Today in the Gospel of St Matthew, we are told something by Jesus that frankly is very difficult to understand, never mind believe……”But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first”…..Our world has a very defined class structure…..Its very hard for a secular person to believe this statement never mind strive to live a humble and austere life according to Gospel values…..Simply put, the “currency” of God is very different from the currency of the world…..Just say today, in the middle of Time Square in New York City, Jesus Christ descends from heaven in plain sight…..And everything he said was true all of sudden was validated in a hot New York minute…How do you think the world would react?……Panic, Fear, Shame….Out right terror would crash down upon the power brokers of the world - “We made the wrong bet”….If not today…But one day…That will be a reality - Take that to the bank…..I have lived a very unique life….For thirteen years I was employed by a Global Investment Bank…I traveled first class all across America and South America….Staying at the best hotels and eating at the finest restaurants…..I have also traveled as a missionary with the Catholic Church…Seeing and living amongst the poorest of the poor in Haiti, Cambodia, & India…..I have also seen with my own two eyes the impact of despotic governments in South Africa & Vietnam……Two very different worlds I have lived, walking among simple people and sophisticated people…..And today Jesus drops a “bomb” on us all…..”But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first”….Can an Investment Bank VP really take that statement seriously?!?……As we get older and experience the many different chapters of our life, we value different things…Life is and becomes fragile…We lose friends and family by means of death….We re-calibrate what we deem as important….I have witnessed with my two eyes some of the most miserable people you could ever imagine walk the face of the earth and some of those people were wealthy beyond all measure or understanding…And I have also witnessed some of the most joyful people you could ever imagine walking around in rags and eating scraps…..Does that make any sense?…..Our Lord gave the world one prayer…Believe it or not…And we all know it….The Our Father…In that prayer Jesus tells us….”Thy Kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven” - That one line should make us all pause......The short amount of time we spend on this earth is to be a foretaste of heaven….If this is true, how can a person with so much power and wealth be so miserable?…..And how can a person be so poor have so much joy?….Maybe what Jesus tells us today in the Gospel does make sense?……”But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first”…….No one knows the day or the hour that Jesus Christ will return….But know this….One day he will…And when that day comes……The world’s “currency” will not matter - Take that to the bank…In the mean time, no matter where you stand on the “scales” of the world’s class structure - Take a look around……Where there is authentic peace and joy - There is God…And where there is a lack of peace and joy - God is absent from that place or that person…....Invest well and place your bets!………..JMJ
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