OUR LIFE BELONGS TO GOD - 11/11/22 (Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop)

Luke 17:33

“Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it.”  

For the full readings, click here: 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/111122.cfm

Blessed Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop! Our Lord Jesus tells us another interesting quote. Whoever seeks his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it. What does Jesus Christ mean when He reveals to us these words? We may understand this by thinking that there is the "temporal life", the life we have here on earth, and the "eternal life", the life and the everlasting happiness we have with God in heaven. During the time of Noah, he warned the people that there would be flood, and they should join him in his ark, and the reason why there was a flood was because of the sins of the people. And yet, what did they do? They continued with their sinful lifestyle. They thought that the only life they had was this temporal life and as such, they only satisfied themselves with pleasures. Because of this, they endangered their souls because they did not listen to the word of God. 

Even if we intellectually believe that there is eternal life, our faith should be accompanied by our good works. It's not enough for us to simply say it with our words or think it. Jesus is reminding us that we should not seek to preserve this temporal life. This means that we should not forget the importance of eternal life, the life to come after our death, because when we forget it, we will fall more to temptations of sins. Unfortunately, for some people, the riches become the source of happiness instead of God. Others may joke about "green minded" things and engage in lust because they may no longer be listening to their conscience where God speaks. As we ponder our own life, we may recognize that there are times that we are endangering the eternal life that God offers to us. This recognition should lead us to humility where we acknowledge that we are nothing, and God is everything. It is only through His mercy that He is giving us opportunities to repent of our sins and start a better life. May we "lose" this life by detaching our hearts from all sins and occasions of sins. Through this, we will be able to seek God, reflect on His word and find fulfillment in following His will. Our life belongs to God because He alone can satisfy the desires of our hearts as we hope to enter the dwelling place of God in heaven. 

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic

Life of St. Martin of Tours:

https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/saint-martin-tours/

Summary and Defense of Catholic Teachings:

https://www.catholic.com/tract/pillar-of-fire-pillar-of-truth

Ultimate Catholic Parents Guide:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ls6IcexZAls

Examination of Conscience and Guide to Sacrament of Confession:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/