Friday of the 11th
Week in Ordinary Time
June 17, 2016 8:30am
Readings: 2
Kings 11:1-4, 9-18, 20
Matthew
6.19-23
In our culture, it is easy to get
caught up in the newest and the latest.
Today’s advertising really
attracts us to this.
The result is that we can set our
hearts and our eyes on the latest style shirts or jeans or even cars.
Along with that, we can also get
caught up in the expectation that everything should be easy and painless.
Sometimes an unrealistic picture
of life is presented where things are either easy or you quickly walk away from
them.
There are problems with these
ways of our culture.
The newest and the latest almost
always lasts for only a short time.
Its attraction wears off quickly
and we want something else.
And then, in truth, the easy life
does not exist.
We will end up with a lot of
wreaked relationships and half-done projects if we expect things to be easy.
So, it is important where we set
our hearts and our eyes.
This is Jesus’ point today.
If we set our heart and eyes on
the quality of relationships with one another and with God, instead of on the
newest and the latest, then there will be a firm foundation in our lives.
And if we set our heart and eyes
on the belief that life and fuller life will come from a certain amount of denial
of self, instead of on the expectation that everything should be easy, then there
will be real fulfillment in our lives.
As Jesus says, “If your eye is sound, your whole body will
be filled with light.”
