At Mass this weekend, the second reading is from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans. He explains how the Spirit of God can transform us: “You are not in the flesh,” Paul wrote, “on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.”
In many of Paul’s writings he discussed the difference between living by the Spirit vs. living by the flesh. In his letter to the Colossians, he wrote: “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed….anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.” (Uh, oh. I’m glad Paul wasn’t within ear-shot of me the other day when the Red Sox got swept by Miami.)
Paul’s list seems downright impossible. It’s bad enough we were born with the innate desire to do most of those things, but it’s even worse nowadays since our modern culture actually encourages us to revel in all those sinful behaviors.
How can we possibly live holy lives these days? Paul must have been way too optimistic if he thought we could avoid all those temptations. Well, Jesus didn’t think so. In this week’s Gospel reading, Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest…For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
We often think that living a virtuous, sanctified life is such hard work. “Oh no,” we say, “I have to give up all the enjoyable activities and start doing a bunch of boring church things? No way. It’s too difficult.”
We don’t realize that living a life of sin usually requires much more effort. I once read about a young woman in New York City who was into the wild nightlife scene. Each evening she would find herself involved in drinking, drugs, and casual sexual encounters. It was wearing her out, both physically and emotionally. Finally, she sought help from a therapist, who said to her, “You know, you don’t have to keep doing that stuff.”
How can we possibly live holy lives these days? Paul must have been way too optimistic if he thought we could avoid all those temptations. Well, Jesus didn’t think so. In this week’s Gospel reading, Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest…For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
We often think that living a virtuous, sanctified life is such hard work. “Oh no,” we say, “I have to give up all the enjoyable activities and start doing a bunch of boring church things? No way. It’s too difficult.”
We don’t realize that living a life of sin usually requires much more effort. I once read about a young woman in New York City who was into the wild nightlife scene. Each evening she would find herself involved in drinking, drugs, and casual sexual encounters. It was wearing her out, both physically and emotionally. Finally, she sought help from a therapist, who said to her, “You know, you don’t have to keep doing that stuff.”
She was stunned. “You mean I don’t have to do what I WANT to?” she asked. It was a surprising revelation. Just because she had the opportunity to live decadently, she didn’t have to do so.
Jesus doesn’t necessarily call us to DO a lot of boring, goody-goody church stuff. He calls us to break free from our slavery to sin.
No one has ever equated being a slave with a life of luxury and leisure. Throughout history slaves were routinely worked to death at an early age. It’s the same with being a slave to sin. The workload is enormous, the cost is high — physically and emotionally — and the end result is often an early death.
In addition to the obvious, here-and-now price to be paid for being a slave to sin, there is a far costlier there-and-then, spiritual price: eternal separation from the love of God. As a wise man once said, “No matter how many years you live, you’re gonna be dead a whole lot longer.”
If, as Jesus taught, our souls are eternal and live on forever after our bodies have died, then there is nothing more important than making sure our souls end up in Heaven. The alternative — being consumed with heartache, regret, and loneliness for all eternity — is the worst thing that can happen to a soul.
Jesus doesn’t necessarily call us to DO a lot of boring, goody-goody church stuff. He calls us to break free from our slavery to sin.
No one has ever equated being a slave with a life of luxury and leisure. Throughout history slaves were routinely worked to death at an early age. It’s the same with being a slave to sin. The workload is enormous, the cost is high — physically and emotionally — and the end result is often an early death.
In addition to the obvious, here-and-now price to be paid for being a slave to sin, there is a far costlier there-and-then, spiritual price: eternal separation from the love of God. As a wise man once said, “No matter how many years you live, you’re gonna be dead a whole lot longer.”
If, as Jesus taught, our souls are eternal and live on forever after our bodies have died, then there is nothing more important than making sure our souls end up in Heaven. The alternative — being consumed with heartache, regret, and loneliness for all eternity — is the worst thing that can happen to a soul.
So, if we follow St. Paul’s advice and let the Spirit of God transform us, we can stop being slaves to sin. We can realize that we don’t have to give in to the temptations that permeate our culture these days. We don’t have to engage in activities that offer fleeting pleasure but in the long run wear us out physically and emotionally. We don’t have to keep doing things that separate us from the love of God.
If we want to get rid of the chaos and stress in our lives, we need to turn to Jesus in faith. His burden is light, and He can give rest to our souls, both now during our earthly lives and for all eternity.
If we want to get rid of the chaos and stress in our lives, we need to turn to Jesus in faith. His burden is light, and He can give rest to our souls, both now during our earthly lives and for all eternity.
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