Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 117

Reading 1 Wis 18:6-9

The night of the passover was known beforehand to our fathers,
 that, with sure knowledge of the oaths in which they put their faith,
 they might have courage.
 Your people awaited the salvation of the just
 and the destruction of their foes.
 For when you punished our adversaries,
 in this you glorified us whom you had summoned.
 For in secret the holy children of the good were offering sacrifice
 and putting into effect with one accord the divine institution.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 33:1, 12, 18-19, 20-22

R. (12b) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.B
Exult, you just, in the LORD;
 praise from the upright is fitting.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
 the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
 upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
 and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
 who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
 who have put our hope in you.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

Reading 2 Heb 11:1-2, 8-19

Brothers and sisters:
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for
and evidence of things not seen.
Because of it the ancients were well attested.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place
that he was to receive as an inheritance;
he went out, not knowing where he was to go.
By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country,
dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise;
for he was looking forward to the city with foundations,
whose architect and maker is God.
By faith he received power to generate,
even though he was past the normal age
—and Sarah herself was sterile—
for he thought that the one who had made the promise was
trustworthy.
So it was that there came forth from one man,
himself as good as dead,
descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky
and as countless as the sands on the seashore.

All these died in faith.
They did not receive what had been promised
but saw it and greeted it from afar
and acknowledged themselves to be strangers and aliens on earth,
for those who speak thus show that they are seeking a homeland.
If they had been thinking of the land from which they had come,
they would have had opportunity to return.
But now they desire a better homeland, a heavenly one.
Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God,
for he has prepared a city for them.

By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac,
and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son,
of whom it was said,
“Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name.”
He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead,
and he received Isaac back as a symbol.

Or Heb 11:1-2, 8-12

Brothers and sisters:
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for
and evidence of things not seen.
Because of it the ancients were well attested.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place
that he was to receive as an inheritance;
he went out, not knowing where he was to go.
By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country,
dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise;
for he was looking forward to the city with foundations,
whose architect and maker is God.
By faith he received power to generate,
even though he was past the normal age
—and Sarah herself was sterile—
for he thought that the one who had made the promise was
trustworthy.
 So it was that there came forth from one man,
himself as good as dead,
descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky
and as countless as the sands on the seashore.

Alleluia Mt 24;42a, 44

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stay awake and be ready!
For you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 12:32-48

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not be afraid any longer, little flock,
for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.
Sell your belongings and give alms.
Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out,
an inexhaustible treasure in heaven
that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

“Gird your loins and light your lamps
and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding,
ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those servants
whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,
have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
And should he come in the second or third watch
and find them prepared in this way,
blessed are those servants.
Be sure of this:
if the master of the house had known the hour
when the thief was coming,
he would not have let his house be broken into.
You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect,
the Son of Man will come.”

Then Peter said,
“Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?”
And the Lord replied,
“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward
whom the master will put in charge of his servants
to distribute the food allowance at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.
Truly, I say to you, the master will put the servant
in charge of all his property.
But if that servant says to himself,
‘My master is delayed in coming,’
and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants,
to eat and drink and get drunk,
then that servant’s master will come
on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour
and will punish the servant severely
and assign him a place with the unfaithful.
That servant who knew his master’s will
but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will
shall be beaten severely;
and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will
but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating
shall be beaten only lightly.
Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,
and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”

                                                   

My Brothers and Sisters,

 Faith is the belief in that which is unseen. With that definition, do we have faith because we have not seen God or do we have faith because there is no other word to describe what we have? Yes, no one except Moses and Jesus have seen God face to face but that doesn’t mean we haven’t been witness to what God has done or have not been witness to the Mystical Side of the Church which encompasses that which is beyond the physical boundaries of the world. Examining our prayer life and spiritual experiences can bring about many examples of us being witness to that which remains invisible to others but has been revealed to us personally in an intimate or public setting and has been something that has reinforced our faith. These things and these interactions are things that God allows to happen so that we can be encouraged about those things that remain invisible, which includes Himself. These events, when they occur, are put front and center in our life but can then fade as time goes on and we are once again focused on that which is physical. It is then that the word faith takes on the meaning that it has but it does not always stand alone in our lives. We have always received validation and will continue to do so when it is necessary.

