A Restless Life

This week, the fleeting desires of this world (and our desire for them) is put squarely into focus.  It is easy (too easy, perhaps) to put ourselves as the voice in Ecclesiastes, complaining that we have worked and worked to acquire all of this stuff, and yet it doesn't make us happy - we are not fulfilled.  And if that leaves us empty, to what end should we direct our efforts?  Enter St Paul to answer that question.  If we do as we say in our beliefs, we have nothing to seek but Heaven itself, through Jesus.  We need to ensure our compass is calibrated towards God and Heaven, so that our efforts will not be lost and left behind when ultimately it is our time. And this is what Jesus was speaking to in His parable.  Yes, there are times to accumulate, grow, and share the resources that we have with those around us.  But if we knew that tonight would be our last, would you be more likely to spend it adjusting your retirement portfolio or with your loved ...

Reading accounts from Genesis, I sometime find that I have a hard time in relating to the events of the story and so I try to focus on what the message is.  Today is one of those days, as I cannot fathom negotiating with God for a city - nothing in my life compares to that at any level.  But in reading it within the context of the other readings, it allows me to shift my perspective.  God is the Father and assumes that role here, whereas Abraham is a child, negotiating with a parent, a situation I can place myself in, at a much reduced scale.  Abraham asks God, essentially "Don't get mad at me, but what if only X people are good people.  That's good, right?  You wouldn't want to hurt them, right?"  And anyone who has negotiated with a persistent child, knows to what lengths they will try to stretch their luck.   And this persistence ties us into the Gospel, where Jesus tells us that where love or friendship doesn't push a response, persistenc...

 In reviewing this weekend's set of readings, I was struck with a common theme that spoke to me (and all of us at some point or another).  That common thread which went through all of the readings was how unnecessary our worries should be.  In St Paul's letter to the Colossians, we see why all of the daily distractions and anxiety we experience is just noise - God has proclaimed glory and hope for all through His Son, Jesus.  All else falls away at this proclamation, and that hope is ours, if only we accept it.  No, it does not mean that we cannot ignore our daily duties - see Abraham and Sarah tending to the "travelers" and Martha serving the Lord during His visit.  We need to function in society and do our roles - as spouses, parents, teachers, friends, family.... - but we need to also keep them in mind with the greater context of our existence. And that brings us to Martha's sister, Mary.  While we need to do our duties, sometimes we need to spend t...

Our First Reading has Moses laying the groundwork for the law that Jesus summarizes and proclaims in the Gospel.  Moses tells the people that the law of God is in our hearts already, if only we listen.  We often know what we are called to do and what the right course of action is in God's eyes, but doing that can be difficult.  Take Jesus's words in the Gospel, as presumably good men (a priest and a Levite) fail to offer aid to a man in need, and yet another stops to give help and provide for the injured.  While the example of coming across a dying man on the side of the road may be extreme, how often are we presented with opportunities to go out of our way to help others?  If we're being honest and take an objective look at our lives, it's more frequent than we would admit or, perhaps, even realize. And just to touch on the Second Reading briefly, we hear St Paul explaining how all things begin with Jesus.  The Crucifixion and Resurrection occurred at a si...

This week, we hear of the foretelling of the comfort received from Jesus's resurrection in our reading from Isaiah, which is an idea that St Paul expands upon in his writing to the Galatians.  Isaiah tells of the redemption of Jerusalem, the city that has returned in glory to spread prosperity and comfort.  And with this description, St Paul offers the great parallel that this glory is afforded to us only through Jesus's crucifixion.  Nothing from the old Jerusalem that was mourned matters with the new law that now reigns, such as circumcision being a mark of the covenant.  Now, all people have co-opted into the new life that Jesus prepared for all in his crucifixion and resurrection. And the fruits of this new covenant are shown in the Gospel reading, as Jesus sends forth his followers to administer to and prepare the surrounding cities that He was to visit.  In His name, they were able to drive the evil spirits from those places, showing the power that Jesus a...