Priscilla and Aquila literally "risked their necks" for the sake of St. Paul and the Gospel (see Rm 16:3-4, RSV-CE). This is no exaggeration; Paul was martyred when Roman soldiers severed his neck. Risking thousands of dollars is a little thing in comparison to risking your life for the Gospel. Paul first trusted Priscilla and Aquila because he worked with them in business (Acts 18:3). He trusted them with greater things when he moved into their house and shared not only lodgings but a mission (Acts 18:3-4; Rm 16:3). God also trusted Priscilla and Aquila with His Church, as an early Church group met in their home (Rm 16:5).
Jesus calls money a little thing and spreading the Gospel a greater thing. The world places great importance on money, but "what man thinks important, God holds in contempt" (Lk 16:15). Many of God's people are preoccupied with money problems. Yet focusing on these "little" problems permits them to become thorns which grow thicker and choke off the seeds of God's Word. These Christians produce no harvest for the Lord (Mk 4:7).
Which group describes your life? Are you like Priscilla and Aquila, magnifying the Lord and minimizing your problems so as to bear a rich harvest for Jesus? Or are you making the problems of this world bigger than life and making God into a "little thing," unable to be trusted with your cares? "You cannot give yourself to God and money" (Lk 16:13). Give your life and your problems to God today.
| PRAYER: | Father, may I and my money proclaim: "In God we trust." |
| PROMISE: | "May glory be given through Jesus Christ unto endless ages. Amen." –Rm 16:27 |
| PRAISE: | "Great is the Lord and highly to be praised" (Ps 145:3). Alleluia! |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College