WE are, of
course, in this world which plays a crucial
role in the over-all scheme of our entire life. But we
have to
remember that even as we immerse ourselves in worldly
affairs, we
should not allow ourselves to be so trapped by them that we
forget
that we are meant for a life beyond this world.
We are meant
for heaven, for life in eternity, hopefully
with God our Creator and Father in whose image and
likeness we have
been created. And so, we should sharpen our constant
awareness of our
heavenly destination, and the ways by which this
awareness can be
kept.
Christ said it
very clearly. “Do not store up for
yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin
destroy, and
where thieves break in and steal. But store up for
yourselves
treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not
destroy, and where
thieves do not break in and steal. For where your
treasure is, there
your heart will be also.” (Mt 6,19-21)
And St. Paul
echoes the same sentiment. “Set your minds on
things above, not on earthly things.” (Col 3,2) We should
do
everything to avoid getting entangled with our earthly
and temporal
affairs.
It’s not that
these worldly concerns of ours are not
important. They are very important! But only as means,
not as ends.
They are nothing, and they can be very harmful to us, if
they are not
related to our true and ultimate end.
We have to find
ways to relate everything to God, to the
supernatural character of our final destination in
heaven. Whether we
like it or not, this is how the cookie crumbles for us,
given our
nature that is not only material but also eminently
spiritual.
We are meant
for a supernatural life with God because that
is how we are wired and equipped with our intelligence
and will, and
also because, first of all, it is God’s will and he gives
us the grace
to effect it in us.
This is no
gratuitous assertion, because many are the
references in the Bible that tell us so. “My son, give me
your heart
and let your eyes delight in my ways,” we are told. (Prov
23,26) And
in another instance, we are told: “Do not fear, for I
have redeemed
you. I have summoned you by name. You are mine.” (Is
43,1)
The strongest
proof, of course, is the fact that God
became man, Jesus Christ, who assumed all our sins with
his passion,
death and resurrection. God wants us to be like him in
Christ through
the Holy Spirit.
We can
correspond to this grand design of God for us,
first, by keeping a constant dialogue with him. This
should not be
difficult to do since any item in our life can be and
should be a
material for that dialogue.
Our problem is
that we prefer to talk with our own selves,
and very often we just find ourselves empty headed and
prone to all
our weaknesses, temptations and the many other
allurements in the
world.
The Holy Spirit
is constantly prompting us, is always
intervening in our lives, showing us the way and
empowering us to do a
lot of good. If we would just allow ourselves to be led
by the Spirit,
instead of our own flesh-and-world-based reason and will,
we would be
doing a lot of good. We would be storing up treasures in
heaven.
To be led by
the Spirit is the best thing that can happen
to us. We would not be lost as we cruise the many tricky
ways of the
world. No matter what happens, even if we commit mistakes
in our
temporal affairs, we would still end up doing good.
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