in the dog house
"The dogs even came and licked his sores." —Luke 16:21
When the dog house has more sensitivity than the White House or your house, something's seriously wrong. The rich man's dogs were more sensitive to the beggar Lazarus than the rich man. The rich man's family was so out of touch even someone raised from the dead would not have fazed them (Lk 16:31). They were "blinded by the god of this present age," the god of lifestyle (2 Cor 4:4).
Through a self-centered, pleasure-seeking life, we can make ourselves numb and insanely oblivious to what's right before our very eyes. By a secular lifestyle, we can twist and distort our heart and sensibilities so that we are beyond remedy except by a miracle from God (Jer 17:9). We can stultify ourselves (Rm 1:21) and harden our hearts through the deceit of sin and self-deception (Heb 3:13). We think we are helping ourselves through our lifestyle but may be poisoning our minds and ruining our hearts.
Let's change our lifestyle before it changes us into monsters "without conscience, without loyalty, without affection, without pity" (Rm 1:31).
Prayer: Father, in this Lent break life-long patterns in my life that will otherwise eventually destroy me.
Promise: "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord. He is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream." —Jer 17:7-8
Praise: St. John of God, noted and named for his godliness, worked with ceaseless energy and devotion to care for his patients until he died of an illness contracted while saving a drowning man.
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our tape on Lifestyle on audio AV 14A-3 or video V-14A.)
Rescript: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, August 3, 2006 & September 18, 2006
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