I usually do not comment on the effata* of the Dalai Lama. On Memorial Day, however, Msgr. Kobbeman gave me the following paragraph issued by that worthy:

“When asked what surprised him most about humanity, the Dalai Lama answered, ‘Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.’ ”

I would have to say that the gentleman makes a good point. Too often we put by our faith in God to place our confidence in human institutions and then watch as they miserably fail. A case in point is our almost supine confidence in the federal government which really does only one thing passively well, and that is “wage war.” At very least, our money too often maintains programs that are of little value. Of late even the feds enter the realm of theology to tell us what our religion should be about.

So, I am grateful to Msgr. Kobbeman and I offer what he gave to me to you, even as I remember, as I am sure you do, that Jesus said the same thing 20 centuries ago much more trenchantly: “No man can serve two masters …  . You cannot serve God and money.” (Mt 6:24)

The older one gets, the more one is bowled over by the simple wisdom and irresistible logic of the Gospel.

*Latin for solemn utterances.