Day 13 – Whose Property?
Cantonese
Mandarin
English
After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So, he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any.
When we perceive those gifts as entitlements, we automatically see ourselves as owners instead of stewards. That makes a huge difference in how we view and use those gifts freely given to us.
In the younger son's case, he squandered his entire inheritance on a life of dissipation. His inheritance was not small at all. He was unbelievably lavish, and because he was away from his father, he was subjected to more temptations from the Devil. Pleasures were the Devil's traps for him and he wasted every penny he had received.
In reality, we also see the opposite extreme. We are oftentimes too fearful of losing our possessions. So we invest our whole lives in protecting them, to the point that we become slaves to our properties. People with this "owner" mindset tries their best to guard their possessions, and use them mainly for their own needs and interests. Fearing that they do not have enough for themselves, sharing will be limited, and only after their current needs are fulfilled and all their future needs are covered.
On the contrary, God wants us to be good stewards of the gifts freely given to us. He wants us to share as much as we can, so that His love can be channeled through us to those in need. Our God cannot be outdone in generosity. The more we share and give, the more He will bless us with His providence!
God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work.
If we remain in the Father's House, we will have an abundance for ourselves and others; if we are on our own in our distant country, we are left wanting.
REFLECTION
Are you living in fear of not having enough for your future? Would you like to be set free from all those worries?
Do you find yourself enslaved to material possessions? Do you find yourself still in your distant country, away from the Father's abundant graces?
TODAY'S PRAYER
I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
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I was in fear of not having enough to maintain my living standard when I planned to retire over 10 years ago. Wealth itself is not evil depending on how we use it. Simply focus in using them on our wants will never give us satisfaction because we are insatiable. If only we treat what we have as gifts from God, we will be more generous to share them with others. The more you give, the more you will receive, both materially and spiritually.
Thank you for another rich spiritual nourishment.
I just wonder will we be able to re-walk the journey after Lent. It will be good if we can start the journey over and over again.
God the all the organising team members!
Sorry, the last sentence should be:
“God bless all the organising team members!”
My apology!
I trust in Jesus as He told us not to worry what we eat or wear. Even the lilies of the field is more beautiful that the robe of Solomon. And Jesus also said in the Gospel that God looks after the sparrows in the air.