Treasure in Heaven

For Saturday, November 3rd

‘Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

 ‘Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. ‘But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.’

 Peter said, ‘Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone?’ And the Lord said, ‘Who then is the faithful and prudent manager whom his master will put in charge of his slaves, to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. But if that slave says to himself, “My master is delayed in coming”, and if he begins to beat the other slaves, men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and put him with the unfaithful. That slave who knew what his master wanted, but did not prepare himself or do what was wanted, will receive a severe beating. But one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating. From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.

Luke 12:32-48

We can all become anxious about money, worrying that we need more to care for our families and fretting all the time about covering our basic needs. Too often, that worry creates an unhealthy distraction, a loss  of focus and very broken relationships. I am blessed with an extraordinary and loving family, but like everyone, can treat those gifts as ordinary. I know God best through my relationships, through love and service. When I trivialize those precious relationships, I can loose everything.

Today, we find Jesus teaching his disciples about the ways of true happiness. He tells them to forget the worries over money and security and to be about the work of God's kingdom - service, love, peace and compassion. They thought maybe the lesson was for someone else. The lesson was for them and for us today. We need to be about gathering up the heavenly treasures and giving them away freely. We are called today, in a very divisive and broken world, to give love, compassion, inclusion and service.

Today, I ask God to help me be ready to love and serve in every moment. May we all set our worries aside and focus on heavenly treasure desperately need in today's world. May we share freely, so that we are richly blessed.