October 19
This Night Your
Soul is Required of You
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Today’s Gospel: Luke 12:13-21
(The Rich Fool)
“One of the multitude said to him, "Teacher, bid my brother divide the inheritance with me." But he said to him, "Man, who made me a judge or divider over you?" And he said to them, "Take heed, and beware of all covetousness; for a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." And he told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully; and he thought to himself, `What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' And he said, `I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him, `Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God."
Reflection:
A rich man filled his barns, patted himself on the back, and planned
to relax. God called him a fool. Tonight, He said, your soul is required.
Everything you stored up? Whose will it be? Don’t miss this. Your life is far
bigger than what you own. Martha worked hard. Mary chose the greater part. Sit
at the feet of Jesus. Nothing else compares.
Here’s the sad part. The rich man had plenty and never once thought of
anyone else. How many hungry could he have fed? How many homeless could he have
sheltered? Instead, he hoarded, and his legacy was pride. God blesses you so
you can bless others. Everything you own, the harvest and the profit alike, is
already His. Paul says it plainly: by grace you have been saved, through faith,
and it is a gift. Not earned. You were made on purpose, for a purpose, with
good works prepared before you were born. So go do them. Tell someone about
Jesus today. Don’t wait for the perfect moment. The Gospel is the one treasure
that multiplies when you give it away.
The North American Martyrs held nothing back. Saint John de Brébeuf
learned the Huron language and wrote “Jesous Ahatonhia,” the Huron Carol, known
in English as “’Twas in the Moon of Wintertime.” It is still sung today. Saint
Isaac Jogues escaped captivity, then walked right back to the people he longed
to save. He was martyred in what is now New York State. Ten years later, in
that same Mohawk valley, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha was born. The Lily of the
Mohawks loved her Rosary and carried Christ to her people. If they gave
everything, what’s your excuse? It is Beneath the Standard of Mary, where
nothing that is given for Jesus is ever wasted.
Who in your life is starving for the Gospel? Whose language of the
heart will you learn so they hear it? What has God prepared for you to do
today, and will you actually do it?
Rosary Man Jim 🌹
Freely given. Freely shared.
