Daily Toils

18th Sunday of Ordinary Time; Luke 12:13-21

What about the daily struggles, the strain of official duties, the anxiety in the dead of night?

It is said that when Julius Caesar rode thru the streets of Rome to the accolades of the crowds, he had a slave ride with him whose sole task was to keep repeating in his ear, “All fame is fleeting.” Supposedly it was to keep Caesar humble. Now, I have never had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Caesar, but, based on what I've heard about him, humility does not strike me as one of his strong suits. But I could be wrong. Just sayin’.

I know that it is easy to get caught up in various little “victories” I have in my life and begin to start thinking that I am all-that-and-a-bag-of-chips. Of course, she has a perfect sense of timing to keep me humble when I am “asked” to take out the garbage. I’ll bet Caesar never had to take out the garbage.

In today’s first reading from Ecclesiastes, we hear the sacred writer remind us:

“What do I gain for all my sweat and struggle under the sun? What about the daily struggles, the strain of official duties, the anxiety in the dead of night? (Ecc. 2:23)

I know I can get all caught up in my day-to-day activities and lose sight of the reason I exist and what it is I am supposed to really be focused on. In my previous life, running a business, there were many reason for my stress levels being too high. When things didn’t go the way I want them to or when I started to worry and stress about something that was going to happen in a few days, the anxiety level started to rise. And when that happened, I begin to snap at those I care the most about. And I was even less nice to people I didn’t know. Thankfully, I had someone who could talk sense to me. Far too often, she would have to give me a little pep talk, remind me to focus on Jesus, and get back to work.

If only I could keep my eye focused on the example Jesus taught us on how to live and treat others. I would be able to help others who might be seeking to draw closer to Jesus themselves. I’m certainly not the only one who gets stressed over responsibilities. Everyone loses sight of the goodness of God from time to time. But because I am all caught up in my own daily toils and anxieties, I push away the opportunities to be a witness of God’s love and mercy, instead of embracing them.

And so, each day, I begin anew remembering that my day will go a lot easier if I keep in mind that “Christ is all and in all.” (Col 3:11) If I remember that the Holy Spirit is in me and is working hard to project the love of God from within me, maybe I can be more aware of how Jesus is in each and every person I meet. Whether they are concerned “about the daily struggles, the strain of official duties, [and] the anxiety in the dead of night”, I have the opportunity to let my actions and words speak to them of the love of Jesus. Hopefully I’ll be humble about it when I do.

Every Day.

© 2025 by Timothy J. Doppel

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