God never wants us to feel alone or apart from Him. When this occurs He will inevitably attempt to draw us closer to Him. We just need to be ready and accepting of Him when He does. The best way to do this is through a consistent prayer-life and an attention to our relationship with Him. The Church has provided a method to deepen our relationship with God and to understand Him more fully. The structure includes prayer, worship, reading Sacred Scripture and the understanding of what is read through our implementation of the teachings of the Church. The more we find ourselves acting out our relationship with God in this fashion then the more open we will become to Him. The word religion comes from the Latin words that mean obligation, reverence, and to bind. Through these words an understanding can develop that what is being described is a relationship. It is through our religion and the practice thereof that we deepen our relationship with God. It is the key to becoming closer to Him; an instruction manual set forth by Him to learn more about Him and His entire creation. This is the very reason why Jesus established the Church so as to draw all closer to Him and through Him closer to God. The very act of acting on these instructions and obligations opens us up to loving Him who created us.

The Scripture Reading from the Book of Wisdom today tells how the night of the passover was known to the people of that time so as to strengthen their faith and relationship with God. In much the same way we are given the Eucharist to give us that same encouragement along with an experience of uniting ourselves physically, mentally, and spiritually with Jesus. With these things comes instruction and ritual so that our experience becomes deeper and more meaningful. As Catholics it is important to center our lives in the Eucharist and from there structure all of our experiences around it. When we receive the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ it is truly impossible, in that moment, to turn away from God and sin. With that understanding we should challenge ourselves to take that state of being and expand it through every moment in our lives.

In the Letter to the Hebrews today we are told that faith can be further described as the realization of the unseen. In other words that which is unseen, God, can be seen through visible signs and occurrences in our lives if we are just open to seeing them. We are the ones who tend to get in our own way of experiencing these things by ignoring our relationship with Him or prioritizing other things above Him. We as Christians are challenged to reprioritize our lives around our relationship with God then we will be able to witness and experience more things that will reveal His presence to us. When we believe then we receive because we are in right relationship with Him. This receiving does not come in the form of a reward but it has always been there for the taking but we just refused to take it because we didn’t notice it.

Noticing things and being prepared for that which is to come in the future is what we need to focus on. When we are prepared then we are able to overcome all challenges including death itself and are able to experience the good things that life has to offer more readily. We are benefactors of all that is good by recognizing what is good and being open to receiving it. God is always waiting. He is patient. He is loving. He wants to give us everything and the only thing we have to do is be ready and willing to receive it.

Deacon Tom

XIX Domingo Ordinario
Leccionario: 117

Primera lectura

Sab 18, 6-9

La noche de la liberación pascual fue anunciada con anterioridad a nuestros padres, para que se confortaran al reconocer la firmeza de las promesas en que habían creído.

Tu pueblo esperaba a la vez la salvación de los justos y el exterminio de sus enemigos. En efecto, con aquello mismo con que castigaste a nuestros adversarios nos cubriste de gloria a tus elegidos.

Por eso, los piadosos hijos de un pueblo justo celebraron la Pascua en sus casas, y de común acuerdo se impusieron esta ley sagrada, de que todos los santos participaran por igual de los bienes y de los peligros. Y ya desde entonces cantaron los himnos de nuestros padres.

Salmo Responsorial

Salmo 32, 1 y 12. 18-19. 20 y 22

R. (12b) Dichoso el pueblo escogido por Dios.
Que los justos aclamen al Señor,
es propio de los justos alabarlo.
Feliz la nación cuyo Dios es el Señor,
dichoso el pueblo que eligió por suyo.
R. Dichoso el pueblo escogido por Dios.
Cuida el Señor de aquellos que lo temen
y en su bondad confían;
los salva de la muerte
y en épocas de hambre les da vida.
R. Dichoso el pueblo escogido por Dios.
En el Señor está nuestra esperanza,:
Pues él nuestra ayuda y nuestro amparo.
Muéstrate bondadoso con nosotros,
puesto que ti, Señor, hemos confiado.
R. Dichoso el pueblo escogido por Dios.

