Friar’s Corner: Heaven holds our true joy

Fr. Bob Hilz, TOR

Fr. Bob Hilz, TOR

Amos 6:1a, 4-7; Ps 146:7-10; 1 Timothy 6:11-16; Luke 15:19-31

I beg you on bended knee to pray a few Chaplets of Divine Mercy, and if you like, add a daily rosary. First, we pray for our country and our election in a few weeks. Let us beg God to give us his wisdom as to who to vote for in all of the offices. We need God’s will and his people to re-direct our country to the Christian principles on which we were founded. Jesus, we greatly need your help and now.

Then let us beg God to convert all the terrorists around the world. He is doing a lot yet the more we beg him, the more he will do. Radical Islam wants to destroy all those who do not accept their evil and narrow ideas. We can also ask Mary to come and crush the head of her enemies as she has done in the past.

God champions the poor

The condensed theme this weekend asks where our lasting wealth resides. In the first reading, the prophet Amos directs his words to the well-to-do rulers of the southern (Zion) and northern (Samaria) kingdoms of Israel. The leaders were concerned about the moral, economic and political disarray of Israel. They looked for their own comfort. The conclusion was that those who have will suffer loss, while as in Ps 146 today, God champions the cause of the poor and oppressed.

In the second reading St. Paul is instructing Timothy, whom he had ordained as bishop of Ephesus. As a servant leader, he was to pursue righteousness, devotion faith, love, patience and gentleness. These are the values that bring us to eternal joy in heaven.

Lazarus and the rich man

This gospel, which only appears in St. Luke, of Lazarus at the door of a rich man is well known to us. Jesus is teaching that wealth may bring joy and comfort here on earth yet if we do not help care for those in need around us, the accumulated goods and comfort will be taken away in the next life. So I think having things and comforts are not evil in themselves. If we do not reach out to help, bless and comfort those in need around us, we can’t expect joy and blessings in the next life. May the God of all consolation inspire you to see those in need that God wants you to help each day. Take the next right step.

Blessings,
+ Fr. Bob Hilz
(© 2016 Fr. Bob Hilz, TOR)

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Nancy Ward

Nancy Ward writes about conversion, Christian community, and Catholicism. After earning a journalism degree, she worked for the Diocese of Dallas newspaper and the Archbishop Sheen Center for Evangelization, then began her own editing service. She’s a regular contributor to CatholicMom.com, SpiritualDirection.com, CatholicWritersGuild.com, NewEvangelizers.com and a contributing author to The Catholic Mom’s Prayer Companion. Now, through her Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story: Tools, Tips, and Testimonies workshops, retreats, book, and DVD, she shares her conversion story at Catholic parishes and conferences, equipping others to share their own stories.

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