Awareness

Awareness

When I was reflecting on the Gospel for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (September 25th), I was struck by the lines, “My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.” Remember, this story is about a rich man, who lived a very nice earthly life, and a poor man named Lazarus, who had nothing. The story goes on to explain that both men eventually died, and Lazarus was exulted by God at his death, while the rich man was sent to eternal punishment. In an external sense, the Gospel is telling us that eternal punishment is something that we need to reflect on. It is unlike any other suffering that we have to endure during this lifetime. The rich man was so selfish that he did not even give the poor man his scraps! How often do we think too much of ourselves that we can’t even give a minute of our time to help someone in need? That lack of selflessness is what sent the rich man to eternal punishment because he could not even give a crumb to the poor man.

This Gospel also conveys to us a deeper meaning that we all must be aware of. The Gospel is calling us to have an awareness that we are not made for this life, but for the next. If we live primarily for this life, that is what sends us to eternal punishment. We should all strive to be with our Lord in heaven, that is, eternal splendor. Is our primary focus on the things of this world, or is it ultimately in Christ? How can we experience eternal splendor if we have our focus on the things of this world, rather than the things of heaven? The message here is NOT to give up earthly things. We are called to balance the things of this world so it does not remove our focus on Christ. Let us put Christ first in our life by receiving the sacraments, especially by attending Mass every week to receive His Body and Blood, so we may be better equipped for eternal life!