The Church of England and the Church Universal have a proper interest in the ethics of the financial world and in the question of whether our financial practices serve those who need to be served – or have simply become idols that themselves demand uncritical service.

Recalling our marketplaces to their true vocation under God – that of ‘serving those who need to be served’ – will require courage in our day as it did in Jesus’.  We need to be prepared for resistance and controversy.  In the words of the late Archbishop Oscar Romero:

A preaching that awakens, a preaching that enlightens – as when a light turned on awakes and of course annoys a sleeper – that is the preaching of Christ, calling: Wake up! Be converted! That is the Church’s authentic teaching. Naturally, such preaching must meet conflict, must spoil what is miscalled prestige, must disturb…

What does this mean for us?  The vocations website of the Roman Catholic Church puts it well:

A priest is unlikely to have to repeat Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple … but his words will demand the overturning of people’s lives if it is the Gospel he preaches.

In a society such as ours, the words of the Gospel demand a radical transformation of the way we think, act and live. One example is the question of peace and justice. The priest’s ministry includes a full presentation of the Church’s social teaching, taking seriously the Gospel as a message of freedom, of liberation from everything that oppresses God’s people. 

This is a challenge for members of every denomination.  Male and female, lay and ordained, we are called to embody the challenge of Jesus’ cleansing  of the Temple – and the hope of a more just economic order.

Resources for engaging churches in prayer, listening and action on these issues is online at calltochange.org