Belief in an Abundance

In today’s first reading, Gen. 13: 2, 5-18, we read the story of Abram and Lot being “very rich in livestock, silver, and gold.” The flock and herds and tents of both were so great that “the land could not support them if they stayed together; their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together.” So Abram says to Lot: “Let there be no strife between you and me, or between  your herdsmen and mine, for we are kinsmen. Is not the whole land at your disposal?  Please separate from me. If you prefer the left, I will go to the right; if you prefer the right, I will go to the left.”

As I reflected upon that passage, I realized that when I am “fighting” with another, it is a sign of my lack of faith in the Lord’s ability, desire and power to fulfill my needs, to take care of my religious community, for instance, and its needs for new vocations and for whatever else my province needs to thrive. God is a generous God. There is an abundance of graces available to meet our needs for ongoing conversion, for future ministry, for an increase in membership or for new membership (not necessarily in huge numbers but sufficient for the work/ministry to which  God is calling us).  In my personal life, when I am “fighting” with another for whatever I want or believe I need, then, too, I am functioning from a position of lack, not believing in abundance, an abundance readily available to me through God, my Savior and the Creative Energy and Power at work in my life on a daily basis.

If we—the church, the nations of the world, municipalities, governing bodies of all sorts, members of families, corporations throughout the world--are going to work out of our differences, we need the faith of Abram, knowing that there is enough for all and that all can be part of the decision-making process (Abram included Lot and his family, Lot and his herdsmen). We need to be able to let go, as Abram did, be willing to compromise and be concerned that our neighbor’s needs are met, knowing, in fact, that ours will be met as well. What a difference we would make in the world of today, if we functioned with the faith of Abram and practiced his negotiating and compromising skills, in inclusivity of others in the decision-making process! How "rich" my life would be if I operated from the stance of faith in God's abundance.