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A Hot Second

Pocket Watch

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.


The world, and sometimes unfortunately we in the Church, are after an earthly utopia. Since the 1800s, and certainly earlier in different ways, passion and focus have lain with improving man’s lot in life. Seek the most rational and beneficial form of government. Protect our resources. Strive for global harmony. Solve all ills and inefficiencies with technology. Increase leisure, decrease suffering.

When pursued in moderation, these objectives are beautiful, inspiring, exciting, good. The Church rightly in her social doctrine advocates for them.

But today’s readings betray how easily we place excessive importance on these objectives, when in reality we should pursue them with joy, serenity, and detachment. For their contribution to human happiness will inevitably be severely limited.

The saints could not be more unanimous in emphasizing the fleeting nature of life on earth relative to eternity, like a second compared to a year, like a speck of dust compared with the universe. Sure, it makes sense to make that second, that speck as “nice” as we can. But eternity is approaching like a speeding train. Much more important it is, to take the limited time we have and make our–and others’–eternity the best that it can be.

St. Paul emphasizes how imminent this oncoming eternity is. How soon the world is passing away. We may scoff and say that two thousand years, a long time, have passed since he wrote those words. But what if the world were to end today? Would that span of time seem really that extensive, for the full development in history of humankind? Would it seem that drawn out, compared to eternity?

More importantly–the world is ending for each one of us in just a few years. Uncomfortable thought, but no less real for all that.

St. Paul tells those who are weeping to act as if they are not; those rejoicing, to act as if they are not. The afflictions and triumphs of this life are so fleeting; it is as if they are already dust.

We are battling all over social media about politics, about today’s president, whom some hate and others love. A leading crossword published today included TAFT as answer to a clue about the president elected in 1908. Passions were similarly intense and polarized about that leader. But who, save specialized historians, remembers anything about Taft’s presidency, just 100+ years later?

“The world in its present form is passing away.”

But it is Jesus’ words in today’s gospel that give the most beautiful, poignant, poetic expression to the message of the value of time relative to eternity. For indeed, blessed are those who are completely and utterly detached from their worldly security and welfare, and cling to God as their sole fundamental good. They have invested wisely, for as the world vanishes they will be filled with divine joy.

Finally, today’s psalm likewise provides beautiful expression to this theme. It depicts a beautiful maiden who leaves her father’s house, arrayed in gold, to join her king at his right hand and live in his joy. Your soul is that maiden; this world is your father’s house, which you are already in the process of leaving; your beauty is the beauty with which God has created you; your gold raiment is God’s grace in your soul; and the king’s house, your destiny, is your life with God in eternity.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Look at the intense beauty of the world around you, consider the mind-boggling advancements in technology and science. Also, contemplate the intense ongoing tragedy of poverty and human injustice. Ask Our Lord: These intense realities–how important are they to Him? How does working for their betterment impact eternity? What view should you have of your life with regard to eternity? Sit with Him and dialogue with Him a while; allow His perspective to saturate your heart.

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A Binary Choice

Binary

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.


To truly appreciate, wonder at, and ultimately experience the surpassing joy that is an ongoing relationship with God, it is important to understand how terrible by contrast is the sin in which we habitually live.

When the rich young man approaches Jesus to ask Him what is necessary to gain eternal life, Jesus does not tell him to do his best, that God understands his wounds and psychological limitations–do your best, and God’s mercy will lift you up out of your misery after this life into eternal bliss.

He holds a much simpler line. He says, “Keep the commandments.”

The truly amazing thing about this exchange is that, rather than balking at this hard line, the rich young man realizes that beyond even this challenge, something is still lacking, not just in general, but for attaining his aim–for attaining eternal life.

Jesus does not gainsay his further prodding. He asserts what Catholic salvation theology will later reaffirm and explain: That to enter heaven, complete detachment from created reality and exclusive attachment to God is not optional, but necessary. Indeed, it may be posited that people go to Hell, not so much because they reject God as because they reject the painful and necessary process of their own transformation through detachment.

All sin stems in some way from from attachment to self and created things. And the first reading spells out with horrible clarity what this attachment leads to: Ultimately, a despoiling of all happiness. We may see an allegory of this in the cocaine addict. It is said that the first cocaine hit is the best; the addict thereafter chases that first high but never fully finds it again, as each succeeding high is less gratifying than the last, and the addict descends into complete, inescapable misery. So it is with the soul attached to self and creative things, in habitual sin. Life in sin is so miserable, that drastic, painful wake-up calls, like that portrayed in the first reading, come to resemble more an intervention for a drug addict than a punishment.

Still, as miserable as the life of sin is, many more times exalted is life with God, here on earth, but especially in eternity. “…and you will have treasure in heaven.”

Ultimately, the choice for God or for sin is drastic and binary: “He who does not gather with me, scatters.” Nor is it a choice between two paths at a fork in the road, but rather, a choice to paddle upstream, or to drift. Those who make the choice to drift will not enjoy friendship with God on earth or, more importantly, enter eternal life.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Affirm categorically that your life choice is for Him, that you are willing to undergo whatever sacrifice and accept whatever suffering is necessary in the process of choosing Him over sin. Look at a crucifix and thank Him for opening the door to this choice, which was tragically closed to us by our first parents, through His act of salvation.

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