Abraham did not doubt God’s promise in unbelief;
rather, he was empowered by faith and gave glory to God and was fully convinced
that what God had promised he was also able to do. That is why it was credited to him as righteousness. But it was not for him alone that it was
written that it was credited to him;
it was also for us. Romans 4:20-24a
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.” Luke 12:20-21
Piety
“Prayer does not change
God, but it changes the person who prays.”
Søren Kierkegaard
Study
Luke serves up stories of
the rich and powerful made humble. His
Gospel opens with the Canticle of Mary where we hear the theme set forth so
powerfully:
He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant
of mind and heart. He has thrown down
the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things;
the rich he has sent away empty. Luke
1:51-53
Luke does not relate how
Jesus calls the Pharisees and scribes, the Romans and the soldiers. Instead, he calls the fishermen and the
paralytics. To those who speak the truth
of Gospel poverty to the powerful, they find the inside of a prison cell. To those who do not resist temptation, they
find death. Jesus’ sermons preach woe to
the rich.
What matters to God? His foremost concern is fulfilling His
promise, the same promise that the Lord made to Adam, to Abraham, to Joseph and
to us. However, it does not stop
there. Like the father of the Prodigal
Son, the Lord also awaits our change and the advent of our faith to fulfill our
promise to Him.
There is a popular quote
about the life of a child that comes to mind when reading today’s Gospel. “A hundred years from now it will not matter
what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I
drove...but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a
child.” First published in the October 1950 issue of Scouting magazine, here is the rest of
what Forest E. Witcraft wrote
about what is within the power of one person.
If we accept the Gospel responsibility
of active love – doing unto others – then this idea is not limited to the life
of a child but applies to everyone we meet.
Action
These days, there are many
popular options for tracking your bills, loans, investments and bank
accounts. Quicken and Mint as two that
might be at the forefront of your mind.
But our daily diary fixation does not stop there with the computing
power that’s locked in your pocket or purse.
You also can track the location of a lost cell phone, how many miles you
have driven in your car, where you run, where you ride your bike, where a FedEx
or UPS package is, and even, yes, where your boyfriend or girlfriend might
be. You can track your Weight Watcher
points, your Frequent Flier miles, your hotel reward points, your office time
and expenses, and more.
One of the more
interesting “apps” for your phone is a way to track your gratitude and
happiness. By tracking your feelings you
can see what makes you happy and healthy.
The program tracks when you express thanksgiving, stay in touch with
friends, and do acts of kindness.
Maybe I should develop an
app that allows us to track when we pray to God[i]
(ACTS), when we stay in touch with him through study of the scriptures and
other sacred texts, and when we do the corporal and spiritual acts of mercy to
carry on His work on earth.
How would you do if you
had to track the little things that bring you close moments with God?
(PS: Any app developers
out there want to give me a hand in building the Your Daily Tripod Life Tracker?)
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