Each time I read from the book of Job, I am struck by the incredible humility and trust that he possessed, and the way that he surrendered his circumstances and his very life to Gods hands. He never seemed to waver in his view of simply accepting Gods will in all that he encountered, the good and the bad. Yet there is more, he also held a perspective that many of us seem to forget at times, and that is the sheer brevity of our existence, and the hope in something better that is yet to come when this brief sometimes troubled life comes to its end.
I think that the brevity of this earthly existence was also on Jesus mind, simply because he knew all that he had to accomplish before the time of His passion and death came. He wanted to spend every waking moment in the proclamation of Gods kingdom so that he could reach and save as many as possible while he was here in the flesh. His proclamation came in the form of both His words, and His deeds. He preached in parable, and in plain language, he healed those who were ill, and raised those who had died, so that all who encountered him would know that the Kingdom of God was near, and that there was a reason to hope and to change. It is as he said, for this purpose He came. He turned no one away.
In our second reading Saint Paul speaks to us of an obligation imposed on him, and a stewardship that he had been entrusted with. So too have we. We are each of us called to recognize and accept the responsibility of a stewardship that we each received at Baptism and Confirmation, to proclaim Gods kingdom. We do this not out of generosity, but out of responsibility, as through the reception of those Sacraments we took this on. No man, woman, or child on this planet is a stranger to us any longer – they are each to be recognized by us as a child of God and treated accordingly. It is our responsibility to see that they know of the words of Jesus Christ, and that they have the basic means of living with dignity. If we do not look to all with an eye toward this, we are in fact failing our obligation. Our Lord came to us in our own humble form, to reveal himself to us, and to die for our sake. Who are we to ever look at someone else with disdain or judgement, and decide to pass them by? Our Lord knew each of us with all our faults, and by His grace did not pass any of us by, but instead took upon himself all of our imperfections and burden of sin, so that each of us could then be reconciled to His Father. This was done not out of obligation, but out of love. How can be possibly shirk our obligation to follow His teachings, after He has paid so great a price for us, and still claim to be His followers? There is no way. We are either His followers, or we are not, it is that simple. If we truly are who we claim to be, then perhaps we need to be looking at this brief existence simply as a time to fulfill that obligation and stop focusing so much on other priorities. There is a reality check that is sometimes needed by each of us when we get too wrapped up in things of this world, and allow it to swallow us with its fears, anxiousness, and weight that drive us to focus on the temporal goals that we are constantly told are a priority. No – there is really only one priority, and that is to follow our Lords teachings and to embrace one another with love. It’s true we need to maintain ourselves and take care of our basic temporal needs but imagine how different an aspect this could take on if we were all looking out for one another as brothers and sisters. We would no longer feel so overwhelmed in trying to address these needs and could then peacefully go about taking on the true priorities of this life. This is not an impossible state to achieve, but it needs to start with each of us consciously shifting our way of thinking and placing God where he should be, at the front of our minds, each and every day. If we do this, we cannot help but begin the change. It will become for each of us a source of fulfillment and peace that will also guide us to where we ultimately want to go. That is the natural way of living that was intended for us. There is nothing to fear in this way of living, quite the opposite, it is freeing, fulfilling, and peaceful. I think we could all embrace that right about now.
Podcast Link
The Deacons Bench 
Thank you Deacon, thoughtful and resonant as always.
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