“Memento Mori” - “Remember your death”

Today at Holy Mass in the Gospel of St Luke, Jesus addresses segments of his society who “put on a show”…What do I mean by put on a show?…..They pretend to be one thing but underneath, they are another…”And he said to them, “You justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts; for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God”….If we are honest and we ponder this message today in the Gospel, this message is meant for all of us……We are sinners - each of us - And only through God’s grace can we become the people we were ALL born to be…..This is a process, as we all know but are we engaging in that process?…..The only people we fool is ourself…….God sees the human heart and frankly that is all that matters….How the world views us or thinks about us, means little to nothing…….I find the last part of Jesus' sentence today very interesting…..”For what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God”………We “think” God “sees” the world as we do - How very wrong we are to think this way……..This is why Jesus tells us very clearly in Scripture…….........…..”Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last”……When Christ returns, the power structures of the world will flip - Think about that for a second!……There will be no “negotiating” either…….So the question today is - Do we yearn to view the world through the eyes of God?…..Why is that important? - Because God’s viewpoint is the only viewpoint that matters….How do we “see” as God sees”? - To answer that directly - We can’t - However, the closer we get to God - The more we “see”…The more we purify our heart - The more we “see”….This is the only “sight” that matters - Don’t get lost in the fog!

“Jesus Christ became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty you might become rich”

I work at Columbus Circle in Manhattan, right near Central Park South…For this who are not from New York City, I will tell you that this is one of the wealthiest addresses in all the world…..The street next to my office building is referred too as "Billionaires Row" - That is "Billion" with a capital "B"…..And right next to my office building is a Catholic Church were I go to daily Mass at lunch….At Mass, I see the elderly who live in this neighborhood…Many of them, due to the fact that they are very rich hire aides to accompany them to Mass……These people at this point in their life are very close to death…But when they were young, they had the best of everything - They are the super elite of America…..I think of that sometimes when I see them in the state they are in currently - Very old and sick - I think to myself - Who is this person? - How did they get so rich?…..But then I step back - Because at this point - It does not matter at all - They are no different then the old people where I live in New Jersey……Sickness and death are the great equalizer in life - These realities, which we all will face strip us of our “masks”…..We are reduced to who we “really are” - Simple human beings with a soul…..Seeing these elderly super wealthy people, who live near my office remind me of this reality each and every day……There is a phrase used in Catholic circles - “Memento Mori”, which translates, “Remember your death”……How easy it is to forget that we all will get old, we all “get sick” and we all die…..In the mean time - Do we value what God values?…Are we striving to “see” as God “sees”?……St Luke reminds us today in the Gospel - “What is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God”…….Are we on the right side of God’s “value system”?…..Because when we get old - What we may value now - Will mean absolutely nothing… “Memento Mori” - “Remember your death”

“The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones.”

Today in the Gospel from Mass - Jesus sees very clearly how society operates…How people value “things” and forget about what is essential - They get “lost” in their “stuff” and in their “status” - How easy that is to do - For all of us!……As we say in New Jersey - We get “caught up” and when we do - We can so easily become blind…….Staying “clear eyed” is a full time job……Family life helps us to do this - So does the aging process - But so does living a Sacramental life…….Without God’s grace - We become blind…..This reality is so evident in our society today….We value “things” that mean nothing and live like we will never die - Don’t believe me?…Ask the elderly billionaires that live near my office in Manhattan on Central Park South…Ask them what is important to them now as they hobble slowly on the side walk to daily Mass each day……God plays the long game - He gives us all time to “figure things out”…But time runs out - Don’t fool your self - Because it does - It runs out!……“Memento Mori” - “Remember your death”…………..JMJ

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