July 28, Wednesday Weekday

God is my refuge on the day of distress. — Psalm 59:17 

Mass Readings: Jeremiah 15:10,16-21 / Matthew 13:44-46 

St. Francis as Role Model 

When I was in junior high, I fell in love with St. Francis of Assisi, who renounced the world and embraced Sister Poverty for the sake of the Kingdom. The son of a merchant, Francis would have inherited his father’s business and lived a bountiful life. But he heard the voice of the one who, in today’s Gospel, tells us of another merchant who sold all that he had to buy a pearl of great price. 

I sometimes wish I could recapture my youthful idealism and sell off my material possessions for the sake of the Kingdom. Of course, maturity has taught me that Jesus — and Francis — are teaching that attachment to material things obstructs the way to heaven, not the mere possession of them as gifts that could be taken away at any time.

Prayer: Jesus, teach me to appreciate God-given gifts but not cling to them.