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
No comments:
Post a Comment