Jesus got people’s attention by addressing everyday, practical concerns from a spiritual perspective. For example, someone in a crowd wanted the Lord to tell his brother to share an inheritance. Jesus responded with a parable about a rich man who died right after planning to build bigger barns and live in leisure for years after a bountiful harvest. God creates each person for good works and provides the ability to accomplish them. It takes time and cultivation for talents to develop, but God has patience with us. Saint Paul used the image of the faithful as construction materials for building a dwelling place of God. How do we persist on days of bright hope, days overcast with doubt, and days of weathering storms?