Today in our first reading from Ephesians 2, St. Paul speaks about being saved. And how does he say we are saved? “By grace you have been saved.” and “For by grace you have been saved through faith…it is the gift of God.” Our salvation is only through the grace of God. We have done, nor can we do, nothing to merit it. It is a free gift. Accept it! In the Gospel today from Luke 12, Jesus tells the story of a rich man who accumulated lots of stuff and felt quite comfortable. But God says to him, “You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you…Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.”
We just passed the sixth anniversary of my dad’s death. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of Phil Lloyd. For all intents and purposes, my dad died a pauper. He had just enough money to cover his final expenses. No big estate. Nothing for his heirs to fight over. You see, things meant nothing to my dad. But at his memorial service, people came out of the woodwork to tell us about all the wonderful ways that he had brightened up their lives.
In the eyes of the world, my dad would be considered poor. But in my eyes, and I believe in the eyes of God, my dad was a very wealthy man. Though he didn’t have money or stuff, he was rich in what matters to God. He loved deeply and cared more about people than things. And that is what matters. That is true wealth.
Father, forgive us for those times when we lose sight of what really matters to you. Give us the grace to love deeply and put others before ourselves. Amen.
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