Homily on Friday's Gospel
MT 5:27-32
Everybody has to have some God at some time, which one will you chose? Perhaps this is not a question you have thought much about, but it is a question for each of us. At the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans, idols were easy to recognize. But we live in a more subtle time; our idols are much more hidden and seductive. Anything that interferes with your relationship with God or is desired for its own sake is an idol – whether it be money, or power, or time.
Yet, as our Gospel demonstrates, we have a jealous God who asks for nothing less than all of us as we ask for nothing less than all of him and we all can act adulterously in this relationship. Many things strive for superiority in our lives over the position that belongs to God. Is Sunday our Lord’s Day or has it become our shopping day, our child’s soccer day, our watching football day? I even saw a recent news article about people becoming “addicted to e-mail” of feeling the need to hear the words “You’ve got mail”, of being fearful that one may be missing an important communication but are we constantly checking up with God to see what he may be communicating to us?
One danger we all face is dealing with problems of time. We even speak of taking time out of our busy schedules for God as if our schedules are more important. Instead of taking “time out for God” we should spend more time being on for him.
In a world with so many distractions and so many things to gather our attention, we must strive ever more for faithfulness and single-hearted devotion to the Lord. Everybody has to have some God at some time, which one will you choose?
Everybody has to have some God at some time, which one will you chose? Perhaps this is not a question you have thought much about, but it is a question for each of us. At the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans, idols were easy to recognize. But we live in a more subtle time; our idols are much more hidden and seductive. Anything that interferes with your relationship with God or is desired for its own sake is an idol – whether it be money, or power, or time.
Yet, as our Gospel demonstrates, we have a jealous God who asks for nothing less than all of us as we ask for nothing less than all of him and we all can act adulterously in this relationship. Many things strive for superiority in our lives over the position that belongs to God. Is Sunday our Lord’s Day or has it become our shopping day, our child’s soccer day, our watching football day? I even saw a recent news article about people becoming “addicted to e-mail” of feeling the need to hear the words “You’ve got mail”, of being fearful that one may be missing an important communication but are we constantly checking up with God to see what he may be communicating to us?
One danger we all face is dealing with problems of time. We even speak of taking time out of our busy schedules for God as if our schedules are more important. Instead of taking “time out for God” we should spend more time being on for him.
In a world with so many distractions and so many things to gather our attention, we must strive ever more for faithfulness and single-hearted devotion to the Lord. Everybody has to have some God at some time, which one will you choose?
posted by Fr. Seraphim Beshoner, TOR | 6:54 AM
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