Wealth

​​STEP #1: LECTIO / READ

Matthew 19:23-30

​Jesus said to his disciples:
“Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich
to enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Again I say to you,
it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.”
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said,
“Who then can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said,
“For men this is impossible,
but for God all things are possible.”
Then Peter said to him in reply,
“We have given up everything and followed you.
What will there be for us?”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you
that you who have followed me, in the new age,
when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory,
will yourselves sit on twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters
or father or mother or children or lands
for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more,
and will inherit eternal life.
But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

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​​STEP #2: MEDITATIO / MEDITATE

In the Gospel for today, it almost sounds like Jesus has a thing against rich people. He says that it is as hard for a rich person to enter heaven as it is for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. That sounds pretty impossible right?

It is not that the man is wealthy that Jesus has a problem with, for we know Joseph of Arimathea was a rich man and a follower of Christ. Rather it is the attitude of those that are wealthy. And wealth might not just mean money. It could mean something so simple as you live a pretty comfortable life. Nothing bad has ever truly happened to you. Or you have never had to worry about having a roof over your head. Maybe you are really smart and school and learning comes so easy; you’re wealthy in areas of intelligence, but skeptical in matters of faith. The wealth Jesus refers to can apply to any number of things.
When we are comfortable, we don’t thank God for our many blessings. We forget that because of Him even our simplest needs are met from having food on the table, clothes to wear and even toilet paper to use. In our complacency we can lose our desire or our passion for our Lord. We can lose our hunger and our need for Him.

A lot of times, we have to hit rock bottom for our faith to be tested and to grow. We have to feel that we can only rely on God, before we understand what Jesus was saying here.
But the fact is, we do need Him. We need Him in every aspect of our lives, but we tend to block Him out or forget that He is there. We need Him in the bad times, and the good times.

Don’t let your faith be complacent. Don’t wait till the hard time to practice your faith. Choose to live your faith out now. Pray even when you don’t need to ask God for anything, thank Him for what you do have. Seek regular forgiveness through Confession, don’t wait till it has been so long that you are afraid to go. Continue to learn about your faith, so that when you are tested you can more fully place your trust in God.

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​​​STEP #3: ORATIO / PRAY

Where am I too comfortable?

​Where do I need to invite Jesus in? 

​How can I better live out my faith?

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​​​STEP #4: CONTEMPLATIO / CONTEMPLATE

"Lord, I need you every minute of every day."

"Help me to seek you."

​"Jesus, I trust in you."

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​​​FOR THE REST OF YOUR DAY...

Make a list of everything you typically do in a day. Take note of what you invite Jesus to and what you don't share with Him. Find a way to bring Jesus into those parts of your life. 

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​​​SMARTPHONE LOCK SCREEN  

Today's prayer was prepared by Lisa Kendzior