Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary

"Who then can be saved? "Jesus looked at them and said, "For men this is impossible, but for God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26

Reflection:
With God everything is possible. He is the one who Forgives. He is the one who see's everything and knows all. In today's first reading we are likened to a god, haughty in heart. No humbleness in us then. After all we store many riches within our souls, we become proud people then.

It is easy then to understand why it is easier for a camel to go through an eye of a needle than it is for us. What riches are we hoarding and unwilling to let go of? A camel doesn't have excess baggage that we do. In our minds we store up useless junk, in our hearts we hold on to treasures that keep us away from God. As humans we have many types of treasures that make us rich, which type do we have that causes us so much weight that we would never fit through the gate. What do we love more than anything, and would die just to have. For some, it is to have a new outfit everyday. Others it is new shoes daily. For others it may be just having to eat somewhere new all the time.The poor, also may have a hard time entering, just as much as those who have material wealth, because many long for the excess the others have.

Our hearts desire is not always the way of God, it is releasing what we deem our riches over to God. But he also admonishes us to share what material we have with others, not necessarily to those who need, not out of buying them off, or buying their love or friendship. In this, how on earth will we ever fit through the gate then.

I've cleaned out my treasures, my house is empty, in that context it is not material that is gone, it is the desire to have, that has vanished. It is replaced with the desire to do God's will. That is my treasure.

2 comments:

Chris Dickson, F.L.A. said...

Thank you for this beautiful post.

Unfortunately for me, my hands are like fly paper: I purge myself of unnecessary junk and walk away from it. As I am walking away, I notice that it's stuck back on my hands again. So I take and purge it again, only to find it stuck on my hands again...and again...

But I suppose it's better to have your hands as fly paper rather than you heart...

Marie Cecile said...

Thank you Brother Lesser for your kind words.

Your right though, it is better than having your heart as fly paper.

At least you purge yourself of what you know is sticky stuff. Some don't even try.
I like how you put it.