By what are you saved? St. Paul gives us the answer in today’s first reading from Ephesians 2:1-10. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God.” In our Gospel reading today from Luke 12:13-21, Jesus has an encounter with a man which prompts Him to warn the gathered crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.”
Jesus then goes on to tell a story about a wealthy man who accumulates a lot of stuff, then sits back feeling very proud of himself. But God admonishes him, saying, “You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?” And Jesus finishes with, “thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.
This, of course, begs the question: What matters to God? I suppose we could all come up with our own interpretation of the answer to that question. But, as Christians, perhaps we should seek the opinion of the One whom we claim to follow. I think the answer can be summed up in one word: Love. Perhaps today would be a good day to reflect on how full our “bank account” is in the one thing that really matters. Is there room for more love in your account today?
Father, teach us to be truly rich in what matters to you. Let your love that is within us be poured out to all of our brothers and sisters today. Amen.
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