Give

Today’s Gospel Text:  One of the multitude said to him, "Teacher, bid my brother divide the inheritance with me." 14 But he said to him, "Man, who made me a judge or divider over you?" 15 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." 16 And he told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully; 17 and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' 18 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. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.' 20 But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' 21 So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." Luke 12:13-21

Reflection: It is in the very nature of man to produce treasures through the primary use of his faculties and gifts which God has blessed him with.

The scriptures are never against producing treasures and even enjoying the fruits thereof, if done in the right manner and with due respect for the laws of God which is even manifested in nature.

In fact man reaches his full maturity or potential when he is legitimately involved with the created world, with his abilities and talents, in union with God.

But when ambition, greed, envy and lusts take over than this activity turns to competition and accumulation.

Be it the accumulation of fame, power, wealth, knowledge and human resources these can lead humans into to ever deeper pits of a non gratified state.  

It only leads to an increased greed to have and posses; the more one has the more one seeks to possess and the cycle rarely ends.

At the same time the deep desire in the human heart to fill that vacuum which makes him seek and want to can never be satisfied by things which does not promote his own good in keeping with his nature.

Just as one can’t fully do justice to the self by living on junk food nor can you cover yourself completely with fig leaves similarly human nature cannot live up to its full potential by any worldly possessions.

Yet every human being is guilty of this sin of possessing more than what he or she requires, with some the gravity of this sin far exceeds the limits of sanity.

Since the desire exists in every human being it cannot be suppressed because to have is in the very nature of man and this is where Jesus fill the need by his total giving for us on the cross.

We are called to seek this Jesus who not only satisfies us but also helps us to be more generous in our giving and thus prove our faith in his providence.

Prayer:  One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. Ps 27:4

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Motivation to Work

Today’s Gospel Text:  "Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 "Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5 "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 16 "And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matt 6:1-6, 16-18

Reflection: Abraham Harold Maslow, in the year 1943, would never have proposed the theory of “hierarchy of needs” (Theory of human motivation), if humans did not work on motivating factors.

There are various things that motivate a human, what we in simple terms would call the 'reward factor'.

There are philosophies and ideologies that seek to destroy these motivating factors totally and thus seek the enlightenment or the self actualization.

Some explicitly discourage any forms of desires and some even explicitly state that one should work without seeking a reward.

In the gospel passage Jesus promises his disciples, rewards, and in the process communicates the higher goals of life and the sort of reward we need to seek in life and for what purpose.

In other words, if there is any effort to shun rewards then it is those rewards which lead us to doom. Instead, we need to seek the higher reward which God has in store for us and for our good, for all eternity.

In the examples given by Jesus we can thus understand that, in any circumstances, we should not seek the reward of men’s approval when performing acts of kindness.  But instead, seek the definite reward which has God's approval and his offer of a sure hope which he has prepared for those who love him. 

In other words, the motivation of our actions should be animated by the reward that God has in store for each one of us.

It is a sure reward proved and signed in the covenantal blood of Jesus Christ as seal for all eternity, proved by his death on the cross.

We would be foolish not to seek our self actualization by seeking to do God’s will and to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

Prayer: The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage. Ps 16:5-6 (NRSV)

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Be Satisfied

Scripture/Bible: In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, he will give it to you in my name. 24 Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.25 "I have said this to you in figures; the hour is coming when I shall no longer speak to you in figures but tell you plainly of the Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name; and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; 27 for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from the Father. 28 I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father." John 16:23-28 

Reflection:  Why would one ask nothing from someone? Or look at a weaned child, satisfied and asking nothing. Even animals do better. But the human being as he grows does develop this tendency to seek for more and more. 

Man is an insatiable creature. 

He has more than enough in his store house or bank to satisfy his needs and yet he may never be satisfied with what he has.   

If the fears, the anxieties, the conflicting desires, the oppositions, the conscience and the challenges of life would not have been there then perhaps nothing would stop him in his greed for more and more.

He generally seeks more in order to be satisfied or to reach a point of satisfaction, but satisfaction eludes him as the envy and the desire to achieve more makes him blind to this innate need in him.

The need to be satisfied is intrinsic to humans.  But they fail to realize the higher goals and this may sound philosophical but yet true; not to seek satisfaction is to be satisfied. It spells true freedom and freedom is a higher need than any other need. 

Hence, when Jesus says: “In that day you will ask nothing of me”, in this he is offering humans the possibility of satisfying their greatest need in him; the need for freedom and thus happiness.

He is free who chooses not to choose because he or she is content and happy.  Jesus came as a savior to accomplish this great innate need in us.   

Prayer: “We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, thy holy temple! By dread deeds thou dost answer us with deliverance, O God of our salvation” Ps 65:4-5

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us