Segunda lectura

Heb 11, 1-2. 8-19

Hermanos: La fe es la forma de poseer, ya desde ahora, lo que se espera y de conocer las realidades que no se ven. Por ella fueron alabados nuestros mayores.

Por su fe, Abraham, obediente al llamado de Dios, y sin saber a dónde iba, partió hacia la tierra que habría de recibir como herencia. Por la fe, vivió como extranjero en la tierra prometida, en tiendas de campaña, como Isaac y Jacob, coherederos de la misma promesa después de él. Porque ellos esperaban la ciudad de sólidos cimientos, cuyo arquitecto y constructor es Dios.

Por su fe, Sara, aun siendo estéril y a pesar de su avanzada edad, pudo concebir un hijo, porque creyó que Dios habría de ser fiel a la promesa; y así, de un solo hombre, ya anciano, nació una descendencia numerosa como las estrellas del cielo e incontable como las arenas del mar.

Todos ellos murieron firmes en la fe. No alcanzaron los bienes prometidos, pero los vieron y los saludaron con gozo desde lejos. Ellos reconocieron que eran extraños y peregrinos en la tierra. Quienes hablan así, dan a entender claramente que van en busca de una patria; pues si hubieran añorado la patria de donde habían salido, habrían estado a tiempo de volver a ella todavía. Pero ellos ansiaban una patria mejor: la del cielo. Por eso Dios no se avergüenza de ser llamado su Dios, pues les tenía preparada una ciudad.

Por su fe, Abraham, cuando Dios le puso una prueba, se dispuso a sacrificar a Isaac, su hijo único, garantía de la promesa, porque Dios le había dicho: De Isaac nacerá la descendencia que ha de llevar tu nombre. Abraham pensaba, en efecto, que Dios tiene poder hasta para resucitar a los muertos; por eso le fue devuelto Isaac, que se convirtió así en un símbolo profético.

O bien:

Heb 11, 1-2. 8-12

Hermanos: La fe es la forma de poseer, ya desde ahora, lo que se espera y de conocer las realidades que no se ven. Por ella fueron alabados nuestros mayores.

Por su fe, Abraham, obediente al llamado de Dios, y sin saber a dónde iba, partió hacia la tierra que habría de recibir como herencia. Por la fe, vivió como extranjero en la tierra prometida, en tiendas de campaña, como Isaac y Jacob, coherederos de la misma promesa después de él. Porque ellos esperaban la ciudad de sólidos cimientos, cuyo arquitecto y constructor es Dios.

Por su fe, Sara, aun siendo estéril y a pesar de su avanzada edad, pudo concebir un hijo, porque creyó que Dios habría de ser fiel a la promesa; y así, de un solo hombre, ya anciano, nació una descendencia numerosa como las estrellas del cielo e incontable como las arenas del mar.

Aclamación antes del Evangelio

Mt 24, 42. 44

R. Aleluya, aleluya.
Estén preparados, porque no saben
a qué hora va a venir el Hijo del hombre.
R. Aleluya.

Evangelio

Lc 12, 32-48

En aquel tiempo, Jesús dijo a sus discípulos: "No temas, rebañito mío, porque tu Padre ha tenido a bien darte el Reino. Vendan sus bienes y den limosnas. Consíganse unas bolsas que no se destruyan y acumulen en el cielo un tesoro que no se acaba, allá donde no llega el ladrón, ni carcome la polilla. Porque donde está su tesoro, ahí estará su corazón.

Estén listos, con la túnica puesta y las lámparas encendidas. Sean semejantes a los criados que están esperando a que su señor regrese de la boda, para abrirle en cuanto llegue y toque. Dichosos aquellos a quienes su señor, al llegar, encuentre en vela. Yo les aseguro que se recogerá la túnica, los hará sentar a la mesa y él mismo les servirá. Y si llega a medianoche o a la madrugada y los encuentra en vela, dichosos ellos.

