For those of us who weep at funerals, we know that the real tear-jerking moments are the ones where we watch the family approach the casket for the final kiss. Our hearts pour out to them with our own tears, not because we are thinking about our own death, but because we are reaching out of love and compassion for them.
On the surface this Gospel account may seem like a simple story of faith: Faithful obedience in Christ’s commandments will bring us an overabundance of prosperity. While this is true in some circumstances, we should not be expecting big earthly rewards every time we are obedient. There is, in fact, an even greater lesson to be learned.
Coupled with the tears of joy that came from those who had communion for the first time since March, the first full choir we have had in months, and the wonderful socially distanced picnic we had after partaking of the Body and Blood of God…it was truly a Sunday to remember (at least for this simple village priest).
We have been dealing with a lot this past year, ranging from a worldwide pandemic, to political infighting, to other bad pieces of news that have been cropping upon a weekly basis. I would argue, that if we kept St. Paul’s 5 directives in our hearts, in our minds, and at the for-front of EVERYTHING that we do this year, we would become (and I love this word because it carries a powerful connotation with it) INVINCIBLE to the World.
