My reflection on the readings from Sunday, August 18, 2013+ Wow, Jesus has some harsh words! “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” He also says that he has not come to establish peace but rather division. Not the stuff we are used to Jesus saying, right? But Jesus was a revolutionary, living a radical life compared to the culture around Him. Sound familiar? This is what we are all called to do! We are called to model Him, walk His path, and continue His mission - to live RADICAL lives in the culture we live in. Instead of being followers of the “world” we are called to be followers of Jesus. He left us the model and the instruction manual, the Bible, to achieve that goal! Our holy Mother Church even breaks it down for us through her teachings of “Tradition” handed down from Christ Himself through the Apostles, the church Fathers, and those holy men and women before us! Today’s culture puts the emphasis on us, the creation. It tells us that we are the most important thing in this world. That “success” is measured by money, material things, status, power, the house we live in or the car we drive. The present culture makes these our gods or worse yet, we become our own gods! Even Pope Francis sees this reality. He lives in a humble apartment instead of the papal apartments. He drives a Ford Focus instead of a fancy vehicle or a limousine. He has stressed to the clergy, religious, and the lay faithful the importance of living humbly and modestly, to use that extra cash to help the poor and needy instead of indulging our own desires. This past Sunday’s reading from Hebrews states, “Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith.” If we keep our eyes focused on Jesus, we can achieve the goal He set before us! What is that goal? It is simply, “helping each other” get to heaven. Jesus was all about being the servant of all. He opened the door for us to get back to the Father’s house by His suffering, death, and resurrection! He could have come to us as a King, but instead He came to us an infant, the most fragile being on earth. An infant totally relies on others to take care of him or her. What a powerful example for us - to take care of each other physically and spiritually! Brothers and Sisters, this is the “RADICAL LFE” we are called to live! A life of love, respect, humility, modesty, and to serve others.
Posted on: Mon, 19 Aug 2013 19:53:17 +0000
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