Fíjense en esto: Si un padre de familia supiera a qué hora va a venir el ladrón, estaría vigilando y no dejaría que se le metiera por un boquete en su casa. Pues también ustedes estén preparados, porque a la hora en que menos lo piensen vendrá el Hijo del hombre''.

Entonces Pedro le preguntó a Jesús: "¿Dices esta parábola sólo por nosotros o por todos?" El Señor le respondió: "Supongan que un administrador, puesto por su amo al frente de la servidumbre, con el encargo de repartirles a su tiempo los alimentos, se porta con fidelidad y prudencia. Dichoso este siervo, si el amo, a su llegada, lo encuentra cumpliendo con su deber. Yo les aseguro que lo pondrá al frente de todo lo que tiene. Pero si este siervo piensa: 'Mi amo tardará en llegar' y empieza a maltratar a los criados y a las criadas, a comer, a beber y a embriagarse, el día menos pensado y a la hora más inesperada, llegará su amo y lo castigará severamente y le hará correr la misma suerte que a los hombres desleales.

El servidor que, conociendo la voluntad de su amo, no haya preparado ni hecho lo que debía, recibirá muchos azotes; pero el que, sin conocerla, haya hecho algo digno de castigo, recibirá pocos.

Al que mucho se le da, se le exigirá mucho, y al que mucho se le confía, se le exigirá mucho más''.

Mis hermanos y hermanas,

 La fe es la creencia en lo que no se ve. Con esa definición, ¿tenemos fe porque no hemos visto a Dios o tenemos fe porque no hay otra palabra para describir lo que tenemos? Sí, nadie, excepto Moisés y Jesús, ha visto a Dios cara a cara, pero eso no significa que no hayamos sido testigos de lo que Dios ha hecho o no hemos sido testigos del lado místico de la Iglesia que abarca lo que está más allá del límites físicos del mundo. Examinar nuestra vida de oración y nuestras experiencias espirituales puede traer muchos ejemplos de nosotros siendo testigos de lo que permanece invisible para otros pero que nos ha sido revelado personalmente en un ambiente íntimo o público y ha sido algo que ha reforzado nuestra fe. Estas cosas y estas interacciones son cosas que Dios permite que sucedan para que podamos ser alentados sobre aquellas cosas que permanecen invisibles, lo que incluye a Él mismo. Estos eventos, cuando ocurren, se colocan al frente y al centro de nuestra vida, pero luego pueden desvanecerse a medida que pasa el tiempo y estamos nuevamente enfocados en lo que es físico. Es entonces cuando la palabra fe adquiere el significado que tiene, pero no siempre está sola en nuestras vidas. Siempre hemos recibido validación y continuaremos haciéndolo cuando sea necesario.

Dios nunca quiere que nos sintamos solos o separados de Él. Cuando esto ocurre, inevitablemente intentará acercarnos a Él. Solo necesitamos estar listos y aceptarlo cuando lo haga. La mejor manera de hacer esto es a través de una vida de oración constante y una atención a nuestra relación con Él. La Iglesia ha proporcionado un método para profundizar nuestra relación con Dios y entenderlo más plenamente. La estructura incluye oración, adoración, lectura de la Sagrada Escritura y la comprensión de lo que se lee a través de nuestra implementación de las enseñanzas de la Iglesia. Cuanto más nos encontremos representando nuestra relación con Dios de esta manera, más abiertos nos volveremos a Él. La palabra religión proviene de las palabras latinas que significan obligación, reverencia y vinculación. A través de estas palabras se puede desarrollar una comprensión de que lo que se describe es una relación. Es a través de nuestra religión y su práctica que profundizamos nuestra relación con Dios. Es la clave para acercarse a Él; un manual de instrucciones establecido por Él para aprender más sobre Él y toda su creación. Esta es la razón por la cual Jesús estableció la Iglesia para acercar todo a Él y, a través de Él, a Dios. El acto mismo de actuar de acuerdo con estas instrucciones y obligaciones nos abre a amar a Aquel que nos creó.

