Daily Gospel Reflection for July 31, 2022

Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

Today's Gospel: Luke 12:13-21

“Rest, eat, drink and be merry” sounds like something we would all like to do every now and again. And really, is it terrible to take care of our material possessions? The key to how we are to live comes from verses 15 and 21; both remind us that possessions are not the problem. Greed and storing up material wealth are the issue.

God gives us good things and many of us live in material comfort, working hard for our families. When material goods or comfort supersede caring for our families, giving to those in need, or God Himself, we have a problem. This is not about living a minimalist lifestyle; honestly, when we embrace the latest ‘-ist” or “-ism,“ we are going to run into trouble. Embrace the lifestyle Jesus is teaching about in this passage.

What is important, if not possessions or treasure on this earth? What matters to God is what is important. How do we know what matters to God? Think for a minute about what you know of God from scriptures. People are important, care of the poor, the sick, the widow, the orphan, forgiveness, loving others – all of those are part of what matters to God.

We can be greedy with more than money; we can hold onto our time, our attention, our love.

As we go through our day, how can we lean toward what matters to God, remembering that life does not consist of our possessions and holding onto them? As St. Ignatius of Loyola reminds us, “Man was created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord and in this way to save his soul. The other things on Earth were created for man's use, to help him reach the end for which he was created.”

Ponder:

What am I most greedy with--time, money, possessions? How can I better serve God by holding onto to what I want more loosely?

Pray:

God, creator of all good things, help me to put You and those You have put in my life above all the created things of this world.

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Guard against putting the created above the Creator. #dailygospel

Copyright 2022 Deanna Bartalini