It Is Good (Genesis 1)

The dishonest steward (Luke 16:1-8) is accused of squandering his master’s property.  It makes me think of how I choose to make use of what the Lord has given me.  It makes me wonder:  Do I give appropriate care to the things that have been entrusted to me?

What about my wife and children; my granddaughters; my brother?  They are beautiful and they love me.  Do they get the time and the attention they deserve, or do I squander time I could be spending with them? 

What about my faith life?  Do I take time each day – more than a few minutes—for prayer and meditation?  Or am I just too overwhelmed with tasks to worry about such things?  Focusing on my busy-ness to the exclusion of my relationship with Jesus could be construed as wasting my life.

For those who are not retired, don’t forget about your work.  Do you honor in your heart and in your deeds your pact with your employer?  Do you make full use of the talents and abilities that have been given to you?  Do you honestly, cheerfully and responsibly carry out your assigned duties?  Failing to do so is dishonest and erodes your spiritual health.

I wonder about my interactions with other people.  Do they receive from me appropriate care, regard, and respect?  Or do I discriminate, backstab, or ignore individuals based on whether they happen to be useful or attractive to me?

Am I driven to fill every minute of the day with “productive” activity, or do I spend time enjoying the poetry, beautiful music or good companionship that the Lord has provided in such abundance?

As I wonder about all of this, I realize I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my life that I sometimes wish I could do over again and get right this time.

When we err, when we do what is less than perfect, when we do things that we feel like kicking ourselves for, it is good to remember what Paul wrote to the community at Rome (Romans 15:14-21).  It is a reminder of where we stand, and it is supported by both scripture and long practice.

To understand, we need to go all the way back to the book of Genesis, in which we find that God created humankind and "it was good."  Both the act of creation and the created being are good.  Catholics believe that humanity is essentially good; that we are fallen and broken and wounded, but that we are essentially good. Some others believe that humanity is totally depraved and that it is essentially bad - to say it another way, they believe humanity is bad in essence; bad to the very foundation.

That’s just not so!  Over and over, we are reminded of our fallen nature, but we are also reminded that we are Children of God, and by that designation, we are good.  Additionally, I said that Paul's statement is true in scripture and in practice.  Following the adage “you are what you eat” –if we consume the flesh and blood of Our Savior, then we incorporate Him into ourselves—He is ALL goodness.  And so, by partaking of the Eucharist, we are "full of goodness" because Christ fills us each time that we receive Him.

The next time you are down about yourself, remember this essential truth; You are flawed, you will fail if you rely upon yourself, but you are good at the start, and you are filled with God's own goodness each time you attend Mass and partake of the Lord's perfect gift to us.