Lift Your Eyes Above the Temporary

 

Readings 101926

There was a time in my life 

when I didn't have much. 

I worked my main job 

and usually had something on the side. 

Not because I was chasing possessions 

or trying to get ahead of anyone else, 

but because I was trying to provide. 

I was holding off bill collectors, 

struggling to keep a roof over our heads, 

and doing everything I could 

for my wife and children.

And yet, something was missing.

I loved my family deeply 

and found joy in them. 

I wasn't depressed, 

and I don't think it was trauma. 

It was simply the quiet realization 

that no matter how hard I worked, 

no matter how much I earned 

or accomplished, 

there was an emptiness 

that effort alone could not fill.

That's why Jesus' words in today's Gospel 

speak so clearly:

"One's life does not consist of possessions."

The rich fool believed that bigger barns, 

greater savings, and material security 

would finally give him peace. 

After years of success, 

he told himself, 

"Rest, eat, drink, be merry." 

But Jesus exposed the illusion. 

Wealth may provide comfort, 

but it cannot give life to the soul. 

It cannot answer our deepest hunger.

Paul tells us where true life is found. 

We were dead in our sins, 

but God, who is rich in mercy, 

brought us to life in Christ. 

We are not saved by our accomplishments, 

our status, or our ability to provide for ourselves. 

We are saved by grace. It is God's gift.

In a culture that constantly tells us to accumulate more, 

Christ calls us to lift our eyes above the temporary 

and fix them on what endures. 

The question is not how much 

we have stored up for ourselves, 

but whether we are becoming rich 

in what matters to God.

Faith. 

Mercy. 

Love. 

Trust. 

Gratitude.

These are the treasures 

death cannot take away.

Because in the end, 

the greatest treasure we will ever possess 

is not what we have earned, 

but the life we have received 

through the grace of Jesus Christ.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, 

Lift my eyes above

the temporary things of this world.
Teach me to trust in Your grace

more than my own efforts.
Make me rich in faith,

mercy, and love that never fade.
Help me treasure the life

You have given me in You. 

Amen.