Tuesday, September 8, 2009

23rd Week, Ordinary Time, Wed, 09.09.09

Col 3:1-11
Lk 6:20-26

Being Catholics, we cannot pretend and we also don't want to pretend that we don't want to have what the people of the world would want to have.

There is a materialistic streak in us, and we also want to have some creature comfort.

So we want to have health and wealth, happiness and enjoyment and contentment.

We certainly don't want to think that in believing in God, we will have to face poverty and hunger, or pain and rejection.

In fact, on the contrary, we would want God to eliminate all sorrow and distress, all pains and suffering from our lives.

If that is the case, then we wouldn't want to pay much attention to today's gospel.

But Jesus is highlighting the truth in life, that over and above everything else, we must long for God and depend on Him alone.

That is also what St Paul was telling the Colossians that they have been brought back to the life in Christ and hence they must look for the things above and not be stuck with the things earth.

Not only St Paul had this spiritual insight. St Teresa of Avila would say: Only God matters. St Francis of Assisi would say: My God and my all.

From what the saints said, we know what they wanted in life.

May we also come to know what we really want in life. So that by our words, others will know what really matters to us.