You are sitting by the side of the road selling fresh-caught shrimp when suddenly Jesus Christ comes walking by, surrounded by a crowd of followers. Do you…
Sometimes life is just a simple multiple choice question.
In the Gospel of Luke 18.18-27, we hear the popular reminder about wealth and heaven. “How hard is it for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Luke 18.24-25) If we are waiting to see a camel get through the needle, we are missing the point of the lesson. We are the camel, and until we are willing to leave the burden of wealth and prestige behind, we will never follow Christ into heaven. Sound impossible? Don’t worry.
When it comes to preparing to celebrate Christmas, it can be a daunting task. Weeks of Christmas parties and shopping days can lead to serious anxiety, and for what? What happens if tonight our soul is required of us? Those things which we have been preparing, whose will they be? The story of the rich man who tore down his barns to building larger ones, can teach us a lesson. The gifts, resources, talents, and blessings that God has given to us, are not for us to focus on ourselves. They are given to us to serve others.
Many times when we hear the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16.19-31, we get confused about the great chasm between heaven and hell. Most think this is a physical separation, but the Fathers teach us that the chasm is the time of our death. We have until NOW, before we die, to prepare our heart to experience heaven as joy. If we live our life like the rich man, totally self-absorbed and ignoring the needs of others, we will experience heaven as torment and fire.
