Homily for Wednesday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary time

In today’s Gospel, Jesus acknowledges that joy and sadness, wealth and poverty, are all a part of our world. He promises that those who suffer in this world, whether due to poverty, hunger, sadness, or those who experience hatred and ridicule for their faith, will experience the opposite in the kingdom of heaven.

 

He speaks to those who are rich, well-fed, laughing, and enjoying this world, and tells them that they will experience the opposite in the afterlife. When he says this, he is speaking to those who experience these things as their ultimate goals, not turning to God in prayer, not using their resources to help those in need. Wealth, temporal comfort, and happiness are where they find their security and ultimate meaning

 

This world is not an end in itself. Its purpose is to be used as a means to make our way to heaven, to be a place where we can be instruments of God’s love for all people, to care for the poor and the hungry, to bring healing to the sick, comfort to the dying, consolation to those who mourn, and to help others to strive for the things of heaven.