With the beginning of Lent, I have mad a commitment to read the daily readings each morning before I go to work. In addition I also read the “Daily Homily” as found on the Catholic Online website. Doing this in the morning gives me all day as I am driving around for my job to think about these readings. Whate I have realized this is one way in which the Holy Spirit speaks to me.
Take two of this morning’s readings for example, Jeremiah 17: 5 – 10.
7 ‘Blessed is anyone who trusts in Yahweh, with Yahweh to rely on.
8 Such a person is like a tree by the waterside that thrusts its roots to the stream: when the heat comes it has nothing to fear, its foliage stays green; untroubled in a year of drought, it never stops bearing fruit.
And Luke 16: 19 – 31, which is the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, of which I have written before. What is the Holy Spirit saying to me? First it says to me that as long as I trust in God, things will be good, no matter how bad they may seem to be getting. As I write this, I have about thirty cents to my name and because of a miscalculation on my part all my bank accounts have been closed. But I trust in God to give me the answer s to what to do and He has. Why? Because I finally have my roots in the stream, I finally trust in Him. something which has been lacking in my life for way too long.
The parable of Lazarus has two meanings for me, one involving my father, but also this, you don’t get to Heaven because of much you have in the bank, how many possessions you have, but rather by how much faith you have. This is a theme w see throughout the Bible, and it is a good one to remember. In today’s culture we are so wrapped up in how mush “stuff”we can accumulate, we forget that it isn’t about stuff at all.
Now I know what you are saying, I am only saying this because I have nothing, and that is partly true. It wasn’t until I had nothing that I realized that I don’t need anything as long as I have God.
“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21)
God has helped me more times than I can remember. I didn’t always realize it, but I now know it was He who never let me falter to the point I couldn’t return. Whether it was financially, emotionally or dealing with various addictions, he always made sure I never reached a point I couldn’t get back from. And most of those times was before I truly believed. With God all things really are possible (Matt 19)
Subscribe to the daily readings Email from Catholic.org. Take the time to read and think about the readings each day, you’ll be surprised at what you’ll learn.
And another good source for inspiration and meditation is the Dynamic Catholic Institute and their “Food for Thought”.
When you know you are doing the will of God, that alone is enough to sustain your happiness. When you don’t have that, all the possessions in the world cannot sustain happiness in the depths of your heart. – Mustard Seeds
The Wayward Catholic 