Daily Retreat 08/12/07
2007 Aug 12 SUN:NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Wis 18:6-9/ Ps 32(33):1. 12. 18-19. 20-22 (12b)/ Heb 11:1-2. 8-19/ Lk 12:32-48
From today’s readings: “The night of the Passover was known beforehand to our fathers, that, with sure knowledge of the oaths in which they put their faith, they might have courage.... Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be His own.... Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.... Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more....”
Blessings and Blanks
What has God given you and me? The simple answer is “God has given us everything that is good,” although, of course, that answer is so trite and generalized, it’s too easy to remain unmoved in spite of the colossal scope of that simple truth. Much more helpful is the simple but highly recommended spiritual exercise of listing each specific blessing received from God. Go ahead and do that now - it should be easy to come up with a fairly long list!
Then, make a parallel list: for each blessing you’ve recorded, write how you’ve used that gift in God’s service. If you’re like me, you will probably find more than one blank line in this second list, indicators that we’re not gratefully and faithfully employing our blessings sufficiently for their intended purpose.
What’s the point of this little exercise? To help us digest the sobering principle in the last verse of this Sunday’s Gospel: “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more!” Certainly we need to be ever grateful for all that God has given us, but when we take the time to actually take stock of how much He’s given us, we can’t help but be overwhelmed, as well as a bit sheepish, when we confront our own selfishness and laziness in light of His generosity.
Can you imagine someone giving you a brand new car? Wow! What incredible gratitude you would feel. But what if someone gave you outright a beautiful new house? Oh! A lifetime of saying “Thank you!” would be too little a response for that. But God gives us more than a car or house, as Jesus explains: “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the KINGDOM!” No one could give more than that! And having been entrusted with so much, what do we have to show for it? I know I’m going to be busy today filling in some of those blanks on my list - how about you?
Wis 18:6-9/ Ps 32(33):1. 12. 18-19. 20-22 (12b)/ Heb 11:1-2. 8-19/ Lk 12:32-48
From today’s readings: “The night of the Passover was known beforehand to our fathers, that, with sure knowledge of the oaths in which they put their faith, they might have courage.... Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be His own.... Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.... Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more....”
Blessings and Blanks
What has God given you and me? The simple answer is “God has given us everything that is good,” although, of course, that answer is so trite and generalized, it’s too easy to remain unmoved in spite of the colossal scope of that simple truth. Much more helpful is the simple but highly recommended spiritual exercise of listing each specific blessing received from God. Go ahead and do that now - it should be easy to come up with a fairly long list!
Then, make a parallel list: for each blessing you’ve recorded, write how you’ve used that gift in God’s service. If you’re like me, you will probably find more than one blank line in this second list, indicators that we’re not gratefully and faithfully employing our blessings sufficiently for their intended purpose.
What’s the point of this little exercise? To help us digest the sobering principle in the last verse of this Sunday’s Gospel: “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more!” Certainly we need to be ever grateful for all that God has given us, but when we take the time to actually take stock of how much He’s given us, we can’t help but be overwhelmed, as well as a bit sheepish, when we confront our own selfishness and laziness in light of His generosity.
Can you imagine someone giving you a brand new car? Wow! What incredible gratitude you would feel. But what if someone gave you outright a beautiful new house? Oh! A lifetime of saying “Thank you!” would be too little a response for that. But God gives us more than a car or house, as Jesus explains: “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the KINGDOM!” No one could give more than that! And having been entrusted with so much, what do we have to show for it? I know I’m going to be busy today filling in some of those blanks on my list - how about you?
posted by FrPitstick | 8/09/2007
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