Reading 1 2 Cor 11:18, 21-30
Brothers and sisters:
Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast.
To my shame I say that we were too weak!
But what anyone dares to boast of
(I am speaking in foolishness)
I also dare.
Are they Hebrews? So am I.
Are they children of Israel? So am I.
Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.
Are they ministers of Christ?
(I am talking like an insane person).
I am still more, with far greater labors,
far more imprisonments, far worse beatings,
and numerous brushes with death.
Five times at the hands of the Jews
I received forty lashes minus one.
Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned,
three times I was shipwrecked,
I passed a night and a day on the deep;
on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers,
dangers from robbers, dangers from my own race,
dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city,
dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea,
dangers among false brothers;
in toil and hardship, through many sleepless nights,
through hunger and thirst, through frequent fastings,
through cold and exposure.
And apart from these things, there is the daily pressure upon me
of my anxiety for all the churches.
Who is weak, and I am not weak?
Who is led to sin, and I am not indignant?
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.
Gospel Mt 6:19-23
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal.
But store up treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.
“The lamp of the body is the eye.
If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light;
but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness.
And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be.”
In today’s gospel, we have a very powerful statement from Jesus “Do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth…But store up treasures for yourselves in heaven…”
This exhortation seems very appropriate at this time when sometimes the desire for earthly comfort tends to distract our focus from heaven. We are reminded that treasures here on earth may not give us the required happiness, it is unreliable and our stay here on earth is very temporal.
The question today is how do we store up treasures in heaven? Let’s meditate on these five points
- By working zealously and untiringly for God and for his glory.
St Paul in today’s first reading is a case study, he lived for God’s glory, worked hard and patiently bore suffering focusing on the joy of seeing God face to face (Heb 6:10-12, Corinthians 15:58).
- By gaining souls for the Lord.
We store up treasures for ourselves in heaven whenever through our words, actions or prayers we help to draw people close to the Lord, we help a lost sinner trace his/her way back to God.
Most particularly also, when we help children to know and grow in the ways of the Lord (Matthew 18:10)
- By praying for the souls in purgatory: By praying for the relief and release of souls in heaven, we are making more friends for ourselves in heaven and by so doing storing up treasures in heaven for ourselves.
- By genuine care for the sick and the dying.
By helping the sick to experience the love of God and helping the dying to die in the grace of God we store up treasures for ourselves in heaven.
- By acts of kindness to the poor and the needy, the destitute and those at the margins of the society (Luke 12:33).
ST ALOYSIUS GONZAGA (FEAST)
Today, we have a great example of someone who lived his life storing up treasures in heaven- he is St Aloysius Gonzaga.
Aloysius was the son of a nobleman of a princely family. He grew up in royal courts and army camps. His father wanted him to be a soldier. From age 7, he was devoted to prayers and wanted to be a missionary. At age 11, he was already teaching catechism to poor children, fasting three times a week and practising great austerities.
He renounced his patrimony in favour of his brother at age 16 after all effort to dissuade him by his father and other people failed. He entered into Jesuit’ novitiates and continued his life of penance and austerity.
In 1591, a plague struck Rome. The Jesuits opened a hospital to care for the sick. He was working there, washing patients and laying their bed. He eventually caught the disease. He died at the age of 23 on the 20th of June, 1591 with the name of Jesus on his lips.
Through the examples and prayers of St Aloysius Gonzaga, may the Lord grant us the wisdom to discern the value of the passing things of this world and to store up treasures for ourselves where we shall spend our eternity.
Sermon preached by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Okami on June 21, 2019.