Roman Catholic The Word Among Us Daily Mass Reading & Daily Meditation for Monday, 20 October 2014

Roman Catholic The Word Among Us Daily Mass Reading & Daily Meditation for Monday, 20 October 2014
Meditation: Luke 12: The Story of the Greedy Farmer
13 Someone out of the crowd said, “Teacher, order my brother to give me a fair share of the family inheritance.”
14 He replied, “Mister, what makes you think it’s any of my business to be a judge or mediator for you?”
15 Speaking to the people, he went on, “Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.”
16-19 Then he told them this story: “The farm of a certain rich man produced a terrific crop. He talked to himself: ‘What can I do? My barn isn’t big enough for this harvest.’ Then he said, ‘Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll gather in all my grain and goods, and I’ll say to myself, Self, you’ve done well! You’ve got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life!’
20 “Just then God showed up and said, ‘Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goods—who gets it?’
21 “That’s what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God.”
Saint Paul of the Cross, Priest
One’s life does not consist of possessions. (Luke 12:15)
Jesus has just spoken at length to a large crowd about the riches that await those who believe in him, who know that they are beloved of the Father, and who entrust themselves to the care of the Holy Spirit. But then, someone interrupts. “Tell my brother to share with me,” he demands. It’s a wonder Jesus didn’t sigh in frustration! Aside from its rudeness, the interruption portrays the kind of distractions that Jesus knew would only keep people impoverished.
Jesus taught that it is not lack of material possessions that makes us poor. Rather, preoccupation with what and how much we have—and how to get more of it—impoverishes us. Why? Because it keeps us distracted from the riches God wants to give us. It shifts our thoughts and efforts from serving our Creator and makes us slaves to created things instead. Jesus doesn’t say material possessions are bad or to be despised. He is clear, however, that “one’s life does not consist of possessions” (Luke 12:15).
What are the things that matter to God? First, that we would know his love for us personally. He created us out of love, and he loves us always. Second, that we matter to him—so much so that we can trust him always to take care of us. Third, that Jesus died and rose so that we could experience God’s transforming grace in our lives. And finally, that confident in his love for us, we would dedicate ourselves to loving and serving the people around us, especially those in need.
These are the riches we can steep ourselves in no matter how materially rich or poor we are. Every prayer time, we can tell God how much we love him. Better still, we can hear him tell us how much he loves us! Every word of Scripture can become a treasure, illustrating that love and showing us how to deepen our experience of it. Reading the lives of the saints or spiritual books, attending daily Mass—through all these ways, we can store up for ourselves all the things that matter.
“Father, teach me how to store up your heavenly riches. I trust that you will provide for me.” Amen!
Ephesians 2: He Tore Down the Wall
1-6 It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.
7-10 Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
Psalm 100: A Thanksgiving Psalm
1-2 On your feet now—applaud God!
    Bring a gift of laughter,
    sing yourselves into his presence.
3 Know this: God is God, and God, God.
    He made us; we didn’t make him.
    We’re his people, his well-tended sheep.
4 Enter with the password: “Thank you!”
    Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
    Thank him. Worship him.
5 For God is sheer beauty,
    all-generous in love,
    loyal always and ever.
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