Lenten reflection 15: Our choice

16 March 2017

In today's reading (Jer 17:5-10) Jeremiah enlightened us with his division of two groups of people. The first group are the worldly people who seek strength in flesh, whose heart turns away from God and they trust only themselves. They are like the barren bush in the desert. 

The second group however trusts in the Lord and hope in the Lord; they are like a tree planted beside the waters, their leaves remain green and no matter what the weather, they still get their nourishment and bear fruit. 

Jeremiah called the first group cursed; and the second group blessed; for only God can see our hearts and minds and reward us according to our ways and the merits of our deeds.   

In the Gospel of Luke 16:19-31, Jesus tells the Pharisees the story of the rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linens and dined sumptuously each day, ignoring the poor man Lazarus lying at his door covered with sores and trying to get the scraps from his table. When both men died, the rich man ended up in torment in the netherworld and from there he saw the poor man Lazarus being comforted in heaven. It was too late for him to ask for help and too late for him to warn his brothers. 

God does not decide for us where we spend our eternity. It is up to us. It is our choice, the way we live our life; our behavior, that decides for us.   

                           Whatever a man has in superabundance is owed, 
                           of natural right, to the poor for their sustenance. 

                                                      - St Thomas Aquinas -