Where Are You On the Self-Indulgence Scale?

Today’s readings call us to ask ourselves: Where do we fall on the self-indulgence scale (1=Not self-indulgent, 5=Moderately self-indulgent, 10=Highly self-indulgent)? Are we always indulging in the good things of life or do we have a generous and sacrificial spirit? Are we somewhere in the middle? 

It helps to break down self-indulgence even further by looking at where you fall on that scale by subcategory such as food and drink, clothing, home goods, entertainment, travel, bank accounts, self-care luxuries, and even your spare time. We all have strengths and weaknesses when it comes to indulging and generosity.

Overall, I’m probably in the middle, and on certain subcategories, I’m probably admittedly on the high end of indulging. We can look at those areas of indulging as our red flags, like the rich man in today’s Gospel, areas where God is calling us to live more simply to share more with the poor and take less for ourselves. We who receive the good things of life are called to always share those with others.

So take a good hard look at yourself today and see where God is calling you to be less rich (indulgent) and more poor (generous and self-sacrificing). Then, identify at least 1-3 things you can share with the poor more meaningfully.