Memorial of Sts John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs
In our Gospel passage today, we read about the rich man who had a bountiful harvest and tore down his barns to build larger ones, to store his harvest and other goods. We should feel very blessed to know that the barns of heaven are very large! What does this mean you might ask? I will tell you, it means all of the sacrifices no matter how big or how small they are, are stored in the kingdom of heaven. It is only when we get to the kingdom that we can see the product of the Lord’s blessing.
As our responsorial psalm for the day says, “The Lord made us; we belong to him.”We do belong to the Lord, and as I said yesterday, we should pay back to the Lord our gifts and talents, but even our crosses. If we do this, then what have we to fear? In his Rule, St. Benedict writes “keep death daily before your eyes.” In the Gospel passage, St. Mark writes, “Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.”
Today we celebrate the feast of Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, and their Companions, they knew all throughout their lives that they had to store up riches in heaven even until their deaths! Like them, let us store up riches in heaven. We can do that by praying for someone who truly needs prayer or by doing something nice for someone who we don’t particularly comfortable with. Always remember that God is calling you every day to be a saint, will you answer the call?
Reflection by Br. Maximilian Burkhart, OSB
Posted in Articles for Lent, Daily Reflections, Lenten Resources