The Lord Is God, Whose People We Are

October 20 2008

Monday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

By Beth DeCristofaro

Know that the LORD is God; he made us, his we are; his people, the flock he tends…whose kindness endures forever, and his faithfulness, to all generations. (Psalm 100:3, 5)

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast. For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

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

You created me, God, in love. Save me from cravings which keep me from you. Fill my warehouses with your love and help me enrich the world by sharing that love. May the Spirit guide me so that your presence in the world is known through my loving choices and actions. When my life is demanded of me, may I arrive rejoicing into your kindness.

Study

Sure feels as if this Gospel were written for today’s news! With global financial insecurity, and personal worry about my depleting pension, what’s next? Personally, I can’t conceive of a global depression so don’t spend time worrying about that. But it crosses my mind that hopefully I’ll be healthy at 80-years old so that working full-time will be a possibility! Through all these readings we see a theme of humans worried for centuries about security, personal identity, material goods and even survival (a far cry from my worries). And God has been there through thick and thin.

Paul reminds us that we are created, lovingly, by a God who wants us to love not collect. Jesus refuses to get involved in a family dispute. He is not interested in proving who is right or wrong, nor accepting greed nor in choosing sides – sides which have separated brothers one from another. Jesus is interested only in the rich man’s unity with God. The very next verses of this story enforce this: For life is more than food and the body more than clothing. Notice the ravens: they do not sow or reap; they have neither storehouse nor barn, yet God feeds them. How much more important are you than birds! Can any of you by worrying add a moment to your lifespan? (Luke 12: 22-25). Ravens! Not even beautiful cardinals or powerful hawks but scavenger ravens!

The Pope spoke of the mystery of the Church (October 15) at the general audience held in St. Peter's Square. "If before, temples were considered places of the presence of God, now it is known and seen that God does not dwell in buildings made of stone, but that the place of the presence of God is in the world of the living community of the believers.

"This is the greatness of the Church and the greatness of our call," the Pontiff concluded. "We are the temple of God in the world, the place where God truly dwells, and we are, at the same time, community, family of God, who is love. As family and house of God we should carry out in the world the charity of God and thus be, with the strength that comes from faith, the place and sign of his presence." (www.zenit.org )

Action

How much more am I than a raven? Perhaps in this time of economic peril it is a good opportunity to review what “treasures” I hoard. What can I give up in order that I may fill myself with what matters to God? Property? Alcohol? Chocolate? Belongings? Toys? Time spent watching TV, playing games or surfing the net? Impatience? Having things my way? Hurt feelings? Self-importance? Vanity? With what are my warehouses filled?