There is nothing on earth that can be compared to our friendship with Jesus. St. Paul in his letter to the Romans reminds us we are “predestined” “called” “justified” and “glorified” (second reading). Certainly, God has a plan for each one of us. He gives our relationship a direct link to eternal life every day. The most difficult yet simple way to seek the Kingdom of God is to render our “hearts” as a whole to God by abandoning the weight of materialism behind in search of what will truly give us inner peace and authentic posterity.

Most human endeavors strive to procure posterity and security for us. Unless our hearts are undivided, we cannot truly listen to God’s daily invitation to seek the treasure of His kingdom. And to choose from all the choices life offers. If God appeared to us in a dream like Solomon, what shall I ask of Him? It is not always about me! Have I ever prayed for a gift that will benefit the entire community, family, parish or Country? The mission of Christ to redeem the human race speaks volumes about ‘detachment’. While many a people are born to live, Jesus was born to die. The Venerable Fulton Sheen writes “if then death was the supreme moment for which Christ lived, it was therefore the one thing He wished to have remembered above all others. He did not ask that men should write down His words into a scripture; He did not ask that His kindness to the poor, the lame, and the blind should be recorded in history; but He asked that men remember His death” (Cf. The Prodigal World by Fulton J. Sheen). Jesus teaches us himself how to remember his death every day and promised to give us a “new” heart and a “new” spirit (Ezekiel 36:26) so that we can detach ourselves from the world.

I cannot let go of the world if I do not find Jesus. And after finding the kingdom, it has to be proclaimed and shared. When we find the kingdom we are set free from an uncertain life or future. We look beyond worries and challenges. Seeking to conquer through the world will never allow us to conquer through the spirit. Let us use the Gospel to sort out the treasure in our world and discard the junk of our lives.

Happy Bible Sunday

Fr. Sam MADZA, SMA