La lectura de las Escrituras del Libro de la Sabiduría de hoy cuenta cómo la noche de la Pascua fue conocida por la gente de esa época para fortalecer su fe y su relación con Dios. De la misma manera, se nos da la Eucaristía para darnos el mismo estímulo junto con la experiencia de unirnos física, mental y espiritualmente con Jesús. Con estas cosas viene la instrucción y el ritual para que nuestra experiencia se vuelva más profunda y más significativa. Como católicos, es importante centrar nuestras vidas en la Eucaristía y desde allí estructurar todas nuestras experiencias en torno a ella. Cuando recibimos el Cuerpo y la Sangre de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo, es realmente imposible, en ese momento, alejarnos de Dios y pecar. Con ese entendimiento, debemos desafiarnos a nosotros mismos para tomar ese estado de ser y expandirlo a través de cada momento de nuestras vidas.

En la Carta a los Hebreos de hoy se nos dice que la fe puede describirse más a fondo como la realización de lo invisible. En otras palabras, lo que no se ve, Dios, puede verse a través de signos visibles y acontecimientos en nuestras vidas si solo estamos abiertos a verlos. Somos los que tendemos a interferir en nuestra propia forma de experimentar estas cosas ignorando nuestra relación con Él o priorizando otras cosas por encima de Él. Nosotros, como cristianos, tenemos el desafío de priorizar nuestras vidas en torno a nuestra relación con Dios, entonces podremos presenciar y experimentar más cosas que nos revelarán su presencia. Cuando creemos, recibimos porque estamos en una relación correcta con Él. Esta recepción no viene en forma de una recompensa, pero siempre ha estado ahí para ser tomada, pero simplemente nos negamos a tomarla porque no la notamos.

Es necesario enfocarnos en darnos cuenta de las cosas y estar preparados para lo que vendrá en el futuro. Cuando estamos preparados, podemos superar todos los desafíos, incluida la muerte misma, y ​​podemos experimentar las cosas buenas que la vida tiene para ofrecer más fácilmente. Somos benefactores de todo lo bueno al reconocer lo que es bueno y estar abiertos a recibirlo. Dios siempre esta esperando. Él es paciente. El está enamorado. Quiere darnos todo y lo único que tenemos que hacer es estar listos y dispuestos a recibirlo.

Diácono Tom

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 114

Reading 1 Ecc 1:2; 2:21-23

Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth,
vanity of vanities!  All things are vanity!

Here is one who has labored with wisdom and knowledge and skill,
and yet to another who has not labored over it,
he must leave property.
This also is vanity and a great misfortune.
For what profit comes to man from all the toil and anxiety of heart
with which he has labored under the sun?
All his days sorrow and grief are his occupation;
even at night his mind is not at rest.
This also is vanity.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14 and 17

R. (1) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
You turn man back to dust,
saying, “Return, O children of men.”
For a thousand years in your sight
 are as yesterday, now that it is past,
 or as a watch of the night.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
You make an end of them in their sleep;
 the next morning they are like the changing grass,
Which at dawn springs up anew,
but by evening wilts and fades.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Teach us to number our days aright,
 that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
 Have pity on your servants!
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
 that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
And may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
 prosper the work of our hands for us!
 Prosper the work of our hands!
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Reading 2 Col 3:1-5, 9-11

Brothers and sisters:
If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.
For you have died,
and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ your life appears,
then you too will appear with him in glory.

Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly:
immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire,
and the greed that is idolatry.
Stop lying to one another,
since you have taken off the old self with its practices
and have put on the new self,
which is being renewed, for knowledge,
in the image of its creator.
Here there is not Greek and Jew,
circumcision and uncircumcision,
barbarian, Scythian, slave, free;
but Christ is all and in all.

Alleluia Mt 5:3

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 12:13-21

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,
“Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.”
He replied to him,
“Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?”
Then he said to the crowd,
“Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one’s life does not consist of possessions.”

Then he told them a parable.
“There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.
He asked himself, ‘What shall I do,
for I do not have space to store my harvest?’
And he said, ‘This is what I shall do:
I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.
There I shall store all my grain and other goods
and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you,
you have so many good things stored up for many years,
rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’
But God said to him,
‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;
and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’
Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves
but are not rich in what matters to God.”

