“In simple terms, the consumeristic lifestyle forces people to work too hard in order to fulfill their consumer ambitions. The desire for the bigger car or the better vacation drives people to overwork, and those caught up in this cycle have difficult decisions to make about whether to give up some of these ambitions in order to make room for sanctuary. Armed with this understanding, you can stand back from our culture and question it. You are a free person and you can choose how busy you want to be. Freely choosing to resist the urge to busyness is the frame of mind you need before you can take any steps toward finding sanctuary.”
Abbot Christopher Jamison in Finding Sanctuary: Monastic Steps for Everyday Life (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press) 17.
Jesus said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” Luke 12:15
Has the insatiable appetite of affluence caused you to become so overly busy and exhausted that you long for sanctuary that can only be found in God?
What “kinds of greed” try to take hold in your life? What do you need to lose in your life right now so you can find sanctuary?
Take the next few days to contemplate this reading and Jesus warning in Luke 12:15. Journal what you believe Jesus may be saying to you about your life.