I have to
admit that I’m a daydreamer! I tend, at
times, not to live in the present, and do a lot of imagining about how things
could be or even should be. But then,
when I read the words of St. Paul, I feel as if he’s telling me to live in the
present: “As your fellow workers, we appeal to you not to
receive the grace of God in vain. For he
says: In an acceptable time, I heard
you, and on the day of salvation I helped you.
Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of
salvation.” (2
Corinthians 6:1-10)
The plan of
salvation is unfolding now, not some distant time in the future. God’s grace is sufficient now; God’s plan for
me is taking place now; God’s calling is being announced now. Live now, pay attention now; the Lord is
speaking to me now! So, I have to let go
of my daydreaming sometimes, not all the time, but sometimes, and live in the
present. Martin Luther King Jr. once
said, “God’s plan for me is bigger than all my dreams!”
So, St. Paul
is inviting all of us to hear the word of the Lord now. This will be enough for us. This very moment the Lord is revealing to us
his plan of salvation and how we’re to be a part of it. Now is the time of grace and blessing. And all we have to do is to say, Yes, Lord,
thank you Lord, and carry on from there!
In the
Gospel (Matthew 5:38-42), Jesus says that we need to be above violence and
pettiness. In forsaking our sinful
lives, we need to forsake selfishness and vengeance. Rather than ‘an eye for an
eye,’ we need to
take the high road and forgive. Instead
of wanting to pay back those who hurt us, we should forgive and move forward. In fact, far from wanting vengeance, Jesus
says we should give more than is demanded. “If someone tries to take
your shirt, give your coat as well.” These things don’t
matter, what are possessions? Don’t
fight back. Don’t stoop to the level of
the violent by repaying their violence. Let
them continue with their sinful lives. They’ll get what they deserve, if not in
this world in the next. We should
forsake sin and violence and turn to the Lord. Today
is the day and now the proper hour.
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