Meditation for January 23, 2016

John 4:38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.

Jeremy Sierra, editor in chief for Trinity, Wall Street writes "I work at Trinity Wall Street, a church that is over three hundred years old. Queen Elizabeth I of England granted a large portion of Manhattan to Trinity. Since then Trinity has given most of it away, but the church still retains some buildings to generate grant revenue, fund a music program, and do other work in the city and around the world. Those resources fund my job and the magazine I edit for Trinity."

Like Trinity parish, I too am the beneficiary of other people’s labor. Some of the resources I have drawn upon to succeed are earned, more or less, but most are gifts passed along from generation to generation.

None of this is fair. Whether saving souls or building a career, we reap that for which we did not labor. Recognizing this is the first step to accepting our gifts and resources with humility and using them for the benefit of others. When we remember that what we have—everything we have—is a gift, it becomes much easier to give away.

Almighty God, whose loving hand hath given us all that we possess: Grant us grace that we may honor you with our substance, and, remembering the account which we must one day give, may be faithful stewards of your bounty, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.