“Not rich in matters of God.” Lk. 12:21

Securing the future is one of the obsessions of man. In the Gospel this Sunday, Jesus reminds us that worldly possessions do not guarantee absolute security for the future. Our only true security is in God, thus, the rest, everything and everyone are all just false security. For after securing our future with wealth, power, and relationships, God says, “You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you.” Yes, we bring nothing with us when we leave this world, everything and everyone fades away except the love and goodness we have shared. The Wisdom of the Lord says, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart. Our heart will gain peace when we number our days aright and work towards storing up riches in heaven.”

“Give us each day our daily bread” Lk. 11:3

One of the things we ask in the “Our Father” prayer is to give us “our daily bread.” It is noteworthy, that we are petitioning God for the food provisions that we need every day, not just for plenty or just enough to survive. The Church Fathers believe that the daily bread that we ask for is not just for ordinary food but also for the Eucharist, the food of the soul. Thus, if we ask God for the “daily bread” in the Eucharist, why do so many Christians go to receive it once a year? “Receive daily what enriches every day and live your daily life in such a way as to be worthy to receive it.” (St. Ambrose, De Sacramentis, 5,4)

Formation is the product of education and practice. It’s an on-going cycle of applied learning. Without practice, it’s simply facts or knowledge. Without education action is often, and even most likely, misdirected and ineffective. The result of good formation is increased awareness. The old adage “The more you know, the more you know how little you know:” fits. Consider this as you read the question below

I think it's natural for every generation to assume that walking the straight and narrow is harder for them than their predecessors. I honestly don't know if that's the case, but I do know that even with the challenges we have today, there are many technological advantages that can, and do, make our daily walk easier; that can make our formation easier and more fruitful. I'm going to share a couple of my favorites. Do you have your own favorites? Let me know.

If you come to think of it, Mary's posture is that of disciple, sitting beside the Lord at His feet totally absorbed at every word that comes from the mouth of Her Master. Her focus was to just listen to Jesus, like a disciple listening to His Rabbi. (Acts. 22:3) In discipleship there is a time to listen and there is a time to serve. The posture of Mary is exactly what the voice in the Transfiguration asked every disciple to do, "Listen to Him" (Lk. 9:35). If only Martha realized the great blessing that she was missing, by trying to serve the Lord. When instead she should have been listening to Him. Mary choosing the better part also meant, that the aspect that takes priority in welcoming the Lord is "listening to Him," and to His message of salvation. That is exactly what Mary was doing. The better part, like a good soil… is to absorb all the nourishment that comes from the Lord.

Is our life dominated by the many cares of the world? Do we have time every day to really listen to our Lord? Prayer is listening to the Lord; do we have time to pray?

Be in God,
Fr. Bing

“Who is my neighbor?” Lk. 10:29

The central figure of the Gospel today is the Good Samaritan, the one who had compassion upon his neighbor, a person in need and treated him with mercy. We need to actively help our neighbor. They are the people we meet, and are with, in the present moment.

Our God is the Best Samaritan. He is always moved by compassion for those who are in need, and He acts to save them. Just as God showed compassion and mercy to those in need, we also are to act in mercy and compassion to those around us. As Pope Francis says, one day we will be face to face with God, and God will look at us and say to us, “Do you remember the people you met who are in need?” “That was me.”