We might say that all of us, as we walk the journey of life, are engaged in some kind of wonderful and mysterious “process.” We all agree that as human beings we are obliged in this process to become the best possible people we can be, each according to his or her gifts and abilities. When we understand this process from a Christian perspective, we might come to realize that there are times when the faith journey metaphorically takes us into deep valleys, or along paths that are stable and prosperous, and we might perhaps at times find ourselves on lofty, magnificent and exuberant mountain tops. In any event, (and/or at whatever elevation), we are constantly called and challenged to be faithful to our God, and to the faith we have embraced as Christian people.
With this in mind, we might want to ponder a bit on the warning given to us in our second reading today; it says “the lives of all of us are to be revealed before the tribunal of Christ so that each one may receive recompense, good or bad, according to his or her life in the body” (see 2 Corinthians 5:10). This may give us a reason to reflect on the quality of our lives and it may prompt us to examine our consciences.
We might ask ourselves: “As people of God, are we really and truly faithful to our profession of faith and to our baptismal promises? And in this sense, do we actually live lives that are worthy of the Christian calling that we have each received?” I believe that if we cannot answer both of these questions positively, then perhaps now it is the time for us to renew our faith commitments!
There can be no doubt that our God always calls us (even again and again) to be true to our Christian calling and to be genuine disciples of the Lord Jesus! Our Gospel today gives us something like a “recipe” for processing our lives well; it calls us to “sow” lives that are faith-filled and spiritually productive. In it Jesus speaks of the “Kingdom of God” and he teaches us that if we are faithful to it all along the way, then we will be blessed and we will produce great fruits.
Jesus says “The Kingdom of God is like someone who . . . scatters seed on the ground . . . through it all, the seed sprouts and grows without him or her knowing how it happens . . . of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear” (see Mark 4:26-27). Acknowledging that no one is “perfect,” we are called nonetheless, as members of the “Kingdom of God,” to be fully engaged in the “process” of being the best possible Christian men and women that we can be. Along the way, during this “process” we call the journey, we can be sure that our God will be very loving, kind, patient, merciful, forgiving, caring and just, but we must also treat ourselves and others with these same qualities and virtues! Then, when the harvest day comes, each one of us will be prepared for it! On that day, may we rejoice because the “recompense” to be received will mirror the manner in which we have been faithful to the Gospel during the journey of our lives.
Let us always be faithful, and may we rejoice as brothers and sisters that we truly are members of God’s Kingdom!
Praise God! Friar Timothy
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