A SOLID FOUNDATION
Heaven cannot be purchased. It is God's gift to us. The
foundation upon which our lives rise toward heaven is a firm conviction that
everything comes from God.
A firm foundation is
necessary for any building. The more solid the foundation, the higher the
building can rise toward the sky. The foundation of our lives is a conviction
that we are completely dependent on our heavenly Father for everything. The
rich farmer in today's Gospel lacks this foundation. There is no indication
that he has acquired his riches dishonestly or that he's mistreated those who
work on his farm. His mistake is the thought that his abundant wealth is the
foundation of his happiness. He believes that his wealth gives him security and
that he has no need for God.
Although we are
mindful of God in a way in which the rich man in the parable was not, there is
still a temptation for us to be more like him than we might suspect. What I mean
is that it is easy for us to have the idea that our relationship with our
heavenly Father is based on a spiritual economic system. The rich man thought
that all his wealth could buy happiness and we might also be led to believe
that our good deeds merit God's favor and the ultimate gift of heaven. We have
a great wealth from God and what is to come is even greater, but God's favor is
not a reward for our good deeds. St.
Paul is quite clear about this. He insists that
salvation is God's gift, not our own doing. God's favor is freely given by His
own choice and is not a reward for anything we may have accomplished.
God has brought us
into new life in Jesus out of unmerited love for us. So we are saved by God's
gift, not because we're so wonderful. "For we are His handiwork, created
in Christ Jesus for good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should
live in them" (Eph 2:10). God's idea in giving us new life in Christ by
our baptism and faith is that this life reflects His handiwork through our good
deeds. We're meant to act and live like the son and daughter who, often
belatedly, recognizes all the good that has come from our parents and
determines to be worthy of that example. More and more we can bring true
justice into our daily living in this world. Let us show our gratitude to God
through acts of generosity, kindness, patience and taking the initiative to
doing something about the needs of others.
In the Responsorial
Psalm we acclaim, "The Lord made us, we belong to Him. Know that the Lord
is God" (Ps 3b). As Catholics, we share in the greatest gift of all, the
Eucharist, which reminds us of our heavenly Father's love and is shown for us
in Jesus. We are strengthened and we show it to our world in turn. Heaven
cannot be purchased. It is God's gift to us. The foundation upon which our
lives rise toward heaven is a firm conviction that everything comes from God.
Without Him we can do
nothing!