for the experiential, the material and the ego-centric is a poor substitute for the divine!

The Christmas festival that approaches so rapidly is a reminder that what we most need, we have; and that what we have is a pure gift from the God who is abundance.

The gift comes to us as a vulnerable and dependent child, born of transient parents, in a foreign land, in the poorest of circumstances and with the power-authorities hunting him. And this is the self-gift of God; an extraordinary example of humility and love.

For us, it is the time of year when we naturally focus on others; gather with them, give gifts, and express our gratitude. In fact, we need such reminders to assist us recalibrate our greed obsessed culture.

So, to all of you, enjoy Christmas, treasure the opportunity, and remember that with Mary, our task is to bring Jesus to our world.

Blessings to you, your families, communities and loved ones for Christmas 2019 and New Year 2020.

Br Peter Carroll FMS

President, Catholic Religious Australia