Daily Reflections ...

In today’s parable, the rich man is seeking to set himself up in comfort thanks to the bountiful harvest his land had produced. One could argue that this man was, in fact, the hero of this story, a forward thinker who was prudent enough to plan ahead and ensure he had the ability to store all that he had. Is this not just good stewardship? Yet, as Pope Benedict XVII exhorted the young people at World Youth Day, “You were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness”.

The greatness Pope Benedict speaks about here doesn’t come from our personal achievements and successes. The greatness we were made for is God himself. We were made to be filled by God and we need to be stretched in order that our capacity for receiving God can increase.

We are not made for comfort because the comfort that this world offers dulls our senses, dulls our desire for growth, and dulls our awareness of others and their needs. When these things are dulled, we begin to diminish, and our hearts become more attuned to the world than to God. When we step into discomfort and growth, we begin to expand and we prepare our heart and its capacity to receive him (Pope Benedict: Saved in Hope, n.33). As St Ignatius of Antioch said, “Do not have Jesus Christ on your lips, and the world in your heart.”

Jesus, we pray today that we would have you both on our lips and in our hearts. Help us to be authentic witnesses of your love in the world today.

by Teresa McGrath