Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr
When I was growing up, my Mom always stressed to me and my siblings the importance of writing thank you notes when we received any gift. This is a practice that I tried to instill in my children and I hopefully try to continue to practice this now. These notes take effort to write, but they remind me that the gift I received was something that I did not earn or deserve. By thanking the sender, I recognize his or her generosity and I show my gratitude for the thoughtfulness and blessing I received.
Today’s readings remind us of “the immeasurable riches of God’s grace.” When we take time to reflect on our lives, everything that we have- our bodies, our family, our possessions, the world, the universe- we recognize it is all gift. God has given us all things out of his great love for us. Both readings today speak of God’s generosity and our call to use all that we have to do His will. The gifts of God that we receive are given so we can share His riches with others.
In the first reading to the Ephesians, St. Paul reminds his readers that we are saved by our faith, which is a “gift of God”. He further explains that “it is not from works, so no one may boast.” This gift and all that God has given is because God is “rich in mercy” and a result of “the great love he had for us.” St. Paul explains that the “immeasurable riches of God’s grace” were given even when we were still “dead in our transgressions.” The gifts of God- His grace, Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, and His Spirit- all are given without regard to any action on our part except our openness and acceptance of these blessings. God has bestowed these gifts on us so that we can “live in them” in our good works.
In the gospel reading, Jesus responds to a question about money and riches. He relates the story of the rich man who builds up larger storehouses for his surplus. The rich man dies an untimely death and God questions him saying, “the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?” Jesus does not speak harshly about the rich man because of His wealth, but cautions that what we have and how we use it makes a difference. Jesus calls his disciples to be “rich in what matters to God.” Referring back to the reading from Ephesians, St. Paul tells us the riches of God (His love, His peace and His mercy) are what matters to God. Jesus goes one step further when He reminds us not to “store up treasures” for ourselves. These gifts of God are meant to be given and used for the benefit of all people.
These readings challenge me to take time and reflect on all the “immeasurable riches of God’s grace” in my life. By acknowledging that everything I am and have is from God, I become aware of His generosity and His great love for me. Becoming more aware of His gifts, I am called to respond in gratitude. In the Responsorial Psalm today, we are told: “Give thanks to Him.” Being grateful is such an important part of our Christian life and St. Ignatius of Loyola even said that ingratitude was one of the greatest sins, “For it is a forgetting of the gracious benefits and blessings received." (St. Ignatius of Loyola) Similar to writing a thank you note, by recognizing and thanking the giver (God) we realize that we did nothing to deserve these gifts and we are blessed because of the giver’s generosity.
When I give a gift, I experience great joy when I see the recipient using the gift that I gave. By using the gift, the person concretely says- “this gift has value and is appreciated and therefore I want to use it.” I believe that God probably has a similar sense of joy when He bestows His many blessings on us and we use these gifts to share with others. If mercy, love and peace are what matters to God, than I believe He rejoices when these treasures are shared and not “stored up” for our own personal welfare.
With the greatness of God’s love and generosity in mind, spend some time today composing a “thank you” note to Him acknowledging all the graces that He has given to you. Then mindful of these gifts go forth and live in the good works of Christ.
"Heavenly Father, you are rich in mercy and love for us. Jesus shows us the fullness of Your love. Through the grace of Your Spirit, give us grateful hearts aware of all that you have given to us. In that same Spirit, allow us to share your riches to the world, so we can praise you and glorify you with our lives. We pray this through Christ, our LORD. Amen."
- Marylynn Herchline