Ecclesiastes 1:2  Vanity of Vanities, says Quoheleth, vanity of vanities!  All things are vanity!
Colossians 3:1-2  Brothers and Sisters:  If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.
Luke 12:20-21  But God said to him, “You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?”  Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves, but are not rich in what matters to God.
 
Dear Parishioners and Friends,
 
St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians presents us with the sublime doctrine of the Christian Faith.  It stands in contrast with the world.  It is dynamic and attractive.  Nothing could be more compelling.  What do I choose, the earthly way or the heavenly way?  Do I prefer the here and now, or do I see all things in the light of eternity?  Do I work for an earthly paradise or the Kingdom of God perfected in heaven?  Where do I stand?  Is it on the way of grace or on the way of degraded nature?  Will I live for this world to enter eternal death or die to this world in order to gain eternal life?  In fact, not to choose is to choose.  I stand with God or not.  It is that simple.  We are warned by the Great Apostle lest we be deceived by Satan, who flatters and tempts us so that we can lose the way on earth so that we may be lost for all eternity.
 
One of the many books of Pope Benedict XVI is entitled Seek that which is above.  It was first published years ago when he was a cardinal.  It is a little book that offers reflections on the liturgical year.  I have found it simple, profound, and moving all at once.   At the heart of his reflections is the Easter message.  The events of the Lord’s Death and Resurrection have changed the world forever.  All things must now be seen from a different perspective.  Jesus reversed the order of things so that the gates of heaven could be opened again and that we could be reconciled with our loving Father in heaven.  There is now a Christian Order.  This is the Kingdom of grace, of justice, and of peace.  This is the Kingdom of Faith, Hope, and Charity.  Even now one must be reborn, recreated, become a “new self” in Christ (Colossians 3:9-10).  Heaven comes to earth and earth to heaven.  This is the new order of the supernatural.   That is why St. Paul wrote:  “If you were raised in Christ, seek what is above.”
 
Jesus expresses this doctrine in a more forceful way in the parable He relates to us.  Could He make Himself clearer to us?  “You fool!” He proclaims to all the ages of foolish men and women.  “You fool!” is meant to grab us in the depths of our being and wake us up before it is too late.  “You fool!” is the clarion call to immediate and total conversion to Christ.  “You fool!” is a loving God reaching out to His beloved sons and daughters to prevent them from losing their immortal souls.  “You fool!” is meant to startle the worldly and comfort the other worldly.  Yes, there will be a judgment of souls and the standards are not ours by God’s.  Our eternal happiness depends on an investment in the eternal not the superficial and fleeting.  Wealth is not measured in terms of heaped up material things.  No, all is different in the Kingdom without end, the Kingdom of God.  In which Kingdom do I live:  the Kingdom of light and love in Christ, or the Kingdom of darkness and evil in Satan?  May we not be fools, outsmarting ourselves in the long run; but wise men and women, who joyfully and freely choose the Way of our Divine Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is our last, best, and only hope. Amen.
 
Yours in the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Fr. Mark G. Mazza, Pastor