Lesson from Fr. Paulus | We Have a Mission

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the Gospel of this Sunday is from Luke 12:32-48. This part of Jesus' discourse balances out what he said a few verses earlier about not worrying.

In those verses, he instructed his listeners not to fret about worldly concerns, but to trust in God's Providence. But he knows that some people will tend to turn that invitation into an excuse for laziness, irresponsibility, and hedonism, so now he shows the other side of the coin.

"You also must be prepared," Jesus tells his followers, like servants standing ready for the return of their master any minute. We can't cram for life's final exam. If we want to live in communion with God forever, to experience the fulfillment he promises in this life and the next, we need to make friendship with God the number one priority of our lives.

The good things of this earthly life, its pleasures, challenges, and occupations, will come to an end when the Master returns. To live as if they were going to last forever, therefore, is foolish. Christ wants to make sure we don't act like fools.

Jesus finishes his parable by telling us that, "Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more".

With this, he teaches us that every human life is a task, a mission to know, love, and serve God in a unique way.

Our lives will take on their true meaning to the extent that we carry out that task and fulfill that mission, to the extent that our "treasure" (what we most value and desire) consists not in the passing pleasures of this life, but in discovering and fulfilling that supernatural task and mission.

Shining Christ's Light on Decisions

Living our mission and being responsible stewards of the many gifts we have received from God have practical repercussions. It means that being a Christian affects our life decisions.

Knowing that we are members of Christ's household, and that our first priority in life is to follow him, sheds light on every significant decision we have to make. For example, when young Catholics are deciding where to go to college, the Catholic presence on campus should be a factor - not the only factor, but if our primary mission in life is to be faithful followers of Christ, it should at least be a factor.

This is also why the Church constantly encourages her children to marry someone who shares the same faith. Marriage is a sacrament. It is meant to bring the spouses and children closer to Christ as it brings them closer to each other. When the husband and wife don't share the same faith, it makes that mission much harder to fulfill.

Career decisions can also be enlightened by this criterion. If we know that in God's eyes what matters most is that we are faithful to him and to our mission in the Church, our criteria for career success will be different than society's generic criteria.

Staying aware of our identity and mission even helps us decide where to go on vacation: we will do our best to choose a place where we can at least get to Sunday Mass.

As we continue with this Mass, let's ask ourselves what decisions we are facing or will be facing this week.

And as Christ comes to us once again in Holy Communion, let's speak with him about them, and ask him to give us the light and strength we need to be faithful and prudent stewards of his gifts.