Dear Friends:
The Gospel we hear today from Luke 12:32-48 is another message telling us to get prepared for eternal life. Jesus is telling us not to be afraid, to trust in our Father in heaven, and get ready. He warns us not to be too concerned with things of this world. He wants us to be ready when he comes the second time.
Jesus tells us through the stories in today’s Gospel to prepare ourselves to enter heaven. This does not mean that we should disregard our day-to-day obligations to ourselves and our families. I think what Jesus is trying to tell us is that, while we will need earthly things, we must guard ourselves against being obsessed by them. Basically, Jesus is saying to make room for him, the Father, and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus wants us to take care of ourselves and our families to the best of our abilities. He wants us to serve our church and our community. He does not ask us to give everything up and live as paupers. What he is cautioning us to do is to stay detached from earthly things and spend more of our energy on the things of heaven.
Over the centuries there have been many people who have tried to find the balance Jesus is looking for. I can assure you it is not easy. However, always remember that Jesus does not ask us to be successful. He asks us to keep trying to attain what he teaches us.
Someday each of us will stand before Jesus and he will ask us for an account of our lives and what was most important to us. Our goal is to strive to be able to say “I did the best I could with what you gave me. I tried to love those around me and share of the abundance you gave me. I hope you are pleased with my work.”
Peace and All Good!
Deacon Jim
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