Their minds are occupied with earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven.
In his Letter to the Philippians, St. Paul encourages believers to avoid “earthly things” and to realize “our citizenship is in heaven.” For Paul, if we focus solely on what is right before us, we miss where we are meant to be. Paul saw the reward for faith in Christ as complimentary to what Jesus himself receives for his fidelity to the Father. Just as Christians share in the death of Jesus, they also share in the resurrection of Jesus. This dying and rising with Christ are the ends we seek in our Lenten journey. Because of our faith and trust in the Lord, in the end-time, Christ “will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body.” What is here does not matter, none of it remains, and so we must live, think and act with our minds and our hearts fixed on heaven.
All the above can be dismissed as a pious contemplation with no sense of the “realities” we face every day. How can I feed my family, provide shelter and clothing, respond to illness or tragedy if I am not occupied with earthly things? How foolish would I be if I spent the day with my head in the clouds? It is true that we cannot ignore or isolate ourselves from “earthly things.” Finding satisfaction in human accomplishment or finding peace in knowing that we have provided for ourselves and those we love is good. So, we live in hope that we can overcome the obstacles and challenges of life. Yet that hope is limited. We hope for something more.
In introducing our current Jubilee Year in the church, Pope Francis called upon us to be Pilgrims of Hope:
We must fan the flame of hope that has been given us and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and far-sighted vision … Hope is born of love and based on the love springing from the pierced heart of Jesus upon the cross…During the Holy Year, we are called to be tangible signs of hope for those of our brothers and sisters who experience hardships of any kind.
When we are only occupied by the earthly things, our vision of Christian hope is diminished. The greatest reason for dissatisfaction in our lives is that nothing ever works out the way we hoped it would. In addition, we may very well exhaust ourselves trying to fulfill earthly hope.
Let our Lenten journey be transformative. Let us spend these days with a desire to look beyond what is in front of us and long for the glory that will fulfill all hope. With Christ, we are called to die in what is earthly, so that we may live eternally in what is of heaven.
LENT MISSION – We were privileged to begin our first week of Lent under the spiritual guidance of Fr. Patrick Nolan, S.J. To be pilgrims means that we are journeying together. Fr. Patrick helped us to experience that unity in his relatable stories and down-to-earth approach to the scriptures and our relationship with the Lord. Thanks to all who filled the church each morning and night.
Fr. Patrick also spent time with the students at our school, Faith Formation 3rd grade receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation and our 20-something aged bible study participants. His engagement with our parish community was multi-faceted and reflected the many aspects of parish life that helped to form him.
LENT CONTINUES – If you have not already done so, pick up a Lenten newsletter detailing the activities of this week and the weeks to come. This week will feature a session of Sunday Conversations, our monthly Parish Holy Hour of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Stations of the Cross on Friday, in the afternoon and the evening.
Peace,
