Word: Following Jesus is seeking what is above.
Order: “Think of what is above, not what is on earth.” (Col. 3:2)
The community word for August – Following Jesus is seeking what is above – shows us where our direction lie, if we are to follow Jesus as His disciples and “think of what is above, not what is on earth.” (Col 3:2) This is explained in the weekly themes, the first week of which reminds us that: We seek what is above when we store up heavenly treasures.
The first reading from the book of Ecclesiastes comments on the foolishness of consuming one’s life building up a fortune to the point of no longer being able to enjoy simple pleasures. Such a life is emptiness and vanity. In the second reading, St. Paul insists on the radical newness that is ours in Christ. Through faith and baptism we have died to our old self and are now alive with the life of Christ. Our thoughts and actions should reflect what we have become.
The gospel issues an appropriate warning regarding wealth and any other attachments we may have to things we consider of great value. Twice, greed is mentioned in the readings. St. Paul tells us to put to death evil desires, including greed which is called idolatry (Col 3:5). Jesus in the gospel warns, “take care to guard against all greed, though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” (Lk 12:15) Embracing the gospel values of love and mercy, justice and peace, we help to give human expression of Christ’s presence among us. By doing so, we store up heavenly treasure and make ourselves “rich in the sight of God”. And, “when Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with Him in glory.” (Col 3:4)
The Theme for the second week states: We seek what is above when we prepare for the Lord’s coming with expectant faith. The readings touch on the themes of fidelity, responsibility and watchfulness. We are compared to servants in one saying, and to a steward or manager of a household in another. Like them we are to be ready to greet the master of the house whenever he returns. The second reading, from the Letter to the Hebrews, shows that our God is a God of promises. We are called to be faithful to God and His promises, to continue hoping in God’s love and to trust in him, even when our prayers may sometimes seem unanswered, remembering that “The one who had made the promise is trustworthy.” (Heb 11:11) If our treasure is in heaven, we must bear witness to it with our lives of compassion, mercy and love.
The gospel speaks strongly to us of valuing God’s blessings in the time and opportunities that come our way, and in the chances we have to better and improve our situations as followers of Christ. The Master will come and there will be a time of evaluation and revelation of how we have used the opportunities God has given us.
Jesus tells us to seek security not in the things of this world, but in the treasures of God’s kingdom, being alert and prepared, even when the fulfillment seems long in coming. What is important is to be ready for the many ways in which our God can visit us in our lives. Failures and disappointments, broken dreams and ruined plans often beset us. How do we prepare for such dark moments when God seems far away and we are groping for some evidence of His presence? Those are the times when we should hold on to the Lord’s Promise for the week: “The eyes of the Lord are upon there who fear Him, upon those who hope for kindness to deliver them from death and preserve them inspite of famine.” (Ps 33: 18-10)
The Theme for the third week is: We seek what is above when we persevere and fix our eyes on Jesus. Jeremiah’s fidelity to God’s message brought him rejection and the threat of death, but St. Paul exhorts us not to give up in the face of hardship. The message to the Hebrews connects to the gospel of Luke because Jesus Himself lived such a life of faith and obedience, faithfulness and love, that He is able to kindle a fire that purifies and renews our lives. The readings make clear that faith in God does not do away with the challenges and struggles of life. What it does is help us to meet them with hope, fortitude, and perseverance. We need to keep our eyes on Jesus, meditate on His example and follow Him along the path that God’s providence opens up for us.
Faith in Jesus calls us to take difficult options, to be radical in making faith our priority, and in detaching ourselves from our comfort zones and easy lifestyle. The fire Jesus refers to in the gospel is the fire of conviction, of commitment. Do we have the conviction of Jeremiah, who opposed the sins of a whole nation and suffered persecution in the process, or, the fidelity of our predecessors in faith who lived by conviction? These people were witnesses whose loyalty to Jesus shaped their life. How deep is our conviction? This week, we can hold on to God’s promise: “The Lord hears my cry, He drew me out of the pit of destruction…He made firm my steps.” (Ps 40:1-2)
The Theme for the 4th week states: We seek what is above when we strive to endure our trials with discipline. And the corresponding promise is: “…..all discipline seem a cause not for joy, but for pain, yet later brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.” (Heb 12:11)
In a special way, Israel and the church are the same. There is no guarantee that everyone who belongs to either, belongs to God in spirit and in truth. The divine will for salvation embraces all people. Some of those who now seem far off will be near, and some of us who are near may lose our place. St. Paul encourages us to take heart, and to find indications of God’s love even in suffering and tribulation, suffering of every kind can, in God’s providence, be a way which our love is deepened and purified. God disciplines us so that we may bear the fruit of justice and peace. The gospel is above all, the revelation of God’s love and mercy, conveyed to us in and through Christ, and kept alive among us through the power of the spirit. It emphasizes the importance of our response and reminds us of the universal sweep of God’s will for salvation. The narrow door is the seriousness of God’s call. We must make every effort to imitate Jesus and to lead lives of faith and love.
Discipleship means “discipline”, the kind of struggle one must make for the sake of the kingdom. “Endure your trials as discipline.” (Heb 12:7) To be His disciple entails listening intently to Christ’s message and striving to put His teachings into action. It takes effort to enter through the narrow gate, thus, we have to get rid of a great deal of excess baggage, baggage like hatred, greed, jealousy, and bloated egos that weigh us down. Are we in good enough spiritual shape to fit through the narrow gate?
Prayer:
Our ever-living God, enable us to find new ways to be rich in You. Direct our thoughts, our steps, through your Holy Spirit, that we will obey and respond to your promises in faith and trust. You are our assurance and our peace, our guiding light to walk the straight and narrow path to which you lead us, Amen.
