This week we receive a strong message about humility. Jesus reminds us not to seek praise or high places. Instead, he shows us that real honor comes when we let go of pride. Those who lift themselves up will be brought down, but those who stay low will be raised up by God. We are told to be gentle and humble and that we are part of something bigger than we can see. Jesus tells us that when we welcome the poor, the sick, and the outcast, we welcome blessings that will last forever. This is a good time to check our hearts.

Humility is not such a popular practice in the world. We can bear witness to this fact anytime we go to the grocery store, Walmart, or are driving through the roundabouts of Chino Valley. Life hands us opportunities all the time, it’s just a matter of if and how we pay attention to them. One might say man Oh man, what has gotten into people today? They rush through those things without skipping a beat, or without concern for who might be in the way. They fail to practice the yield. Jesus challenges us to think about practicing the yield.

Today’s Gospel affirms us on the road in which we find ourselves in union with the Lord. Luke is determined to show us what matters most in keeping our eyes on the prize of eternity with God. His disciples ask him, “Lord will only a few be saved”…then Jesus proceeds to speak of the narrow gate, which conveys that the road to heaven is narrow because we must deliberately strive for it in or daily lives. Heaven is not an automatic guarantee. This points to our Catholic understanding, unlike the teaching of a televangelist who explains once saved always saved, we realize too that salvation is something to be gained everyday otherwise there is the potential risk of losing it. Yes, it is possible to be a believer in Jesus, it’s even possible to say we love Jesus, but if we are not living up to what that really means, then the possibility of paradise lost becomes real. How do we manage to put our soul in jeopardy? How might we be in danger of losing our salvation? We do so by lacking authentic conversation.

This weekend we focus on humility and how God gathers people from all corners of the earth. God has love for everyone, it is not for just one group of people, He wants all people to come to Him. Following God is not always easy. We are encouraged to reflect on God’s invitation to enter His kingdom and the attitudes we should cultivate to be part of His family. To enter into heaven it will take effort, trust and a loving heart to get through the narrow gate and not everyone will succeed. We are reminded that discipline is love.

Just like a parent teaches a child the right and wrong things to do, God also teaches us. Not to punish us but to help us grow stronger. This week we are invited to walk with God even during hard times. In the Gospel we are warned that some who are last will be first and some first will be last. This teaches us not to be content or assume our place is secure without genuine faith and love. Through prayer, Scripture, the sacraments, and acts of love we learn practical ways to deepen our personal relationship with Jesus.

I have come to set the earth ablaze! We are to be set apart and to be purified. Every Christian must be pure to enter heaven, if we are not then heaven is not an option, maybe Purgatory is, but the purity of heaven means just that, it is the purest sense of our being. Purity speaks of the holiness we are called to live, being holy means, we are saints now, called to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect. We are no longer slaves to sin, but rather we have put aside our childish ways. There is no such thing as putting on false pretense as Christians because God sees right through us. We know we are who we say we are by our fruits, our behavior, the words we speak, all being a reflection of Christ. It means we do not seek to get even, or to set the record straight, but we stand firm in the truth of Christ and forgive and move on.

The readings this week are not easy to hear. Jesus says He did not come to bring peace, but fire. He warns that even families will be divided because of Him. His words are bold and direct. This may be hard to accept, but it is true. Poor Jeremiah gets thrown into a reservoir, because he was speaking the truth, but people wanted him to be gone. When he was in the mud did he stop trusting in God? No and God sent someone to help him. We are reminded to keep going, to stay strong just like Jesus did when he faced being nailed to the cross. Jesus did not give up and neither should we. We hear that we need to be honest and ready to follow Jesus even when we are facing trouble. We need to stand with Jesus even when others turn away.

The readings this weekend reminds us to live with trust to stay ready and that God keeps His promises. We are part of His plan, just like the people in the Bible. We are told that we must be ready at all times because He may come when we do not expect it. Faith is not just about believing. It is also about how we live each day. Abraham trusted God’s promises even when he could not see how they would come true and he believed in what God said, even when it seemed impossible. Faith often requires action, even when the future is unclear.

God expects people to use their gifts wisely and not waste what they have been given. We need to avoid spiritual laziness and take small steps to grow closer to God. Distractions can pull us away from our faith, so we need to learn ways to stay strong. We can do this by staying focused on God and build habits that keep our faith strong.

Today’s gospel is a continuation of the message Jesus addressed to the various people he encountered including the rich man. Jesus consistently says do not be afraid and get your priorities straight and your affairs in order sooner than later, for you know not the hour when the bridegroom shall return. He also says to keep our priorities straight, and not to be too consumed with the things of the world, do not seek to fulfill one’s happiness with temporal things but seek the Lord always in the things of heaven.

One of the biggest gestures for us as humans is to think in terms of eternal things and the promise of our eternal salvation. Redemption is real and everyone is worthy to be redeemed, all that is needed is our desire. How do we desire the Lord every day, and is He our heart’s true desire? The urgency and message of preparedness and awakening is not a suggestion, but a mandate from the Lord to be vigilant and ready for we do not know the hour of his return, but he is coming. How does knowing this cause us to respond to Jesus?

The gospel today challenges us to think about where our priorities belong. In scripture, Jesus often uses the relationship the rich man has with his stuff. Today is no different as he tells the parable that brings to life the dismay of the rich man who chooses to focus on things like greed, or acquiring things, and storing them up for a later day. Why do we obsess with so many worldly things as believers? It becomes easy to become firmly planted and become consumed by possessing things. It is a sad truth that we become skewed in our priorities. People attach themselves to people, places, and things, when at any given moment these aspects of life yes can become a source of joy, but are with us for only a brief time. We know this because people hold-on and struggle with change, even when the change involves death.

This Sunday we are reminded to stop and think about what really matters. It is easy to focus on money, success, and things we own. But these do not last, there is something greater. This week we hear that working hard just to gain wealth is empty. Life is short. We cannot take anything with us.

We need to ask God to help us use our time well because each day is a gift. In the Gospel, Jesus tells a story about a man who saves up his riches. The man is proud of all he owns but God calls him a fool. That night, like most people, the man is not ready for his life to end because he is not ready for death. Jesus teaches us to be rich in what matters to God. We need to look up, not down and we need to focus on heaven.