From Living Faith Daily Catholic Devotions (Jan/Feb/Mar 2026)

Lenten Weekday

Jeremiah 17:5-10 + Psalm 1:1-4 + Luke 16:19-31

What Truly Matters

He is like a barren bush in the desert

that enjoys no change of season,

But stands in a lava waste,

a salt and empty earth.                          Jeremiah 17:6

Human beings have more luxuries today than at any point in history, and yet, many people feel empty. You can probably think of people who might seem to have it all but display no real joy, no richness in their relationships and no apparent spiritual fruit. This isn’t a condemnation but an observation, just as Jesus pointed to the sumptuous life of the rich man that disguised an inner poverty.

Lent calls us to take stock of what is most important. If our trust is in the power and trappings on this world, we risk overlooking what truly matters. We can completely miss the dignity of the beggar at our door or the work of the holy Spirit in us and around un. Our Lenten disciplines – prayer, fasting and almsgiving – however, are in antidote to the shallowness of materialism. In the Lord’s economy, we empty ourselves to become full.

□ Steve Pable