DEACON TOM ANTHONY

Tuesday, August 18, 2015











How are we to approach our life in this world? Are we to just focus on what society tells us is important or are we to focus on what Jesus tells us? One of these things does not last forever while the other is eternal. It must be understood that the material things that we all tend to focus on; all those things that we gather and use to stimulate ourselves for enjoyment and the pursuit of happiness will not last forever. They all have an expiration date and will return to dust. Living with the realization gives us an opportunity to understand what is truly important in our lives and what living actually means. We have been created in God’s image and are invited to partake in his creation with that understanding and knowledge. It is a higher awareness that we are encouraged to pursue if we are to experience the true joy of living.

Evidence of God is everywhere from the perfect way the universe functions to the intricate mechanisms that make up  all of creation down to the smallest known particle. Everything has a function and everything works together. If one object does not do its job as it was created to do then everything collapses and there is chaos. In much the same way, we have been created for one purpose: to love God. We are expected to do this by acknowledging him and acknowledging his creation which we are an important part of; if not the most important part of. You see, all of creation was given to us to enjoy and experience: physically, mentally, and spiritually. When we do this, everything falls into place. There is equilibrium between God, Creation, and us. This is perfection and a perfect state of being. There are times in our lives when we receive a glimpse of this; when it is revealed to us. We are encouraged to pursue this, making it the central focus of what we do. When we do this, true joy becomes apparent.

All around society has created a paradox. In an attempt to replace God and create in much the same manner that He does, his perfection has been removed and in its stead a dysfunctional model has been offered that provides so many problems instead of the promised perfection. Then, solutions are presented to the problems that only create more problems at the expense of all of us. It is a warped sense of thinking because the center of creation, God, is purposefully ignored for something of less value. This would have never happened if only we focused on the ultimate perfection in the first place which is God. If only we didn’t turn away. If only we stayed focused on the good and did not embrace the evil. Society is such sad replacement for God.
Jesus tells us that we cannot serve both God and mammon, (the material attractions of the world). He also tells us to store up treasures in heaven for they are eternal and the physical is not. These are reminders of how we should approach our very existence. Our spirituality is eternal and we must treat it as such. Our physical bodies will wither away and be transformed by our spirituality into something more perfect. This transformation is already under way. We are all on a journey of perfection. The physical bread that we eat every day is good only for the moment while the spiritual bread of life, that which is Jesus, is forever. We have a glimpse of this through the experience of the Eucharist which provides nourishment for us along this pathway to eternity. It is all about our focus and how we approach Jesus Christ: will we allow him to transform us or will we continue to struggle violently against that which created us.

Struggle against the ultimate good never brings joy. Reliance on the material never brings joy. Only God and his love will offer us that which is eternal and necessary for us enjoy everything that is around us; that which God created for us to be a part of.

Deacon Tom

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