“We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the good life as from the beginning he had meant to live it” (Ephesians 2:1-10). We as God’s creatures have been given the profound ability to know and to love God. We are chosen to succeed in our central duty to rise from the collective “crimes and sins” in which we humans were immersed. “It is through grace that we have been saved, through faith...by a gift of God, not only by the good works we do.” We recognize God’s grace, and we believe. We have faith and lead life in a caring and loving way. 

Most of us are aware of the disagreements between some Christians that some of the readings from Ephesians 2 (and others) have caused over the last several centuries. We are saved, but how? Is it by faith (alone) that we are saved? Is it by grace (alone)? We are given by God the grace that allows our faith to flourish; faith supports our belief in God and the scriptures. The current times call for us to thrive in our faith, and to be thankful to our loving God who is merciful. Are we saved by grace, faith, belief in the scriptural word and spirit, and God’s boundless love for us? I answer yes to each of these. These gifts encourage, but do not “make us” do good works. We must first be aware of the gifts and react to them in a diligent, loving, and disciplined way. When I reflect on this, I feel a sense of calm yet remain determined to act on these thoughts. When I transgressed a theological boundary in University, I had a kindly old (my age now) Jesuit to tell me, “Tom, you are going down the wrong road.” Even though I have been away from formal theological studies for over 55 years, I may at least not be careening off the road. At the very least, pray for me as I pray for you. Spread the love of God in any way that you can. As a fitting summary of Paul’s letter to us, Psalm 100 sings to us as we recite: “The Lord made us...we belong to him; sing joyfully to the Lord all you lands. 

As preface to the Gospel today, we read from the beatitudes: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” The Gospel reading (LK 12:13-21) allows us to join the large crowd listening to Jesus. “Take care to guard against greed”, he began. He then told them a parable about a rich man with a bountiful harvest; too much grain for his store house. He immediately thought, “I will build an even larger storage and live a comfortable life” He did not thank God. This rich man died that night. He never got to eat, drink, and be merry as he had planned.

The priorities of this man may be a normal reaction to good fortune. Most likely we are all inclined to celebrate our own success. When do we cross the line and commit the “cardinal” sin of greed? When we are so absorbed in an all-encompassing drive for more material wealth that we lose our spiritual perspective. It is then not time to celebrate, it is time to recalibrate. Find what really is your fair share (objectively, contemplatively, morally, spiritually). There are two ancient and secular phrases that haunt my reflection on this gospel. “You can’t take it with you.” and “Moderation in all things,” to which some add “...even moderation.” Even St. Ignatius initially struggled with the problem of riches and the thirst for more prestige and power. He vacillated between his aristocratic, soldier-self and the depleted, unkempt, starving ascetic-self. When he found his personal set-point and his true goal in life, extremes were no longer the answer. He no longer craved wealth and fame, but rather, he dedicated himself to love, service, and God’s will. As Jesus tells us in today’s gospel, “Don’t store up treasures for yourself...these are treasures that do not matter to God.” Amen!