Reading the readings for this Sunday, I was impressed by how Saint Paul addresses the Corinthians with some very direct, very concrete words: “I tell you, brothers and sisters, the time is running out… For the world in its present form is passing away.” (1 Cor 7, 29-31) Saint Paul, by emphasizing how short life is, invites us to have our priorities very well defined. Quite the contrary, the world seems to want us to believe that we can always have more time, so we postpone the things that matter until later, believing that it is not yet time. This recommendation from Paul reminds me of that saying that says: “Do not leave for tomorrow what you can do today.” Because today is the only thing we really have, yesterday is no longer, and the future is no longer.
Perhaps, by considering the need to act as soon as possible on the important things in life, we see Jesus directly inviting the first of his apostles (Mk 1, 14-20), and they, leaving everything, they followed him. They have also understood in Jesus' call the urgency of his proposal. It is now that they must act and begin the salvation of humanity. This salvation is the work of God, but it requires human action; That is why God continues to call many today by our name so that, leaving what does not allow us to be free, we decide to follow him and share the Good News that comes with Jesus. Today's first reading (Jon 3, 1-5. 10) reminds us that God, counting on the actions of a single man, the salvation of an entire great city was possible because by listening to the words of the prophet, everyone in the city they regretted their bad life and decided to do penance and change.
God reminds us of the brevity of life and the importance of taking more care of those things that are important: “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.” (Mt 6, 19-21) All that remains is to say: Let's get to work!
Fr. Carlos Flores, OSA
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