From the Desk of Father Agustin
March 17, 2024
Do you have “Kingdom-vision?”
There are so many prisms through which to see reality. Our thoughts, opinions and attitudes are often shaped by sources other than the inspirations of our tradition of faith. Pop culture, the radio, television, the world-wide-web, cable news, cinema, even the Oscars!
What is your steady diet of information and influencing factors? Whose opinions or philosophies of life do you allow to shape and guide your life? We can be passive about this important question and be swept away by life and its trends; or we can be discerningly intentional, especially with regard to the direction and purpose given us by our life in Christ.
I visited the 8th grade not long ago and I asked them, “when your parents are not home, would they ever allow you to have strangers in your house? If you were home alone and if a stranger came to the door, would you ever allow them in?” Everyone, of course, said, “no”! But I challenged them to consider the reality that they actually allow strangers (or better stated) strange or foreign ideas to enter the house and experience every day. Through any of the categories that I just mentioned, especially the internet, its chat rooms, and blog sites, there are ideas and perspectives that are articulated by unknown “actors,” which impact us every day, for good or for worse. Are we able to filter these? Are we able to perceive right from wrong? Safety from danger? Virtue from vice?
Today’s Gospel mentions that a group of Greek people prompted the Apostle Philip, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” I wonder how often we make that desire our own? Do you want to see Jesus? Do you want to have your life saturated by His holy inspirations and wisdom? In our world, which has so many competing thematics for our loyalty, are we clear about which vision for life is most appropriate and most effective in helping us on our journey to eternity? Do we have “Kingdom-vision?”
Certainly, the teachings of Jesus, especially regarding how the paschal mystery of His suffering, death and Resurrection is the paradigm for the Christian life, runs counter cultural to our normal view of the life we live. This is precisely the point of conversion and the new life of which our Gospel speaks.
Whose vision do you have? Whose philosophy of life do you live by? Each time we gather for the Eucharist, it is an opportunity to embrace the mindset of Christ, His redemptive plan for our lives, and to renew our life in His grace.
Do you have “Kingdom-vision?”