WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WON THE LOTTERY?

Think about it. You've won the Mass. lottery. What would you do? Would you quit your job? Go on a cruise to Alaska or Hawaii? Buy Celtic season tickets? (I'm told that millionaires enjoy the company of other millionaires!) Would you buy a plush new home? Set up a trust fund for your children or grandchildren's college education? And, lest it slip your mind, would you make a contribution to the eminently worthy cause, the John J. O"Brien self-improvement fund? (Say what?!)

Kind of a nice fantasy, you know! And then the alarm goes off and it's another day of work. Most people spend many hours and budget funds for bills, food, mortgage, and church. And we hope that no emergencies pop up. While a pay cheque represents one's labor, we infrequently stop to examine our attitudes and thinking about money. What does money mean for you?

When I was a theological student, our class lived with Brother Valentine. He was in his mid-nineties. He used to ask us to pray that he would persevere. (He died as a Religious Brother, thank God). And he warned us to avoid "filthy lucre."

For centuries money was evil. Christian art portrayed money as excrement. Greed was presented as a terrible vice. It even rivaled pride. Christian preachers excoriated the rich as robbers taking from the poor. The greedy person (usually male since most females, save for those endowed with wealth, had no commercial power) was self-absorbed, isolated, and morally reprehensible. Everyone knew that a rich person had little chance of squeezing into heaven. The story of Dives and Lazarus in the Gospel of Luke made an indelible impression on many imaginations. So if you were fortunate enough to accumulate wealth, you risked eternal damnation.

Modern society has rehabilitated money from its sordid past. We still disdain displays of opulence or flashy affluence. But we treasure money. We say, money talks....We tolerate its texture crossing our palms. But we have no theological appreciation of money. By that I mean we are uncomfortable and ambiguous about the meaning of money in the Christian life.

I'm afraid I am not much help! I come from a generation of clergy that always heard people say: all they talk about is money, money, money. So, like many of my confreres, I am really cautious about preaching about money. And deep down, I would like to write a book about the theological meaning of money because I think that it is a necessary project for our spirituality.

So, let me point out a few words. First, generosity. Are you a generous person? Why are you generous? With whom are you generous? Are you ever chinzy or cheap?

Second,magnanimity. Are you a giver with a big heart? Would you be willing to sacrifice in order to be a benefactor of some person or some cause? Are you ever cold-hearted when you encounter people we label lazy and indolent?

Third, church. Are you a responsible contributor to the local, national, and global community? Do you figure that the Catholic Church is rolling in dough (it really isn't!) Are you ever harsh or judgmental about money and the cost of ministry?

Finally, what do you put in the basket? And why do you put in or pass up?