Simon couldn't buy it; neither can we
Catholic men at work make money. Many if not most of us don't do what we really want to do. We need money to support our families, so we look for work that pays well. Nothing wrong with that.
Sometimes, though, our focus on money becomes disordered, like Simon the Sorcerer in Acts 8:9-24. He tries to buy the power of the "laying on of hands" that the apostles had in conferring the Holy Spirit on newly baptized people. Today we call that laying on of hands the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Simon was a local magician who himself had just been baptized. He was impressed with the power exhibited by the apostles. He offered them money for it.
The thing about Simon is he's not portrayed as an evil man with bad intentions. When Peter rebukes him, he asks for Peter's prayers. He's not angry or resentful. We don't know what happened to him after that.
What we do know is that his life was disordered. Peter himself tells him that: "...your heart is not right before God."
Keep money in perspective. If you make a lot, don't let the power and influence that comes with prosperity take over. If you're not making enough, don't let worry and anxiety take over.
I know, it's easy to say. But it's important. Think of Simon being rebuked by Peter. Simon meant well, but Peter saw that his good intentions sprang from a disordered soul. Even though we have to spend so much of our time and energy earning a living, it's important not to let ourselves become disordered by money.
Keep your heart right before God.
Sometimes, though, our focus on money becomes disordered, like Simon the Sorcerer in Acts 8:9-24. He tries to buy the power of the "laying on of hands" that the apostles had in conferring the Holy Spirit on newly baptized people. Today we call that laying on of hands the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Simon was a local magician who himself had just been baptized. He was impressed with the power exhibited by the apostles. He offered them money for it.
The thing about Simon is he's not portrayed as an evil man with bad intentions. When Peter rebukes him, he asks for Peter's prayers. He's not angry or resentful. We don't know what happened to him after that.
What we do know is that his life was disordered. Peter himself tells him that: "...your heart is not right before God."
Keep money in perspective. If you make a lot, don't let the power and influence that comes with prosperity take over. If you're not making enough, don't let worry and anxiety take over.
I know, it's easy to say. But it's important. Think of Simon being rebuked by Peter. Simon meant well, but Peter saw that his good intentions sprang from a disordered soul. Even though we have to spend so much of our time and energy earning a living, it's important not to let ourselves become disordered by money.
Keep your heart right before God.
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