14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
Isaiah 66:10-14 | Psalm 65:1-7,16,20 | Galatians 6:14-18 | Luke 10:1-12,17-20
The only thing I can boast about is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world. (Galatians 6:14)
Such an odd turn of phrase, but packed with meaning. St. Paul is really saying that the world is dead to him, and he to the world. All the kings, sages, persons and things that others idolise are viewed with contempt by him. While others pursue wealth, status, sex and other worldly dalliances, St. Paul ignores such pursuits in a single-minded focus on He who died for all mankind.
Such zeal would be quite out of place today, but we Catholics are still called to something similar. Our baptism was to be a dying to our old selves and rising to new life, but have we truly left our promiscuous and excessive selves behind?
Do we still participate in rampant consumerism, always chasing the latest gadgets and tossing the older but serviceable ones aside, always eating more than our bodies truly need?
Do we still lust after the trappings of success, the fancy luxury car to ferry us where public transport serves adequately, the curvaceous model-girlfriend to turn heads green with envy?
Do we secretly or blatantly fawn over those who “have it made”, the Zuckerbergs and Musks that have all the wealth and adulation a man could want?
Or do we tell ourselves, “Self, I have more than enough, let’s see how I can share my good fortune with others as God intended?”
Do we see our belongings and truly understand their purpose in our lives, as tools to spread the Gospel message rather than trophies of our mortal greed?
Do we carve out time in our daily schedule to commune with our Creator, who loved us so much that he gave His only Son to be the final sacrifice for all our iniquities?
Lord Jesus Christ, You died so that we might understand just how little of this secular world is fit in the Father’s eyes. Remind us always to ponder Your suffering on the cross, that we may die to our sins and fit ourselves for the coming kingdom. Amen.