The dynamic between of wealth and poverty in the Gospel is complex, and a homily is not a theology class. Life is messy, and even though God has promised us abundant life, that abundance isn’t without challenge. The caution to the wealthy and poor alike is that God wants to be invited into our suffering — so He can be with us in it and work through it. How often when life is challenging do we double down our efforts, isolate ourselves from those who might be able to support us, deny how bad it is, ignore things in the hopes they will go away? We have a myriad of ineffective coping strategies that keep us from calling out to God. Then, when we realize how bad it is, we feel shame and unworthiness of asking for help. God doesn’t care how bad it has gotten, how rotten we feel, or how many bad choices got us there. He wants us to cry out. It’s sad that most of us won’t until we are utterly broken. You get to decide where rock bottom is. If you don’t want things to get worse, start crying out now, and don’t stop – even when things eventually get a bit more bearable.
For the humility to cry out when life is too much for us, and to keep doing so when things are good, we pray to the Lord.
Listening God, whisper humility into our fearful and pride-filled hearts. Help us to remember that you live to save us, and that you do not expect us to do life on our own. Teach us to cry out to you in our wealth and poverty, so that we find abundant life in being bound to your faithful help. Amen.
#CatholicYYC #SundayMass
Text: CCCB
Taken from the Facebook page of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary
