JUST HOW RICH ARE WE?
"Lord Jesus, may the fire of your love burn in my heart that I may
be wholly devoted to you above all else.”
Deacon John Ruscheinsky
I will begin my
reflection today with this prayer. It's a good one. "Lord Jesus, may the
fire of your love burn in my heart that I may be wholly devoted to you above
all else. Free me from greed and attachment to material things that I may be
generous in using the gifts and resources you give me for your glory and for
the good of my neighbor." Amen.
Today's Gospel,
could be a good sermon on money, but I do not want to reflect on that today. I
do want to reflect on the Gospel's last line which deserves some thought,
"What is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God" (Lk
16:15.) These words we can apply it in the most personal way possible to
ourselves. We esteem so many things as urgent and important, such as our age,
situation, and where we live. Other things so valued are watching sports, a
song we like, clothes we wear, a diet we are on, political party affiliation,
who we hang with, money and our future planning for retirement and the lists
goes on and on.
How often we're not
willing to face up to the fact that we consider one of these items so terribly
important, despite the fact that the amount of time, money, and energy we're
willing to spend on the item speaks volumes. A Christian with maturing faith
begins to look on the icons of our culture and the things our world holds
important with a critical eye. A famous theologian defined religion or even God
as that which ultimately concerns us, that which in the long run we consider
non-negotiable.
Points to Pray and Ponder:
What do I give my time and attention?
What do I worry about?
What do I plan for?
What occupies my day?
Jesus helps us in
this area!