In St Luke’s Gospel Christ narrates the parable of a man who, having an abundance of crops, decides to pull down his barns, build larger ones and feeling assured for the future, proceed to enjoy life to the full. However, Jesus tells him, “You fool – this very night they will come for your soul”.

It is incredible how we human beings, blinded by pride and unlimited self-confidence, fail to consider that our plans and careful calculations for the future can sometimes go horribly wrong. Up to a short while ago, especially here in Europe, we were confident that, despite inevitable difficulties, our economic outlook and therefore our way of life can only get better.

God, if he exists at all, has been marginalised, firmly told to mind His own business and to leave us alone to live our lives as we thought fit. European man had well and truly made it. Or so he thought. Now, with the present economic crisis, our certainties seem to have melted away. Our self-confidence and the utopia of being in full control of our lives, both present and future, much like those of the foolish man of the parable, are no more.

Where does all this leave us as far as God is concerned? For unbelievers there can be no answer except perhaps the sadness of realising that control over their own lives and indeed those of others has limits after all. For those who have faith such events can only confirm their belief in a loving, merciful and patient God who is in full control of human events, whose word is certainly the last and to whom we always need to turn especially when our sinful nature (pride and greed are the main culprits in our present predicament) leads us to unpredictable and dramatic circumstances.