Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it,
but whoever loses it will save it. (Lk 17:33)
The readings these past weeks have been getting more dire and graphic regarding the end of time.
That is because we are nearing our own “end” in terms of the Church’s liturgical year. This coming Sunday is the Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. The following Sunday, the Feast of Christ the King, is the last Sunday in Ordinary Time. And the Sunday after that begins a new liturgical year with the First Sunday of Advent.
Advent, as you know, is a season of preparation.
We are all in the “advent” of our lives, preparing for the day that God calls us to Himself.
Today’s Gospel reminds us that the end will come swiftly and, for most, quite surprisingly.
If we live each day of our lives for ourselves, our own gain, our own benefit, we will most assuredly lose our lives in the end since living for oneself is far from what God wants us to do.
However, if we spend our lives rejecting what we want and embracing, instead, what God wants for us, we shall surely save ourselves for life eternal.
The question is simple: as magnificent and fleeting as it might be, do you want your reward now? Or, would you rather have an eternal reward?
FAITH ACTION: Seek to do something for someone else today.