Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Greed, Gratitude, and Generosity

Luke’s Gospel invites us to reflect on our attitudes towards things/stuff, possessions, and money. Do these things ever cause us to worry or be anxious? What are the sources of that worry or anxiety? What is it that always has us seeking more? Something bigger and better? To what end? I am often reminded of something Raul Jimenez, the founder of the San Antonio Thanksgiving Dinner, said. “You never see a U-Haul at the back of a hearse.” That attitude led him to gratitude and generosity.

For some people, it’s easy to mistake an accumulation of possessions as a sign of God’s love. The truer sign isn’t having, but spending-spending every day in the love of God, and showing that love in all that we do.

How does one become “rich in what matters to God,” as Jesus’s parable recommends? What does it mean to grow rich in the sight of God? In the Psalm Response this weekend we pray, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart.” We pray for that wisdom!

Listen to “These Alone Are Enough For Me” here: