Monday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Intention: For all who seek roles of leadership and advocacy in society, that their hearts and minds will be open to God’s wisdom and guidance.
Today’s Gospel | Luke 12:13-21
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.”
From the Tenth Meditation for the Time of Retreat | Saint John Baptist de La Salle
Because the majority of your disciples are born poor, you must encourage them to despise riches and to love poverty, because our Lord was born poor and loved the poor, with whom he was also glad to be present. He even said that the poor are blessed, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
Prayer
Eternal Father, as we work hard to build our lives, sometimes what we acquire begins to look to us like the meaning of our lives. We forget that there are the things that are part of life and there are the things that give us life. Help us to remember the difference. May we keep our eyes and hearts open to the real riches of truth and freedom, of compassion and service, of peace and joy. We make this prayer through Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.