Sunday’s Readings: Jeremiah 20:10-13; Psalms 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35; Romans 5:12-15; Matthew 10:26-33
Taking Life Seriously
In the Gospel, Jesus encourages us as follows: “Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid.”
God pays attention to each of us. God knows us each in the tiniest detail!
A conclusion follows. See what you think of it:
Each of us is created to be a place where God’s love can dwell.
It follows that we will never be truly human unless the greatest value in each of our lives is to receive the love of God and to carry it to the people around us.
Our culture would never buy such a proposition. On television we see people seeking ease, beauty, convenience, pleasure and so on. Quite often on broadcast channels, cable channels, and now on subscription programs, one could conclude that the human person is made for one purpose only: sex. Without realizing it, commercials are built to encourage the seven Capital Sins (pride, gluttony, avarice, lust, sloth, envy and anger). Jot that list down, put it by your television and put a check behind each one when it is promoted.
Alright, we human beings do get attached to many things or fascinated by them. But if each of us is created to be a place where God’s love can dwell, then any of these fascinations might be left aside if it begins to take over God’s place. If I am attached to wealth, or my stamp collection, or my good looks, or drugs, or even my mate—in a way that makes God’s love take second (or third or fiftieth) place, then my life is disordered and I am headed for a fall.
How do you react to this proposal? Personally, I used to react to it with confusion and resistance. “You mean I am to love God only and not care about my friends, my family, music, sports, food, health, etc? Not care about anything except God?”
No.
Healthy love of all these things has its roots in love of God. Everything gets its own individual value from the indwelling of God within it. Each person, each blade of grass receives its full value of love because it proceeds from God’s gentle hand.
Whoever takes this proposition seriously will live a full human life. But I can hear the reader saying immediately that this is too difficult. So many things get in the way. Have a look through your life and see how often you forget God the source. “Leave me, I am a sinful man,” Peter once said to Jesus in the boat, remembering that he had actually deserted Jesus at least three times. How many times have you and I done likewise?
So, does the above proposition really apply just to those who never sin?
Not at all. “If you sin, I will not leave you, I will love you,” God has said throughout the ages. The cross of Jesus is the ultimate statement of that truth. God’s love remains constant and dear, in spite of the rampant sin in all of us and each of us. His love will help us get closer to the goal.
Let us rejoice, then. No matter how many hairs we have on our head, God’s love remains to be let in.
John Foley, SJ