19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/081113.cfm

Wow - there are some great readings for Sunday's liturgy.  Hope you get a chance to give them a gander and spend some time reveling in the awesomeness within :)

First Reading is from Wisdom - simplistic take - Trust in God
Psalm 33 - We are God's chosen people - woo-hoo!
Second Reading is from Hebrews (which always makes me think Old Testament, but it isn't) - Faith in God, using examples of Abraham's faith
Gospel is from Matthew - Being ready (trust and faith) and "where your treasure is, there also will your heart be."

The reflections we read are taken from Living Liturgy 2013.  Lots of great commentary with food for thought.  Our discussion covered lots of angles.  We talked about treasure - the reflections reminded us that treasure could refer to a person.  Sometimes we find it easy to view others as treasure, and sometimes it's really hard.  The reflection also referred to Jesus as the ultimate treasure.  I've always appreciated the verse from Matthew that I copied above:  "For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be."  It fits with my experience, especially as I've been working on a healthier lifestyle.  My coaches would always say something along the lines of, 'there is always time to do what is important to you.'  'You make time for your priorities; if you want to change your life, change your priorities.'  I think that's exactly what the Gospel is reminding us.  What we love, where we spend our time and our money - that is our passion.  Sometimes, however, we make poor choices in selecting our priorities.  It's easy to get into a habit, or to become so encompassed by a particular 'priority' (hobby, diversion, bad habit, addiction, frivolous behavior or whatever), that we fail to see how much of our life is consumed by this supposed 'priority'.  We also read about how the things we typically treasure in this life (family, home, community, friendship) are exhaustible, but Jesus in not.  Not matter how circumstances may change or if people disappoint us, we can trust that God will never change and will never fail.

Ultimately, how we live tells others what we consider to be our treasure.  If we 'punch the clock' 1 hour each week at church or if we live our lives knowing that the our treasure is Jesus - people will see and know.

Prayer - What an amazing gift of treasure we have in Jesus Christ.  May we not take Him for granted.  Help us to live with the knowledge that as God's chosen people, we are the treasure of God.  May our gratefulness for this gift never end.