Note: Gospel is from 22Oct2012
The "God" hole. Something we are always trying to fill with everything other than God. For some it's alcohol; some sugar; some accumulation of wealth and material things. But the more we buy or consume, the heavier the weight we carry around on our shoulders. What can a bigger house, fancier car or heftier bank account do besides look good on the outside when the inside is barren? Build your spiritual wealth first. Build the Kingdom of God.
In todays Gospel (Luke 12:13-21), Jesus warns of acquiring too many earthly possessions:
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." Then he told them a parable. "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 the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God."
In Anne a lay apostle's book Lessons in Love, she lovingly describes why we need to lighten our load:
"In order to truly enter into the heart of Jesus, we must serve Him in the way He needs us to serve. This is another way of saying that we must reduce our commitment to self-will and replace it with commitment to divine will. Often we pay lip service to this but do not really abandon our own plan. Jesus says that the door is narrow. I think that means that we cannot get through it if we are carrying too much of our own stuff. If we are laden down, we are bulky and we simply cannot squeeze through. What makes us bulky? I believe that things like attachment to the opinions of others, addictions, materialism, pride, greed, anger, holding on to hurts ... carrying things like these add weight and girth to us. I believe that we all spend time standing outside the door knowing that we are called to enter but remaining unwilling to let go of some things. Many of us, I think, are squeezing through a little at a time, making wonderful progress by gradually letting go of the things that prevent complete entry into the Lord’s Sacred Heart. A pertinent part of that passage is the Lord’s encouraging us to make every effort."
Lay apostles, take a look at your life. What extra baggage are you carrying around on a daily basis? Anger? Greed? An oppressive relationship? How can you lighten your load today? If you start with baby steps, eventually you find yourself in a fast sprint to Jesus. And, He is waiting for your arrival in His loving arms!
Thank you, Lord, for helping me to only fill my void with You, letting go of things which were breaking my back. Please help those in difficult situations see Your Light and run toward it.
God bless,
Bonnie
The "God" hole. Something we are always trying to fill with everything other than God. For some it's alcohol; some sugar; some accumulation of wealth and material things. But the more we buy or consume, the heavier the weight we carry around on our shoulders. What can a bigger house, fancier car or heftier bank account do besides look good on the outside when the inside is barren? Build your spiritual wealth first. Build the Kingdom of God.
In todays Gospel (Luke 12:13-21), Jesus warns of acquiring too many earthly possessions:
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." Then he told them a parable. "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 the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God."
In Anne a lay apostle's book Lessons in Love, she lovingly describes why we need to lighten our load:
"In order to truly enter into the heart of Jesus, we must serve Him in the way He needs us to serve. This is another way of saying that we must reduce our commitment to self-will and replace it with commitment to divine will. Often we pay lip service to this but do not really abandon our own plan. Jesus says that the door is narrow. I think that means that we cannot get through it if we are carrying too much of our own stuff. If we are laden down, we are bulky and we simply cannot squeeze through. What makes us bulky? I believe that things like attachment to the opinions of others, addictions, materialism, pride, greed, anger, holding on to hurts ... carrying things like these add weight and girth to us. I believe that we all spend time standing outside the door knowing that we are called to enter but remaining unwilling to let go of some things. Many of us, I think, are squeezing through a little at a time, making wonderful progress by gradually letting go of the things that prevent complete entry into the Lord’s Sacred Heart. A pertinent part of that passage is the Lord’s encouraging us to make every effort."
Lay apostles, take a look at your life. What extra baggage are you carrying around on a daily basis? Anger? Greed? An oppressive relationship? How can you lighten your load today? If you start with baby steps, eventually you find yourself in a fast sprint to Jesus. And, He is waiting for your arrival in His loving arms!
Thank you, Lord, for helping me to only fill my void with You, letting go of things which were breaking my back. Please help those in difficult situations see Your Light and run toward it.
God bless,
Bonnie
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