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This article is taken from the Sunday Missal, which is the private Priests’ Missal, the 8th Sunday after Pentecost (green): Thought For Today: The parable of the steward shows how cleverly “the children of this world” sometimes proceed to secure their advantage. “The children of light”, on the other hand, neglect so many opportunities to gain a happy eternity by not participating in Holy Mass and letting other means of sanctification go by unused. * * * * * * * Are we “children of light” or “children of the world”? The children of the world are children of darkness, since the bible separates them from children of light. And children of light cannot be children of darkness because they are of light. So what is the meaning that the children of light neglect to secure for themselves a place in eternity - also, in such that they neglect for themselves a place in eternity by not going to Mass? Weird, isn’t it that the children of light are not looking forward to eternity by not going to Mass? Isn’t this strange, in the bible? Let us tell you why it is true. We will go to when Jesus was rebuked for not being in the Synagogue on the Sabbath, while he was healing somebody. He said to the High Priests: “What is easier to say, ‘your sins are forgiven’ or ‘pick up your bed and go home’”? So that was saying, “you claim that you have the powers to forgive sins, but you can’t even heal the sick.” So which is most important, healing the sick or your sins are forgiven? Then he said: “If one of your sheep falls into the ditch on the Sabbath, would you risk him dying there because you’re going to the synagogue or will you save him? You will save him.” So the meaning of this parable is very beautiful: that the children of light look forward to bring others to eternity, those that are astray, before thinking of themselves, assuring themselves of eternity and not thinking of others. So that means when you give up your life for your brother, that you even give up sitting in the synagogue in order to save a life, greater it is to save a life by the spirit, then to sit in a Synagogue knowing that others are dying, that you could have saved. How many people go to Church for the sake of others? They go for their own sake, for their own salvation, their own eternity, while others are suffering out there because of their neglecting them, judging them for not knowing better than they are supposed to know. So if it is all right not to go to Church to keep someone from dying, as the Lord said, because now we go to a different writing: “When you come to my house and you remember that you have a quarrel with someone out there, it is best (and remember the word best, as it is written) that you go and make peace with your brother than to come to Church with hatred for him.” Even neglecting to help them is hatred because you will take care of yourself first and not others. That is placing yourself above others. In such, you go to church as a hypocrite, believing that you’re closer to heaven while you have done nothing with all that you have learned. Jesus also said: “In the end, you will no longer worship in buildings nor mountains nor Jerusalem. Will there be faith when I return? I will pick up the remnants and rebuild my Church”. That means that of the Church, he was prophesying that it would have gone down like it is today. Rebuilding it is thanking it to have carried the Word without knowing its meaning, where now, all things new. Write this because it’s true: making things new is not making something old, new; making it be what it never was, because new is like a child that is just born. It’s not an old thing; it’s a new thing. The new Church will give understanding to what you read today, where before, you would have thought that it was best not to go to Church to be in the light. That is being in darkness because the children of light are those who light the way for those in darkness, not being in darkness, believing that you are light. Thank you for reading. |