Think Eternally; Optimize Your Spiritual Health
11th Sunday of Ordinary Time
God’s ways are not our ways, and the Lord sees everything from an eternal perspective.
In his second letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul reminds us that our life here, including our bodies, is passing away: “although we know that we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord… we would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord.” This passage also tells us that eternal life—being home with the Lord—is the most important. Throughout the past year, we have heard the opposite; we have been driven by fear and asked to stay away from each other and the sacraments at all cost in order to preserve our bodies. This way of thinking is contrary to the Gospel and contrary to what we believe. Christ’s loving sacrifice and resurrection drive out all fear, especially of death, because we know that death is not the end of life, but rather the beginning of eternal life. While we should always be charitable toward others and care for those who are weak and vulnerable, it is equally important to take special and fervent care of our spiritual life.
Throughout history, the Catholic Church has been called the hospital for souls that provides the medicine of the sacraments through which we receive God’s mercy, physical and spiritual healing, and Christ Himself. As the Catholic Church and Our Lady of the Wayside, in particular, prepare to open fully, I would like to invite each of you to take on a more eternal perspective—to live less in fear of infection and more in the freedom of God’s children. I would also like to encourage you to come to the parish and receive the spiritual medicine of the sacraments as frequently as possible so that, no matter what happens to your body, the health of your soul will always be optimal and each of you will be prepared to return home to the Lord.
As St. Paul reminds us, each of us will inevitably die one day. What is most important is that we strive to grow close to Jesus here and now through the sacraments and by living virtuously and following the True Magisterium of the Church faithfully because the state of the soul and our fidelity to God’s will are what will determine the eternal outcome of our lives—whether or not we will be united with Jesus forever in Heaven.
Yours in Christ,
Father Arthur
Readings for the 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time: Lectionary 92
Tags: #arthurmarat, #frarthur, #frarthurmarat, #frmarat, #olw, #olwparish, #reflection, #spiritualhealth
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