The Sunday Sermon Archive

Dear Friend,

In today's Gospel reading, Jesus tells the Apostles and us that His time here in mortal flesh is brief. He also intimates that our lives here on earth will be short — "in a little while." Everything here is in constant fluctuation, the seasons, the tides, the sun, moon, stars, and our own lives. There are seasons of our lives that are painful or sorrowful, and there are times in our lives that are pleasant and joyful.

In normal development, we are born, and we grow through our various stages of life — infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, old-age, and then we die. Each stage of life must pass away to enter into the next phase of our lives here on earth. It is sorrowful to leave the stage of life we are currently in, but in a healthy life, it is pleasant to enter into something new or different. We can simply expand this physical progression into eternity. As we die in this world, we are born into eternity.

The choices that we make, or are made for us, at every stage of life determine our future life. The future of infants and children is mainly dependent upon parents' choices for them. The adult future of adolescence depends upon the choices they make today. Future retirees depend upon the choices and decisions they make now. The future saints in Heaven or the future souls in Hell are likewise determined by their choices before they ever get there.

If we can keep our eternal future before our eyes, the temporary pains, sufferings, and momentary pleasures are all experienced as a "little while." We must develop a positive attitude towards the ebb and flow of our earthly lives. The pain, suffering, and sorrow have just as much value and are just as necessary as the pleasure and joys. How we receive them and what we do with them profoundly influence our future lives here on earth and in eternity.

Patience is the necessary virtue here. Life is much more tolerable when we understand and implement what Jesus is teaching us. Whether we like it or not, the current situation is only for a little while. We simply need to make the most of it. The difficult things that we patiently bear for the love of God soon pass away and make room for joy and happiness. The pleasurable things of this life will also soon pass away, and we must be ready, willing, and able, for the love of God, to step forth into the unknown or even into the bitterness and suffering that might await us.

It also helps if we truly understand that "all things work for the good of those who love God." Everything that happens in this life is either directly willed by God or is permitted by Him. The greatest of evils becomes the seed to produce an even greater good. The crosses that we patiently bear now will become the source of greater joy later on.

Jesus taught the Apostles many times that He would die and then rise from the dead. His words are not meant to fill the Apostles with fear and trembling but rather prepare and strengthen them for when the time comes. Parents must often speak of the future to their children. The parents will not always be there to protect and guide them. One day will come when the infant becomes a child, the child becomes an adolescent, and the adolescent becomes an independent adult. Now there is someone there to pick us up, but the day will come when we have to pick ourselves up when we fall. We must learn to do that now before we are required to do this without the help of others. The present time is a gift from God to better prepare ourselves for the future. There are lessons to be learned in every little thing that happens if we will only pay attention to them.

There is no time to go back; we can only move forward. The lessons that we missed or failed yesterday are gone. We may regret not paying attention to them in the past, but we cannot go back. We should not dwell too long on them because that will only interfere with seeing and learning from what is before us today. We need to focus on the present moment that God has given us with our eyes on the ultimate goal of Heaven. Every moment that is not spent loving and serving God is wasted. Looking back and regretting the past spoils the graces and love that should be ours this very moment.

One day we will stand alone before the Judgment Seat of God. We must prepare ourselves now so that our future self will be able to successfully pass that judgment and be permitted to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

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