The Joy Of The Gospel And Consumerism
In the last article, we spoke about consumerism meaning that we try to find our happiness by buying more and more “things” or accumulating more and more wealth. Consumerism is a struggle between our “needs” and our “wants.”
Consumerism also makes us use more of the world’s resources than we actually need. We become a “gluttonous” people in all areas of our lives.
In “The Joy of the Gospel,” Pope Francis is only echoing the words of Jesus who said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. Rather store up treasures in heaven, whether neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be” (Matthew 6:19-21).
Or as St. Paul writes In Philippians 3:20, “…our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” He goes on to write in Colossians 3:1-3, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For you have died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.”
Pope Francis says that consumerism leads people to become greedier, to pursue “frivolous pleasures,” which dull our consciences towards the needs of others. We become self-absorbed by our own personal interests. We think only of our own needs, wants and desires. This selfishness leads to a profound sadness and loneliness in our lives because we begin to shut others out, even God from our lives. “There is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God’s voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades” (Paragraph 2). We hear only the voice of our own cravings.
We may not realize what is happening within us and in our relationships to others and to God, but becoming so self-absorbed in our “wants” impacts us in a very negative way. We cut ourselves off from others, especially the poor, and even from God. We may begin to think that we don’t even need God anymore because our lives are filled with so many wonderful things.
However, over time, we become lonely and sad because we do not experience our interconnectedness with and love for others. We realize that all the possessions we have do not bring us the joy we deeply desire. They only make us crave more to fill the empty void of loneliness.
Getting caught up in consumerism is also completely contradictory to our baptismal commitment when we promised to die to self-centeredness and to live for God alone in Christ. Consumerism can become such a natural way of living that we no longer recognize its negative spiritual impact upon us.
Pope Francis offers us this remedy to consumerism: renew our personal encounter with Jesus Christ. “… open ourselves to Jesus daily so that the Lord may fill us with his joy. And we will discover that Jesus is already there, waiting for us with open arms” (Paragraph 3).
The Pope assures us that when we humbly return to Jesus, we experience Jesus as our Good Shepherd as “he bears us on his shoulders. No one can strip us of the dignity bestowed upon us by his boundless, unfailing love. With a tenderness which never disappoints, but always restores our joy, he makes it possible for us to … start anew” (Paragraph 3).
