TREAT THE RICH AND POOR ALIKE

We make new friends almost every day. Many of us have different categories of friends. Some are rich and some are poor. When we reflect on our attitudes towards our friends, we see that we do not treat all our friends the same way. We seem to run around the rich ones among them because  of what we think we can get from them, and we neglect the not so rich ones. St James tells us today that friendship is much more than material possessions and wealth. Some people cannot even accept poor people as friends, they treat them harshly and talk to them rudely as we see an example in the analogy of the first reading of today. We are all human beings, created in the image and likeness of God. Wealth does not define who we are, and money is not everything. On the last day, our wealth, power, prestige and authority will not stand for us, only our love for one another will speak for us.  If you are close to people because of their wealth, you are definitely heading the wrong direction. Check the number of friends you have today, how many are rich and how many are poor? Ask yourself if you treat them equally.

Fr Michael Osatofoh Eninlejie, MSP.