But God said to him, “You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?” – Luke 12:20
Not long ago I met a woman going through serious medical and financial difficulties. For many weeks, she had been off work and in severe pain due to a spinal injury. She was behind on her bills, immobile most of the time, barely able to care for herself and her child. Friends and family offered what support they could, but even the very best prognosis put her a month away from working again, provided she still had a job.
At the end of a tearful conversation, I offered to pray with her and for her. She gratefully accepted, and I asked the Lord to heal her, to address her challenges, to protect her family, and to guide those around her to know how best to help.
When I stopped to ask if she would like to add anything, she said yes—and then proceeded to pray for a friend who was going through hard times and needed a spiritual boost. She prayed earnestly, by name, for this other person, then thanked God for all the help He has provided to her so far. She never once mentioned her own situation.
In my service with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, this has happened so many times: People who are close to collapse themselves lift up the needs of family, friends, and neighbors or drop what they are doing to help someone else in crisis. It is edifying and convicting when I call to mind my own reluctance to get involved in someone else’s mess.
It makes sense that, if you live close to the edge yourself, you see the problems of others more clearly and sympathize more deeply, because you’ve been there. On the other hand, I live comfortably, surrounded by blessings and insulated from the troubles of even my nearest neighbors, unless I choose to step outside myself and take an active interest. And, like the Parable of the Rich Fool quoted above, the more well-fed and comfortable I become, the more I seek to protect what I have. Bigger barns, or bigger balances—either way, we are inclined to stockpile what we have for an unknown future: a rainy day that may never come, or a feast we may never enjoy.
So let’s commit together to turn our eyes, our hearts, and our prayers outward—we who are so blessed. Even when we face challenges and sorrows, let’s lift each other up as the Lord lifts us. Amen!