Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

When successful hedge fund managers or angel investors come to speak to us at school, their advice often ultimately converge into 1 consensus, which is to have a sturdy purpose. This is because if the purpose ceases to exist, it can ruin a person. Though we can use money to bring smiles, and oxytocin to those around us, they are often so comically fleeting. No amount of money can capture a moment, such is our doomed protagonist in Fitzgerald’s American Classic, the Great Gatsby. In the story, money and prestige became a North Star that led Gatsby to his tragical demise.

Children of God are blessed with a North Light that never fails. Our light is a light trust wholeheartedly. We are no longer attached and blinded by the glitz of this transitory world. We know when things come our ways, they are gifts from above. We give thanks and we know they are just a shadow of God’s Kingdom. When things do not come our way, we praise God’s goodness and put our complete trust in Jesus. A German Proverb says “fortune and misfortune are two buckets in the same well” In this week’s Gospel, Lazarus’s poverty and sickness became a gift that helps him see God, love God, and walk with God. “When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham” (Luke 16: 22).

While gold coins turn to dust and snares, our God is a God that defy all limitations. Having God as our North Light sets ourselves on a path to the beautiful futures to come. Oscar Wilde says “I have the simplest tastes. I am only satisfied with the best.” In a world plagued with FOMO (the Fear of missing out) and FOBO (the Fear of Better Option), our faith gifts us the assurance that whatsoever we receive is the best our Father has in store for us.