When it was Fastow's turn to speak, he wept as he apologized to Enron's employees, its investors and his family.
"I'm ashamed of what I did, I wish I could undo what I did at Enron but I can't," Fastow said. He said he would accept whatever sentence was imposed without bitterness. Judge Hoyt told Fastow that he'd been drunk on the wine of greed. NPR Story
What a refreshing change to hear about someone admitting he made a mistake and saying he is sorry for his actions. The warning seems to come in Judge Hoyt's statement about being drunk on greed. Too often it seems, when people get so focused on gaining wealth and getting ahead, they are blind to the ways in which their actions hurt others. Wealth can too easily become the controlling force in our individual lives as well as in our world. In this election year, just look at the extent to which wealth currently controls our political landscape.
Scripture warns in many places of the dangers of wealth. The Hebrew Scriptures try to build justice and care for the poor and vulnerable into their lawcode, because their covenant with God obligates them to try and act as God would act. The prophets, however, demonstrate how difficult it was for the people to live in this way. In the gospels Jesus also warns against the dangers of wealth, from saying to his disciples, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God (Luke 18:24)," to his parable about the rich man and Lazarus (Lk. 16: 19-31). The temptation today is to soft-peddle these passages or to "spiritualize" them. Many of us, myself included, live very comfortable lives and really have no intention of selling all we have and giving everything to the poor. Nevertheless, I think we have to continue to hold these passages in front of ourselves and let them challenge us.
I was very disturbed to see the headline on the cover of Time on Sept. 18th, which stated, "Does God Want You to be Rich?" (See Time.) The article talked about the revival of a movement called Prosperity Theology that builds on the idea that God promises to be generous with us in this life. While proponents and skeptics of Prosperity Theology can both quote Scripture to support their opposing positions, I think ultimately it has to come down to a deeper reflection on the place of wealth in our lives and the challenge of what it means to be Christian in a world where there is a vast gap between the haves and the have nots. Rather than spending our theological energy justifying our somewhat extravagant lifestyles, it would seem a time for an examination of conscience. In what ways am I benefiting from the oppression of others, and are there ways I can change those situations? What do I value most in my life, and what do I sacrifice in the name of that value (e.g., do I sacrifice career advancement to spend more time with my family, or do I sacrifice my relationships with my family for the sake of my career?)? Am I happy and at peace? Inner restlessness can be a key indicator that what I am valuing most in my life is not fulfilling for me. Am I making the world a better place? This question is a big one for me, because I believe that having more resources gives you a greater responsibility to use those resources (and the power that often comes along with them) to make a difference in the world. If the second reading on Sunday makes us a bit uncomfortable, gives us cause to squirm a bit in our seats, that is not a bad thing. As the saying goes, the Scriptures should "comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable!" (A quick google search showed that this quote is from Finley Peter Dunne and really is in reference to the newspaper, but the sentiment still holds!)
2 comments:
This reflection reminds me of my babysitter's mother, who regularly queries her children: "I expect great things out of you. WHY?"
Their answer is: "Because I'm capable of them."
God expects great things of us: great sacrifice, great mercy, great love. And the expectation is there BECAUSE we are capable of them. And of course we are, because aren't we all made in God's image?
But having the capability doesn't mean that it will be easy or without struggle. Terrell Owens had the capability for unbelievable athletic success. . . but is obviously struggling mightily right now.
Heidi -- can't wait to read more from you!
Sara W
Sara,
You are absolutely right, in my opinion. We are capable of great things, and that capacity is infinite (because, as you say, we are created in the image and likeness of God!). Ultimately the capacity for all of the things we can accomplish in this life culminates in what theologians like to call our capax Dei or capax Infiniti (they like to use Latin because it sounds cooler, but simply put, our capacity for God or for the Infinite). We never reach a point in our lives before death when we are finished, when we have accomplished all there is we can do. There is always something more we can do. I wonder how many, perhaps including Terrell Owens, struggle to realize that potential because they don't have the mother your babysitter does, because no one has ever told them that they are capable and because no one has ever expected greatness from them. Even for people like me who have lived life surrounded by friends and family who are nothing but supportive, I would agree with you, that it still is not easy or without struggle to make good use of our capabilities. Maybe it is not supposed to be. Maybe the fact that we struggle to be better people is what helps to make us better people. I think there is a whole conversation that could take place here about freedom and choice, but it will have to wait for another day!
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