I have gotten up to write to you, Reader, because--a few minutes ago--I felt God calling me out of bed to open up my Bible. I was laying here, waiting for sleep to come upon me, my Rosary CD playing softly in the background of my darkened bedroom.I could almost feel a sensation in my right hand, as if it wanted to open up those Bible pages for me. And so I joyfully let the rest of my body leap out of bed, realizing that I would go whenever God called me, and why would this moment be any different?
Again, I opened to the first random page. And there, in the 29th Chapter of Sirach, God spoke to me about loans, creditors, and even home ownership. Are you serious, God?!
From its pages, I learned the following (and I very closely paraphrase or repeat verbatim):
1. It is right to lend to your neighbor in their hour of need.
2. Keep your promise and pay back all loans with honesty.
3. Many refuse to lend, not out of meanness, but from fear of being cheated.
4. To a poor man, however, be generous and do not keep him waiting for your alms. In his want, do not send him away empty-handed.
5. Lend to your neighbor according to your means, but take care, lest you fall into financial difficulty, for he who undertakes too much falls into lawsuits, and surety has ruined many prosperous men.
6. Life's prime needs are water, bread, and clothing...a house, too, for decent privacy. For it is better for a poor man's fare to be under the shadow of his own humble roof than to be at a fancy banquet among strangers.
7. Be it little or much, be content with what you have, and pay no heed to him who would disparage your home.
8. A miserable life it is to go from house to house.
9. And yet painful things to a sensitive man are abuse at home and insults from his creditors.
I am soooo eager for my spiritual direction this Wednesday night. This Biblical encounter makes me feel like God understands and wants me to experience home ownership, and yet He is cautioning me to use great wisdom with my limited finances.
