Wednesday of Week 23 in Ordinary Time (Year II)
1 Corinthians 7:25-31 | Psalm 44:11-12,14-17 | Luke 6:20-26
Each time I get a new piece of hardware, whether it be a PC or mobile phone, I end up spending days getting it to work exactly the way I want. Even migrating my files from the older hardware, or restoring from a backup, takes significant time, and afterwards, I feel the need to go through and clear out any obsolete or unused apps and files, just to make room for future use.
It would certainly be easier to just continue using the old hardware, but mundane issues like dead batteries, ever-increasing software bloat, or even discontinued GSM network support by local telcos, always interfere with that plan for frugality. It seems that “keeping it simple” isn’t part of the Worldly Way.
Which is why St. Paul’s eschatological reminder to the Corinthians is so timely. “Our time is growing short”; not only could we shuffle off this mortal coil at any time, but we also “do not know the hour when the Son of Man is coming.” We should therefore not let ourselves get bogged down by the minutiae of mortal life, forgetting about the life to come. We should strive to minimize our preoccupation with secular things like PC and phones, and increase our willingness to spend time contemplating the Word that is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
So let us always remember to keep our eyes on the prize that is reunion with our Creator in heavenly bliss, and while we still have to deal with the world, let us not become engrossed in it. (1 Corinthians 7:31)
Amen.