Without a deep foundation a skyscraper would never touch the sky above. Without a virtuous life no soul could achieve the kingdom of God. Blest are they who hear the words of our Lord and keep them. Blest are they who see the miracles all around them and penetrate to the heart of God. What then is the foundational principle which leads the soul to the eternal rest in the Beatific Vision?
Is it the question: “What must I do to achieve the kingdom of heaven?” Certainly Our Lord specified actions which would lead the soul to embrace the eternal. But is action the foundational principle? The Philosopher speaks up and proclaims that “action follows being.” Who we are will determine what we do and therefore our being is the foundation upon which our actions will flow.
What is at the root of our being? Our being is determined by the greatest truth we hold at any moment in our lives. Our Lord asked the lawyer what was specified in the law. His answer was clear and correct: “We are to love the Lord our God with our whole heart, our whole soul, our whole mind and strength. And we are to love our neighbor as ourselves.” Our Lord responds: “Do this and ye shall live.” That is the great truth that our being must respond to for we do not own ourselves but rather we are the creations of Divine Love. It is only just that we learn to love as we have been loved by God.
Everything around us ought to be a window into the divine nature of God Who called all things into being by His eternal word. Forget about the big bang theory. Laugh at the evolutionists and their pseudo science. Only one all knowing, all powerful, all provident Being was present at Creation and He revealed Himself to us in order that we might know Him, love Him, serve Him in others and be happy with Him forever.
Our world has wandered far from the basics and this world has become a mirror instead of a window. Man looks into the mirror and does not see the God beyond but his own face. He then attempts to usurp the role of God. From that point on man is unable to recognize his neighbor. Only the good Samaritan has eyes to see through the suffering man and seek to heal him. The good Samaritan comes to re-establish the foundational principle that who we are is more important that what we do. As his name indicates the Samaritan is the guardian of all truth. This Guardian is the same today, yesterday and forever for He is the Lord of all Love.
Our test in this life is to choose to love rather than to grasp at equality with God. We must learn to follow the Good Samaritan’s lead and anoint our suffering brothers with the oil of kindness. Imagine the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity leaves the heavenly Jerusalem to come down to fallen man who is wandering to Jericho (this world). He has fallen because he is deceived by the robber par excellence, Satan. The religious souls of the pharisees and the Levites pass him by for his weaken presence is of no concern to them. They have greater matters to tend to than to interrupt themselves with an act of charity. The fallen man is taken to the inn, the Catholic Church, in which he is cared for and within which he comes to know the Love of the Father and the Son (the two coins offered by the Church).
With the soul secure in the church we wait for the second coming of the Good Samaritan and as we wait we seek to practice the love that has been placed in our hearts. We learn to be other Jesus’s. Who we are is more important and what we do must follow our being. Hence the poet reminds us:
Lord, You have no hands but our hands to do Your work today;
You have no feet but our feet to lead others in Your way;
You have no tongue but our tongues to tell men and women how You lived and died;
and You have no help but our help to lead others to Your side.
Translated it simply means that you are part of the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ and you are destined to do what He did because He is You. You belong to Him and now is the time to wake up to this fact and live the Christ-like life with the guidance and support of our dear Mother Mary. May God love you eternally,
Fr. Richard Voigt
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