TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Creatures of Free Will

One theme in today’s readings is the importance of inviting God into our lives. And one of the most important and powerful things about that and about being human is our free will. Yet with this inherent and amazing strength comes some potential downfalls.

One risk we face is using our free will to choose to value the wrong things in life. We all hope for nice and useful belongings, a beautiful house, and enriching work. These can be worthwhile and good pursuits in our lives. They help us maintain a sense of self and security that gives us the mental and spiritual peace that we can use to reach out to God. 

However, as Jesus illustrates in today’s Gospel, the material possessions and occupations of this world should not be the most important things in our lives. In addition to being necessary religious advice, God should be the center of our lives. There is also a very practical reason to limit our attachment to the physical: All that we have, all that we work toward in our lives can be taken from us in an instant. We have recently witnessed this in the horrific destruction of Hurricane Helene. Though we are indeed powerful creatures, we are not as physically powerful as the nature of the planet we call home. When we are stripped of our physical assets, we are forced into a traumatic re-calibration of priorities. We remember that life is what is truly important. We remember that relationships are what are truly important.

Another risk we face is forgetting the importance of asking for help. We recognize our own powerful will, and forget that we do not have to, and in fact cannot, do everything by ourselves. We must ask for help. No matter what we do, we are not “good” enough to enter heaven on our own. God must make that happen for us. God loves us unconditionally and wants a relationship with us now and in eternity. But, as in all relationships between creatures of free will, both sides must desire the relationship. We must invite God into our lives and ask for help. And not just with issues of eternity, but also with the day-to-day struggles of being physical beings living in a physical world and within a society that values material and temporary things. 

God can help, and He really would like to if we let Him.

--Christina Hindman

Send Us Forth are reflections written by St. Matthew parishioners and friends.