Beloved in Christ,
Luke's discourse on the Beatitudes and Woes invites us to live our earthly lives with a focus on eternity. We must constantly remind ourselves that the tribulations or sufferings we experience in this life as Christians will turn into glorious existence in the next life. We will most likely experience one form of misfortune or another in our earthly lives. Luke mentioned some unpleasant human realities: poverty, hunger, sorrow, and rejection. We must bear the burden of earthly hardship with hope in the eternal reward promised by Jesus. We are not in a relationship with Christ for the primary purpose of comfort and consolation in this world; we are in Christ for a greater purpose, the reward of heaven. St. Paul's letter to Corinthians reminds us not to place our reason on only earthly good: "If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most to be pitied" (1 Cor 15: 19). The sufferings and sacrifices we make in this life will yield to an eternity of joy, peace, and love. That is the promise made by Christ.
With the hope of heaven in mind, we cheerfully bear our daily crosses. "Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven" (Lk. 6:23). We must constantly keep this promise in mind as we endure the hardship the Lord permits to come our way. We must embrace the hope of the reward of perseverance in our sufferings on account of faithfulness to God's commandments and ways. We learn the virtues of temperance, prudence, justice, and fortitude in accepting our difficulties with a Christlike spirit. In other words, we must see the materials for sainthood in our trials and tribulations in this world on account of our Christian identity.
In our poverty, we learn detachment from material comfort as we become averse to this world's vanity and excessive pleasure; this is the virtue of temperance. In our hunger, we learn to identify with the plight of those who have nothing or little and are more attuned to generous giving; this is an act of justice. In our sorrows, we acquire prudence as we see the vanity in the temporal goods and look forward to everlasting things. In bearing hatred and opposition from the world unwelcoming to our profession of faith in Jesus and his will, we practice the virtue of fortitude.
We must focus on the reward of the beatific vision as we endure the hardship that accompanies our faithfulness to God's will. We must not seek the easy and comfortable ways as our ends. If we do, we would only be rewarded with earthly joy, but, in the long run, would invite everlasting curses or woe. God rains down blessings and woes on us depending on our choices in this world and time. Ultimately, it is up to us to choose the eternal consequence we want. Jesus exhorts us to turn away from worldly attachment and embrace heavenly joy. If we become engrossed and attached to worldly happiness alone and forget our heavenly end, we are dangerously inviting eternal woes. We must, therefore, seek what is above, what is in the next life, the everlasting reward of God's Kingdom.
The call to the heavenly gaze, in the proper sense, does not include disregard for the life we live here and now. Jesus calls us to make this world, as far as possible, a foretaste of heaven. We must continue to cultivate virtues that create a more Christ-oriented world. This is why we must care for what we have and those around us.
We must contribute our share to uplift our church and our parish. We remain a stewardship and tithing parish. God expects us to contribute our fair share to its development. In this vein, I once again offer genuine thanks to all of you for giving generously in material and spiritual ways to our parish. May we continue to receive the heavenly blessings from our stewardship of wealth, time, and talents to create a foretaste of heaven in this temporal world.
Have a blessed President's Day.
In Christ,
Fr. Bernard-Alayode, OP
Luke's discourse on the Beatitudes and Woes invites us to live our earthly lives with a focus on eternity. We must constantly remind ourselves that the tribulations or sufferings we experience in this life as Christians will turn into glorious existence in the next life. We will most likely experience one form of misfortune or another in our earthly lives. Luke mentioned some unpleasant human realities: poverty, hunger, sorrow, and rejection. We must bear the burden of earthly hardship with hope in the eternal reward promised by Jesus. We are not in a relationship with Christ for the primary purpose of comfort and consolation in this world; we are in Christ for a greater purpose, the reward of heaven. St. Paul's letter to Corinthians reminds us not to place our reason on only earthly good: "If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most to be pitied" (1 Cor 15: 19). The sufferings and sacrifices we make in this life will yield to an eternity of joy, peace, and love. That is the promise made by Christ.
With the hope of heaven in mind, we cheerfully bear our daily crosses. "Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven" (Lk. 6:23). We must constantly keep this promise in mind as we endure the hardship the Lord permits to come our way. We must embrace the hope of the reward of perseverance in our sufferings on account of faithfulness to God's commandments and ways. We learn the virtues of temperance, prudence, justice, and fortitude in accepting our difficulties with a Christlike spirit. In other words, we must see the materials for sainthood in our trials and tribulations in this world on account of our Christian identity.
In our poverty, we learn detachment from material comfort as we become averse to this world's vanity and excessive pleasure; this is the virtue of temperance. In our hunger, we learn to identify with the plight of those who have nothing or little and are more attuned to generous giving; this is an act of justice. In our sorrows, we acquire prudence as we see the vanity in the temporal goods and look forward to everlasting things. In bearing hatred and opposition from the world unwelcoming to our profession of faith in Jesus and his will, we practice the virtue of fortitude.
We must focus on the reward of the beatific vision as we endure the hardship that accompanies our faithfulness to God's will. We must not seek the easy and comfortable ways as our ends. If we do, we would only be rewarded with earthly joy, but, in the long run, would invite everlasting curses or woe. God rains down blessings and woes on us depending on our choices in this world and time. Ultimately, it is up to us to choose the eternal consequence we want. Jesus exhorts us to turn away from worldly attachment and embrace heavenly joy. If we become engrossed and attached to worldly happiness alone and forget our heavenly end, we are dangerously inviting eternal woes. We must, therefore, seek what is above, what is in the next life, the everlasting reward of God's Kingdom.
The call to the heavenly gaze, in the proper sense, does not include disregard for the life we live here and now. Jesus calls us to make this world, as far as possible, a foretaste of heaven. We must continue to cultivate virtues that create a more Christ-oriented world. This is why we must care for what we have and those around us.
We must contribute our share to uplift our church and our parish. We remain a stewardship and tithing parish. God expects us to contribute our fair share to its development. In this vein, I once again offer genuine thanks to all of you for giving generously in material and spiritual ways to our parish. May we continue to receive the heavenly blessings from our stewardship of wealth, time, and talents to create a foretaste of heaven in this temporal world.
Have a blessed President's Day.
In Christ,
Fr. Bernard-Alayode, OP
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