“Yet, I consider life of no importance to me, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to bear witness to the Gospel of God’s grace.”
St. Paul spoke these words in today’s first reading for Mass, because he was very much aware that his own death was not far off.
Jesus prayed to His Father in today’s Gospel, because he was also aware that his own death was coming soon:
“And now I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, while I am coming to you.”
What did Jesus and Saint Paul have in common in these two readings? If you read the scriptures for Mass today very closely, then you will notice that Jesus glorified God the Father by his life, and then Saint Paul glorified Jesus Christ by his life. Neither Jesus or Saint Paul were concerned about themselves though, when they were preparing to face their own death.
Life is so short. It is going to be over in the blink of an eye. Young people think they have all the time in the world to set things right with God and accomplish their goals in life, but that isn’t always the case. Last night my son received a text on his cell phone that his best friend’s twenty year old brother was found dead in his bed, for no apparent reason. He didn’t have any medical condition or illness and no drugs were involved. He simply died in his sleep.
This young man probably felt like he had his whole life ahead of him, and had plenty of time to accomplish his goals in life and set things right with God.
What about you?
Life is such a precious gift. The minutes, hours, days, months and years are a gift that once spent, we can never get back.
How are you spending your life? Are you spending your life on trivial pursuits and pleasures?
Our Catholic faith teaches us that love is the point of life.
Jesus Christ and Saint Paul both loved God and loved their fellow-man. However, they didn’t just have the sentimental feelings of love. They both acted on their love for God. Their love for God was visible, by their actions during their life. Their actions spoke for themselves. Can we say the same for ourselves?
Does our life glorify Jesus Christ? If we take away all the words that we say or write and just look at what we do – do our actions glorify the Lord?
The Holy Spirit permeates and enlivens Christ’s words in today’s Gospel. Then, in today’s first reading for Mass, Saint Paul wrote that the Holy Spirit compelled him to go to Jerusalem. Let us also be attentive to the Holy Spirit’s gentle promptings, and then act on what He compels us to do. We glorify God, when we listen to His Spirit and then act on what He tells us to do.
