LOVING GOD ABOVE ALL THINGS:
Scripture: “For everything in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life –
comes not from the Father, but from the world.” – 1 John 2:16
Catechism of the Catholic Church: “The tenth commandment forbids greed and the desire to amass
earthly goods without limit. It forbids avarice arising from a passion for riches and their attendant power.
It also forbids the desire to commit injustice by harming our neighbor in his temporal goods.” – CCC #2536
Brothers and sisters, all of the readings this weekend speak about our earthly death. But they also speak to what is required of us to then
pass from this life to life eternal. It is all within our power to choose eternity in God’s Kingdom.
For instance: 1st reading: “He must leave property;” Psalm: “You return man back to dust;” 2nd reading: “For you have died; and the
Gospel: “You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you.” And the purpose of the readings is to remind us that nothing is promised
in this life, which, can be taken from us at any given moment on any given day. It is the Lord who decides, not us.
As we have heard before, how we live our lives in this world, will determine how we spend our eternity in the next. We are to use and live
our lives in a manner worthy to be called Christian, which will then bring us to the Heavenly Gates. As we know too, it is only love that
can unlock the Gates of Paradise for each and every one of us.
Ronald Rolheiser, in his book, ‘The Holy Longing,’ says that, “The heavenly banquet table is open to everyone who is ready to sit down
with everyone.” This, brothers and sisters, requires us to love God with all our heart, mind, and soul, and our neighbor as ourself. As we
would say in Piedmont, “If love isn’t there, we ain’t eating.”
When we constantly strive to have the biggest, the best, and the most, we push the Lord further and further away from our lives. We begin
to think that our lives will still be OK if we miss a mass here or there; if we can’t make time for family and friends. However, if we
concentrate on keeping our time, talent, and treasure for ourselves without a thought or care for others, using the gifts that God has
blessed us with in His service and the service of our fellow human beings, we will end up like the rich man in the Gospel parable.
Jesus asks us – He implores us to grow rich in what matters to God. We won’t be able to fake it because God is the only One Who sees the
heart, and He is the only One Whose judgment matters; not what others may think of us, only Him.
Brothers and sisters, there is nothing wrong at all with wanting and working for a nice house, a nice car, nice clothes, wonderful vacations.
They are all good and pleasing in and of themselves. It is when they become more important in our lives than loving and serving God, and
getting in the way of our relationships with other people that they become a problem – a hindrance to the eternal glory that we all seek in
the end.
Therefore, let us all strive to keep God in the forefront of our minds rather than on the ‘back burner.’ Let us continue to help our brothers
and sisters when we are able, so that when our lives are demanded of us, we will all be able to meet and eat with everyone around the
heavenly banquet.
“We cannot be sure whether we are loving God, although
We may have good reasons for believing that we are.
But we can know quite well whether we are loving our neighbor.”
-St. Teresa of Avila
