Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Matthew a story about a rich man who goes on a journey leaving his property to his servants…..The servant do not take care of the property and in time begin to “think” that they can somehow “get over” on the owner…All the while, the rich man does not give up on his servants…He continues to send them people, to remind them of who they are and why he left them in charge of his property in the first place….Eventually, the rich man is forced to take the inheritance away from these men and give it to others…They just would not “come around”…..What does this story tell us?…It should tell us a lot….The ultimate message is - Time runs out!……God gives us every opportunity in this life to “see” and respond to him…However, God will never force our hand….Our time to respond to God is NOW!
“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?”
If you ask people today, they will tell you - Everyone goes to heaven!…While the Catholic Church holds out hope that everyone goes to heaven…Scripture is rather clear on the subject of heaven and hell - And yes, Hell does exist for those who reject God…….What does it mean to reject God?…..If we reject the the laws of God - We in turn reject God himself…If we reject the Truth because Jesus said very clearly - He is the Truth - We reject God…If we reject the one Church Jesus founded - We are rejecting God…..Now, people do these things some times without having “full knowledge” of what they are doing - God will be the judge of that, that is not my job…….However, in the meantime it is for us to pursue the Truth….If a person has an open heart and makes the pursuit of Truth their number one priority......They will end up in the Catholic Church and live a Sacramental life - A bold statement to make but I believe a true one….Only we know, what prevents that from happening….Whether its a particular behavior - A choice made - A lifestyle we enjoy - Our pride - Our reluctance to “give up” our comfort - Our refusal to ask for forgiveness….These are some of the "things" that “get in the way” of us fully following Jesus and becoming who we were born to be…And ultimately, they “get in the way” of us ending up in heaven if we “knowingly persist with full knowledge” of what we are doing and refuse to change…..This is why we must strive to open our heart and make the pursuit of Truth our number one priority……Jesus is not looking for “perfect people”…Because “perfect people” do not exist…Jesus is looking for humble people…Who are willing to admit their flaws and sins….Its those people who cooperate with Christ and through God’s grace, they are perfected…….Many of us belong to “polite society” where everyone is financially comfortable, educated, and respected…..Its very easy to forget God and “get lost” when we focus on all the “things” we have…If you ever step out of “polite society” and “see” how people live in the “under-belly” of the world, you will “see” something completely different…These people, who live on the margins many times are quicker to ask for forgiveness then those of us who are “too comfortable”….Years ago when I would travel to India I would help Mother Teresa’s sisters in their work with mentally handicapped children…Many times I have thought to myself, while working with these young children, who by the way will never live “normal lives”….I would say to myself many of them were demonstrably happier then people I know who work in high paying corporate jobs….Sometimes while I was “helping” these handicapped children, I thought to myself, they were “helping” me to “see” that all we need to be satisfied in this life is to have our physical needs meant and to have God in our heart......This is why we must strive to live simple lives….To have open hearts and cooperate with the Holy Spirit….If we do that, God will lead us to himself and we will have joy and peace…God will remove all the obstacles that stand in the way if we allow him to do so
“God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son; so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.”
Today the Gospel from Mass tells us a story about who God is and what our relationship is to him….To ignore this reality is simply foolish…..We are given every opportunity to “see” God and follow his holy will in our lifetime…But time does run out!…..A humble heart, which strives to be open will always find its way….We do not just “float” into heaven…We were given everything we need to get where we have to go….The rest is up to us…..…..A humble and open heart results in open eyes…Which results in finding our way….The blind cannot lead the blind
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