Daily Inspiration

“Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me." He replied to him, "Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?" Then he said to the crowd, "Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one's life does not consist of possessions." Then he told them a parable. "There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, 'What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?' And he said, 'This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, "Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!"' 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 12:13-21

Jesus did not deny His position as Judge, because before creation He is the final Judge. Neither did He say we could not be rich, but rather if we are, we should not let our possessions rule our lives. The danger, as I have experienced, was to allow my possessions to own me, rather than the other way around. I spent most of my life building larger barns to store my harvest. Then one day I found myself on the side of the road, barely clinging to life, and learning that I had very little treasure awaiting me in the Kingdom.  At that moment, all the treasure in the world could not have helped me if the Lord had demanded my life. My friends, today, we can put our possessions in their place, and start building the wealth that matters to God.

Saint John of Capistrano, pray for us.

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Jesus, I trust in you!