19th Sunday - Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/080722.cfm
The Fundamental Question we face is – “Are we living in the life & power in which the apostles lived? Simple Yet Profound Answer – If we are, nothing else is needed. Jesus teaches us right from wrong; He gives us grace to do the right and reject the wrong.
We need to Trust in Jesus.He gathers us into a community of faith: to learn, to pray, to obey, to suffer and we do it together. [Richard J. Foster, Plough]
Jesus is the beginning and the end of this community, His Church. In the 19th century Lord Acton said, “Power tends to corrupt, absolute power corrupts absolutely.” In the 20th century Winston Churchill said, “Democracy is the worst form of government – except for all others that have been tried.” In the 1st century Jesus said, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”
Think about what claims your heart?
Today’s Scriptures remind us that one day each of us will come before God to give an accounting of our life; the gifts [material and spiritual], that we were given and what we did with them. Christ urges us too always be ready. Always ready for what? For the moment of death.
He’s encouraging us to live each day ready to love, to store up treasure for the day we meet God.
Each one of us is going to die – we all have a terminal illness, known as death.
The famous Dodger announcer Vin Sculley died this past Tuesday [8/02] once said, “Being Irish, being Catholic, from the first day I can remember …. “Death is a constant companion in our religion. You live with it easily; it is not a morbid thought. That has given me the perspective that whatever I have can disappear in 30 seconds…. the most precious thing I have—time. You never know how much of it you have left.”
We don’t know when or how, but we will die. Jesus told His disciples “Do not be afraid!”
He wants us to be ready for that moment. He told them & He reminds us “…where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” St. John of the Cross put it well: “At the evening of life, we shall be judged on our love.” How can we live always ready?
If we wait for the great occasions to love, we may have a long wait. But we have countless opportunities to prepare our hearts for our heavenly report card. The key is to learn to do ordinary things with extraordinary love. With that in mind, what sacrifices can I make? Maybe it’s as simple as doing the dishes or running the vacuum cleaner. Maybe it’s cooking a meal for someone. Maybe it’s turning off TV or getting off my Electronic devices to spend some quality time with your family.
Pick something simple and stick to it.
We die as we live, and if we live choosing to love others, death will simply be what Pope Francis once described as the “Ultimate ‘Come’ spoken to us by the Father.”
Christ’s message today is to live each day as a preparation to meet the Father in joy. Christ wants to prepare our hearts to love more. And in that preparation, He wants to get ready for that day, known only to God, when we will go home to see Him face to face.
When N.C. State Basketball Coach Jim Valvano was dying of cancer, he ended a speech saying, “Don’t Give Up, Don’t Ever Give Up!” Here is a little twist to his thought that can help us, it is great prayer advice, “Don’t Stop Praying, Don’t Ever Stop Praying!”
Take a few minutes now to reflect on what claims your heart and what preparations you are making daily.
May God Be Praised!
Amen.
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