It is no secret that my favorite hobby is reading. I devour books the way my husband enjoys a good steak. This summer, one of my book clubs decided to read A Canticle for Lebowitz. “A Canticle for Leibowitz is a post-apocalyptic social science fiction novel by American writer Walter M. Miller Jr., first published in 1959. Set in a Catholic monastery in the desert of the southwestern United States after a devastating nuclear war, the book spans thousands of years as civilization rebuilds itself,” per Wikipedia. This book is considered a classic among Catholic circles and for good reason. Like today’s first reading, Miller Jr. leaves one to wonder, will we ever learn from the generations that went before us? Will we “relapse and do worse than their ancestors?” (Judges 2:19).
I asked the ladies their thoughts on this, and my good friend said that bad things will continue to happen—history will continue to repeat itself if we do not realize we need Christ in our lives. Either way, we are going to die from this earth. The avoidance of suffering is not what this world is all about, contrary to what many, many people of the world think. Why do we perpetuate the cycle—the fallen nature? Why do we desperately try to avoid suffering when Jesus Himself promised it?
Although sin is inevitable, the church remains intact after all these years. This is something to be encouraged by. It is important to note that we can have imperfect motivations that still result in holiness. Miracles happen every day and grace abounds even in a harsh, scientific world.
Eagerness
To take this a step further, as our deacon said in a recent homily, we should begin each day with eagerness. Faith is not the end game. Service to God is. Faith is knowing that God is working through our lives no matter what the circumstance. Honor and burden can go together and still result in a beautiful mess.
Today’s gospel abhors us from clinging to material goods. In a sense, are these not a false gods? Jesus is hungry for our souls, not our “things.” We cannot separate our lives from the Eucharist (Mother Teresa). Perhaps when we cling to the Eucharist instead and ask God to show us what He is calling us to, we can at least lessen the fallen cycle of man. Something to consider.
