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Monday, October 17, 2005

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St. Ignatius of Antioch


Romans 4:20-25
Luke 1:69-75
Luke 12:13-21

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"in god we trust"

"Then I will say to myself: You have blessings in reserve for years to come. Relax!" —Luke 12:19

Jesus called the rich farmer a "fool" for preparing his own future. Many in America are treading the same "wide road" as did the farmer (see Mt 7:13). Many in our nation and throughout the world do not interpret this scenario through the eyes of Jesus.

God knows we tend to rely on our own provision rather than His fathering. He has promised to always provide all that we need (see Mt 6:24-34). However, God knows how weak we are. He knows if we had a year's supply of food, we'd likely "relax" (Lk 12:19) and not think to turn to Him until our supply was running out. We would be forgetting God for months instead of growing in a constant, loving, trusting relationship with our Abba. That's why Jesus teaches us to only pray for what we need today (Mt 6:11).

We are fools when we trust in years of financial security instead of trusting in God (Lk 12:20). In the USA, our money contains the motto "In God we trust." Jesus, the Bible, and even our coins and paper dollars shout to us to trust in God alone. He has promised to supply all that we need (Phil 4:19; Mt 6:32-33). "What is needed is trust" (Mk 5:36).

Prayer:  Father, I repent of being a fool with money. I decide to radically trust in You and be a fool for You (1 Cor 4:10).

Promise:  Abraham "never questioned or doubted God's promise; rather, he was strengthened in faith and gave glory to God, fully persuaded that God could do whatever He had promised." —Rm 4:20-21

Praise:  St. Ignatius trusted in God the most when awaiting his assigned martyrdom of being thrown to wild beasts for his faith.

Reference:  (This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)

Rescript:  †Most Reverend Daniel E. Pilarczyk, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, April 21, 2005

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