From our pastor, Fr. Neil Herlihy:
One of the central themes of our scriptures today is the need to focus on the spiritual blessings of the Lord rather than the possessions of the world. In our gospel, (Luke 12:13-21), Jesus reminds us to guard against all greed for though a person might be rich, his life does not consist of possessions. He wants us to store up heavenly treasures for Him, not earthly treasures for the world.
I believe that it is fair to say that the Lord asks us to give up some things the world may hold dear. And that is something for each of here today to prayerfully consider. He may be asking us to let go of certain possessions or attachments, or a questionable relationship or friendship. He may be asking us to let go of a job or a lifestyle that has just too many temporal distractions. He may be asking us to give up some bad habit. Whatever it is, ultimately He is asking us to let go of really anything that might stand in our way of loving Him first and foremost in our lives.
As we know, we may easily get caught up in worldly concerns. We may place our trust in possessions; we may squabble over earthly inheritances; we may convince ourselves that we deserve what ever treasures we have, and think that they will afford us security. We are challenged to treasure most the new life we have been given in Christ and seek what is above, mindful that He who gives us the breath of life could at any moment demand it back from us.
Today we may take a few moments and reflect on our own lives and ask ourselves, “What possession or attachment may be coming between us and the Lord?” It may be a possessive relationship; it may be an unhealthy emotional attachment; it may be our possessive attitude toward our money, our time, our talent. Whatever it is, we are invited to acknowledge it, and ask the Lord for the grace and the wisdom and the courage to let go of it.
The Lord does not want the treasure of our possessions. He wants us to utilize our possessions in a way that gives Him honor and glory. In essence, He wants the treasure of our hearts. He is the source of all wisdom and the only One who can satisfy the human heart. As St. Augustine said, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in thee O Lord.”
Today as we reflect on our scriptures, we are invited to have the wisdom to seek the treasures of the Lord, not the treasures of the world as we continue on our Christian journey of faith.
Fr. Neil Herlihy