In God We Trust, reflection on the 8th Sunday of Ordinary Time

One of my favorite all-time musicals is Hello Dolly. Dolly Levi is in the business of building relationships as a matchmaker. In trying to find a wife for the grumpy millionaire, Horace Vandergelder, she finds that she is his perfect match, only he doesn’t know it yet. Along the way, she matches couples one after another. Toward the end of the show, when it is apparent that Horace doesn’t seem to hold the same interest in building a relationship with her, Dolly sings the song “So Long, Dearie.”  She reminds Horace that a person cannot have a relationship with money, ”On those cold winter nights, Horace … you can snuggle up to your cash register. It’s a bit lumpy, but it rings.” We can spend an entire lifetime building up our assets in acquiring money, property, investments and in one quick downturn of the stock market, a tragic fire, a major health event or some other life catastrophe lose everything. There is no such thing as a sure thing when it comes money. Jesus tells us that our lives are more wisely spent building relationships with one another, and most importantly, building our relationship with the God who loved us into creation. God will never let us down. God’s love is with us always. God is always in relationship with us, but we must also desire to be in relationship with God. At the end of the musical, Horace decides that his relationship with Dolly is far more important than his wealth. Thus it is, too, with our relationship with God. After all, on every piece of currency we find the words, “In God We Trust.”