Possessions

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Possessions

Spiritual     Treasures

Prioritize    Renew   Restore

Christ Is In All

Stewardship

(Phot and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Colossians 3:11

Here there is not Greek and Jew, a circumcised person and an uncircumcised person, a barbarian, a Scythian, a slave, a free person; but Christ is all and in all.

Reflection

What are your most important possessions? Are there certain items that you would never give away? Are there things that you feel you cannot live without?

Jesus always challenges us to put our love for God and for our neighbor first. We are tempted to follow the path of materialism. It seems like the American way is to have the biggest house, the latest car, the best boat, and to take amazing vacations while we complain that our taxes are too high.

We can easily get the feeling that we should just strive to accumulate as many possessions as possible. The teaching of Jesus that we should trust in God and not be attached to the things of this world is nowhere to be found.

Jesus points us away from all those material possessions and invites us to strive for spiritual treasures in their place. We have to decide what is really important in our lives. 

We know that we have to make a living and provide for our families. However, we have to avoid getting caught up in a society that always seems to want more things. We can easily become convinced that we need the latest technological innovations. When do we have enough?

Jesus invites us to prioritize the things and relationships in our lives. A complaint I hear all the time is people telling me that they have too much stuff. They are running out of room to store things. They have to rent storage units, and then they forget what is in the storage units! 

Jesus calls us to renew our spirits and not to be caught up in our possessions. We are called to give to those in need and to put them first. We restore our own spirits as we give to others. We avoid getting trapped by our desires for those things that can never really satisfy our deepest hungers.

St. Paul tells us in our reading from Colossians that we should avoid the silly boxes that we put people in. It is not important to put a label on people and name them as a Greek or a Jew. In doing that we distance them from ourselves. 

We are called to see Christ in all. Jesus has come for all and to be in all. Our constant quest for more possessions can blind us to seeing Jesus in our sisters and brothers. Is part of our present concern about immigration a worry that we will not have enough material possessions for ourselves?

Jesus is calling us to good stewardship. We should take care of what God has given to us, be thankful for it, and be willing to share it with those in need. 

All of our possessions come from God.

God has given us an amazing, beautiful, and intricate world.

Sharing this gift of creation is our joy. Getting wrapped up in a quest for more and more possessions robs us of that joy and that ability to see Christ in all. 

Thank you, Jesus, for your treasures!

1. What are your most valuable possessions?

2. How do you fight against the materialism that surrounds us in our American culture?

3. How do you try to restore your spirit?

4. What happens when we put labels on people?

5. What do you see as you reflect on Kathy's photo?

(Scripture adaptation, reflection, and questions by John J. McNamara)