For the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time…
If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.
Colossians 3:1-2
Oh, to be heavenly-minded! To begin each day with the end in mind. That is, to be grounded in the hope of heaven, our redemption in Christ. St. Paul preached to the early Christians, and to all who would listen, that there is Good News: This is not all there is. All of life on earth is a glorious prelude—thanks to Jesus Christ who died and rose and is now seated next to the Father in Heaven—to receiving the promise of eternal life.
This is not to say that what is on earth is trivial or does not need our attention. But, for those who are baptized, that the gift of “being raised” with Christ, means this life on earth is also “raised” in a certain sense; it is a gift through which our new life in Christ is lived. Heaven, we may say in faith, starts here.
In the holy meanwhile, as we go through our earth-bound struggles and distractions, here’s some more wisdom on the subject from St. Teresa of Ávila:
Dream that the more you struggle, the more you prove the love that you bear your God, and the more you will rejoice one day with your Beloved, in a happiness and rapture that can never end.
Holy Spirit, guide me in living my life. May the inspirations of holy heroes, like St. Paul and St. Teresa, help me to see Jesus Christ present in my daily life, until the day I meet him face to face.
