Our Priorities

Just as today, in ancient times there were many who measured a person’s worth by the wealth and possessions they could accumulate. Paul, Timothy’s spiritual father and mentor, advises his pupil not to follow in the footsteps of those who thought that way.

The Apostle emphasizes that those who make money the priority and goal of their lives fall into an existential trap; they “become slaves to their own desires.” The old saying puts it well: “The more you have, the more you want.” It is this perpetual dissatisfaction, caused by an excessive desire for money, that leads many to relegate God’s precepts to second place in their lives. However, it is important to mention that this phenomenon of the “love of money” does not affect only those who devote themselves to becoming rich.

This ideology also affects those who adopt a defeatist, indifferent attitude toward the hardships facing vulnerable communities. In affluent areas where people with means live, no one would tolerate schools for children that are a disaster, inefficient hospitals, dilapidated housing, or a polluted environment. Yet these very conditions affect low-income communities in our countries day after day. When we remain unmoved by pollution, students dropping out of school, the lack of medical services, and inadequate housing in poor neighborhoods and communities, we perpetuate the idea that a person’s worth is measured in “dollars and cents.” What is unacceptable for affluent people should not be tolerated for the poor.

Those of us who have made Christ our priority know that the worth of every human being is incalculable, regardless of how much money they have in their bank account. On the cross, Christ revealed through his sacrificial death the true price of each of our lives. Jesus paid the same price for everyone with his life. From this theological foundation, we can understand the implications of Paul’s message to Timothy: “But you, man [and woman] of God, flee from all this, and strive to pursue justice, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and humility.” (v. 11)

It is important to note that, for Paul, it is not enough to “flee” from the idolatry of money. For the Apostle, it is also necessary to take a corrective stand against ideologies that seek to assign a monetary figure to human lives. That is why, despite the economic disparities of the Greco-Roman world, Paul presents “justice, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and humility” as an antidote to the world’s corrupt view of human life.

Sadly, in the modern world, services essential to proper human development (education, health care, housing, and public safety) are governed by government budgets. This means that those with greater resources can demand and lobby for better services. God’s call through Paul to “strive to pursue justice…” invites us to challenge the way the “world” assigns value to human life. If Christ paid the same price for everyone, we are called to fight for a more equitable future for every human being, especially the poor and marginalized of the earth. In our efforts to secure better opportunities for the “marginalized” to thrive, we honor Jesus Christ’s boundless sacrifice for all humanity.