Priorities and Perspectives

WORD 2day: Friday, 11th week in Ordinary time

June 21, 2019: 2 Corinthians 11: 18, 21-30; Matthew 6: 19-23

Look to Him and be radiant, inspires the Psalmist today. Eyes... Looking... Seeing... are part of the glossary on one hand today. It is all about our priorities and perspectives we have in life, that is, the point of view from where we wish to understand our life and everyday events. 

On the other hand we have two more terms that orient us to the theme - treasure and boast! To treasure or to boast of something, means to value something dear! To value something dear, defines your perspective on life. What I value, what I treasure, what I boast about, will determine what I want to define my life as! Depending on that which I boast about, my life and its significance assume depth. 

This is exactly why Jesus invites me to guard my eyes, to be careful with my perspective on life, my way of looking at my priorities and things that I give importance to. There could be a great model in St. Paul who enumerates the possible things on which he can boast about, but chooses from them to boast on things that showed his weakness, because he would say in the very next chapter, 'when I am weak then I am strong' (2 Cor 12:10). 

The humble and saintly parish priest, St. John Maria Vianney would say, "if people would do for God what they do for the world, my dear people, what a number of Christians would go to heaven!" It all depends on what one's perspective is, what one sees to be important, what one sees to be one's treasure and worthy to be boasted about! How true!

The thorn and the Grace

WORD 2day: Saturday, 11th week in Ordinary time

June 22, 2019: 2 Corinthians 12: 1-10; Matthew  6: 24-34

The Thorn and the Grace! Both are within me, what do I choose to see? The question follows from yesterday's reflection, the reflection that the Lord is walking us through. Paul spotted the thorn that intended to hold him down and at the same time the grace at work within him. And he chose to base himself on the grace that is at work and turn the thorn into an experience of feeling the closeness of the presence of God with him. 

Each of us has a thorn, that we need to first identify - may be a habit, or a tendency, or a touchy ego, an over anxiety, an urge to prove oneself, an undue attachment, a passion or longing for something that does not really satisfy! Once we are able to name it, we have the reins in our hands. At times we might falter, but there is always the grace that lifts us up... the loving Lord who brings us up by our hands, the Lord who stays forever close to us, knowing every one of our need and every one of our problems! 

The Lord knows our weakness and the Lord knows our strengths. As St. Paul affirms, the Lord does not allow us to be tempted more than our strength (1 Cor 10:13). Hence it follows that if I tend to fall, it is not because the temptation is beyond my strength but because I have not fully used the strength that is available, the strength that comes from grace and grace alone! 

Let us focus on the grace that accompanies us every day and every moment on the journey of life, and lets turn to it for guidance and light, without any hesitation or fright!