My Brothers and Sisters,

What are we working towards in our lives? We all have goals and plans that will take us into the future. There is arguably a certain place that we all want to be at some point in our lives. This place can be defined by financial security and in the acquiring of a certain amount of freedom from debt. Certain material objects might also be considered such as a house, a particular job, and other things that add material comfort to our lives. Yes, things of this world created by human hands can add to our lives but they can also lead to a feeling of emptiness and a lack of fulfillment which can then turn into despair. If we become too focused on the acquiring of material goods then there becomes a natural turning away from that which is not material, our spirituality, and an intensified concentration on those things which are pursued will take its place.

The United States of America in particular is awash in material wealth. This country alone consumes 25% of the world’s energy while only being home to 5% of the world’s population. It uses 30% of the world’s resources, far more than what is required to live. 5% of the world’s population owns 70% of the world’s total wealth while the remaining 95% own only 30%. The United States of America has the capability to feed the entire world through its renewable food resources yet 14% of the world is starving and 33% of all food produced is thrown away. This is directly a result of a focus on materialism and the quest for material gain. When the focus become things of the physical world then our spirituality and the importance of God suffers.

Gluttony, or Greed, is one of the Seven Deadly Sins as presented by the Catholic Church. Even though all sin is bad and represents a turning away from God the Seven Deadly Sins are listed because they are a gateway to a multitude of others sins and can easily lead to a pattern of behavior that breeds even more sin. With Greed comes an act of taking and indulging in more than one necessarily needs. It leads to hording and a distortion of our values and what we hold precious. When we act on Greed we become the most important person in our lives with an intent focus on pleasuring our physical desires. The more our desires are acted on then the more their appetites become insatiable, thus more time is spent pursuing them at the expense of everything else.

The Scripture Reading from Ecclesiastes today reminds us that whatever material wealth we gain is destined for someone else. Nothing from this earth is forever and will amount to nothing. Any enjoyment we receive from it only lasts a brief moment in comparison to our longevity or shortness of life. With that, we are reminded that if we choose to chase after these physical things much of our life just might be wasted on something that we ultimately will not even enjoy. Even if we do, it will only be for a moment then that moment is gone and we are then left empty. Even our memory of that moment will fade with time and will then be forgotten.

A better way is offered through Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul encourages us to seek those things which originate from above. In other words, he implores us to seek a relationship with Jesus Christ. Through this relationship a guarantee of endless joy and a spiritual experience that goes beyond anything that this earth can offer. It is through Jesus that we are healed and are ushered into a beautiful relationship with God. We are constantly called by God to enter into this relationship and it is up to us to clear away all of the materialistic clutter which has prevented us from responding to His call. We unknowingly block our ears or ignore Him when we choose to follow our physical desires instead of completely surrendering to Him. Jesus addressed this when He said,

“You cannot serve both God and Mammon.”

In the Gospel reading today he further warns,

“Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one’s life does not consist of possessions”

If we focus just on material possessions and our material appetites then everything else important will naturally become secondary to that which pleases us physically. This goes directly to what the Apostle Paul was speaking about in his letter to the Romans. He explained that the spirit is constantly battling with the flesh. Only one of these can dictate our lives. One is temporal while the other is eternal. If we choose the flesh then we will ultimately rot like flesh will eventually do. If we choose spirituality then we will be eternal with our God.

It is very difficult not to focus on material things. We have been trained to do this by society since birth. It is how society functions: thins are produced, things are sold, some people make a lot of money while we convince ourselves what we are getting makes us happy or benefits us in some way. A change of perception is needed and can only be achieved through the exercise of our faith and a relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus is constantly inviting us into this relationship and when we commit ourselves to Him a better way will be revealed. This way minimizes the material and maximizes the joy found through acting out our spirituality. Jesus Christ wants the best for us. He wants us to be joyous and free from the chains of consumerism and the Greed that surrounds us. It is always the same: the pursuit of the material ends in nothingness because everything that is pursued through it has an expiration date. God’s love for us and our love for Him is eternal.

Deacon Tom