DAILY MASS REFLECTIONS ELEVENTH FRIDAY OF ORDINARY TIME

 DAILY MASS REFLECTIONS ELEVENTH FRIDAY OF ORDINARY TIME

When we think of happiness, do we imagine a new car, a new house, or a luxurious vacation? We find that adding new possessions to our already hectic lives only adds on our very busy lifestyles. Even though material possessions can temporarily make us happy, once their "newness" has worn off, we may feel just as unfulfilled as we did when we first acquired them. For people who live in a consumer society, becoming bored with their lives serves as a signal that they should go out and purchase something else.

Material possessions lose their lustre over time; they are unable to satisfy the deepest desires of the human heart. Jesus understood this. The things that are visible, audible, and tactile are what we cling to the most. Because our senosory desires have been satisfied, we believe that we will be as well. The senses, however, are not all that God has provided for us. He has given us a heart that yearns to be loved as well as to love in response to being loved. Our ultimate fulfillment comes from him alone.

Anthony of Egypt, according to St. Athanasius, was challenged by Jesus' words on wealth, which he recorded in his life of the saint. To him, it seemed as if Jesus' words had been directed specifically at him. He made a hasty exit and gave his inheritance to a good cause. In order for him and his sister not to be held back by property, he turned to the villagers for assistance. Aside from a small sum that he set aside for his sister's benefit, he sold the remainder of his belongings and donated the proceeds to the poor.

As a result, Antony took the gospels at face value. Material possessions can be a hindrance in our spiritual journey with the Lord, obscuring our spiritual vision of God, as he discovered. We can become poor in spirit even if we have obligations that prevent us from doing what Antony did: giving up everything. Rather than focusing on earthly treasures, we will learn to be more generous with our time and money if we dedicate our lives to the Lord and his calling for us. Serving the Lord and those he has placed in our lives will become clear to us when we look at things through spiritual eyes.