Our Greatest Goal
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time — Year C
The steward in this Sunday’s Gospel is an interesting character. Since he squandered his master’s property, we can conclude that he is not a trustworthy person. The steward is not really interested in what is most important: eternal life. Instead, he thinks only about the immediate future, meaning his own comfort and satisfaction.
If the steward is someone with such a questionable character, why does Jesus use him as an example in today’s parable? Because there is one characteristic the steward has that Jesus applauds: prudence, or the ability to exercise good judgment. The steward knew what he wanted, and he knew what he needed to do in order to obtain his goal. And this virtue is what we as Christians, and particularly as Catholics, need to obtain our greatest goal: Heaven.
While our earthly needs and things are important, they are not everything. We know that our life is passing away, and one day, each of us must die. But we also believe that life after this life on earth exists, and will exist forever. This means that eternal life, whether we will find ourselves in Heaven or in Hell, will last infinitely longer than our life on the earth. If this is the case, why do we spend so much of our lives neglecting what is necessary in order to enter into God’s kingdom?
“Why does eternal life mean so little to us?”
Why is it that we resist God’s will, the Commandments, and a life of virtue, when this is what is necessary to enter the kingdom of God? St. John of the Cross tells us that there is a natural goodness in this world. Food is something good. Beauty is something good. Enjoying the company of other people is something good. Money is even something good. But they are good insofar as they draw us closer to God and to our goal, which is Heaven. What is not good is when the things of this world draw us away from God, make us neglect Him, and focus our attention on them. What is not good is when these things become the goal, and when we forget about Heaven. No matter how good or difficult our lives might seem on this earth, that which awaits us in Heaven is infinitely better. Reach the goal, and you will see what I mean . . . Amen.
Yours in Christ,
Father Arthur
Readings for the 25th Week in Ordinary Time: Lectionary 135
Tags: #arthurmarat, #eternallife, #frarthurmarat, #godandmammon, #reflection
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