Twenty-Fifth Thursday in Ordinary Time

Now thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways! You have sown much, but have brought in little; you have eaten, but have not been satisfied; You have drunk, but have not been exhilarated; have clothed yourselves, but not been warmed; And whoever earned wages earned them for a bag with holes in it.

There are some people who keep themselves very busy, but don’t accomplish much. Others are never satisfied with what they have no matter how much they’ve got. Some are never exhilarated by their lives and are always on the lookout for something better. Many have everything they truly need in life, but are not warmed by their good fortune. All of these people are like bags with holes in them. They will never be full, never be happy, never be at peace. They let their desires rule them and never stop to enjoy what they have. They think amassing more of everything will solve their problems, but their greed only multiplies their difficulties. Instead, we should consider our ways and try to remember that God loves those who are poor in spirit. He does not weigh our toys at the end of our lives, but rather our good words and deeds. And it is only in these good things that we will find any satisfaction.

Do we consider our ways each day? How do we try to improve ourselves in body, mind, and spirit? What can we do to patch the holes in our spiritual lives so we can hold onto what is truly important: our relationships with God and His children?

O Lord, help us to consider our ways and change for the better.

Amen.

Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries. Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten, your gold and silver have corroded, and that corrosion will be a testimony against you; it will devour your flesh like a fire. You have stored up treasure for the last days.

The rich described here are not only those who have wealth, but also those who have time and talents to spare, too. When we withhold the gifts and goods God has given us and hoard them for ourselves or keep them locked away, we store up the chains that will bind us to Hell. Letting our time slip by us, our talents rot, and our treasures sit idle will lead to misery and destruction. If we fail to use what God has given us for His glory or the goodness of others, then we will have no chance to go to Heaven and receive the gift of everlasting life. We will instead by cast into the fires of Hell. It is only by being generous with what we have that we will build a storehouse of good which will be evidence of our choosing God above all else.

Are we generous or miserly? What are we doing with our time, talents, and treasures? How can we build up goodness in our lives instead of evil?

O Lord, help us to use our time, talents, and treasures wisely and well.

Amen.

Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.”

Greed is a deadly sin for a reason. It kills our sense of charity and selflessness and replaces it with a selfish desire to possess worldly things. The irony is that by seeking more possessions it is us who become possessed. We lose ourselves in our belongings. We want more and more and never are fulfilled. This is why it is so important to resist the temptations to greed. If we don't our lives will become nothing more than an accumulation of things. However, if we set our desires on God instead of the world, then we will grow in charity and heavenly treasures. We will build up a storehouse of merits and one day will be recognized as good and faithful servants who built up His Kingdom. So let us guard against all greed so that one day we will experience the true riches of being forever in our Lord and King's presence.

Are we greedy in any ways? If so, then how can we become more charitable with our time, talents, and treasures? What can we do to guard against the greed that seeks to possess us?

O Lord, help us to fend off greed and the empty possessions that seek to possess us.

Amen.

The Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

“There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.  There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God.”

The foolishness of the rich man is not so much in the building of bigger barns to store his excess grain, but rather on the reason he builds the bigger barns. He does not build them because we wants to avoid wasting his good harvest, but rather he decides to build them because he wants to “rest, eat, drink, and be merry.” Instead of using the bountiful harvest to better himself, his lands, or his workers, he plans to use it on selfish pursuits and as an excuse to be lazy. God doesn’t give us gifts and talents to hoard them or use them to make our lives easier. He gives them to us to multiply them, to share with others, and thereby give glory to Him. We cannot do that if we store up our gifts and only use them for our personal enjoyment.

Are we storing up treasures for ourselves on earth? Or are we doing everything we can to multiply the bountiful harvests of graces that God has given us? How can we become rich in what matters, namely knowing, loving, and serving God and His children?

O Lord, inspire us to use the graces you’ve given us to store up heavenly merits rather than earthly treasures.

Amen.

Memorial of Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.

Jesus warns us to guard against all greed. This, of course, is easier said than done, but nonetheless we are all asked to undertake this herculean task. Greed comes in many forms. Sometimes our greed is so subtle it is difficult to recognize if we do not take a step back from life and ask God for help in becoming generous people. We all fall into the trap of greed. Sometimes we get upset with others for “wasting” our time. Other times we become so focused on achieving a goal or obtaining an object that we do not stop to ask ourselves what goods we are sacrificing in order to get these things. Perhaps we feel like we deserve to have something, but if we are truly honest with ourselves we are not entitled to anything. All the goods we have are gifts from God. We did not do anything to truly earn them. God is the source of our success and inspiration. So when we demand our “fair” share, we are letting the sin of greed talk through us. Instead, we should be thankful for what little we have and happily surprised when we receive other gifts from God. This is the difference between expectation and hope. Greed makes us expect success and possessions, while hope is always grateful for whatever God gives us.

Are we greedy in our dealings with God and others? Or do we always give thanks for even the littlest gifts God provides for us? Are we children of expectation or hope?

O Lord, guard us against all greed so that we might become rich in your spiritual gifts.

Amen.

Fifth Friday of Lent

I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?

We should not expect ticker tape parades when we do the right thing or when we love people as we ought to. Instead, we should expect to be persecuted for these actions. If we go about life in this way, then when people show gratitude, we will be all the more thankful for it. However, if they show us hatred, then we have only received the same as Jesus and who are we to seek more than that? When we start believing we deserve to be treated better, or to be loved by others, and start thinking why can’t people love us as we love them… that is not the voice of charity speaking, but the voice of selfishness. We deserve nothing from God or others. What they give to us is all gain and we should not be so ungrateful as to ask for more.

Have we ever been charitable toward someone and had it thrown back into our face? Did we ever reconcile with that person? How can we learn to be thankful for what we have and not greedy for more?

O Lord, inspire us to do good works without thought of repayment by anyone but you.

Amen.