Sharpening our hunger for heaven
We are in this world that plays a crucial role in the over-all scheme of our entire life. But we must remember that while we immerse ourselves in worldly affairs, we should not allow ourselves to be trapped by them, forgetting we are meant for a life beyond this world.
We are meant for heaven, life in eternity, hopefully with God our Creator and Father in whose image and likeness we have been created. So we should sharpen our awareness of our destination, and the ways by which this can be kept.
Christ said it very clearly: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Mt 6,19-21)
And St. Paul echoes the same sentiment. "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." (Col 3,2) We should do everything to avoid getting entangled with earthly and temporal affairs.
It's not that these worldly concerns are not important. They are very important, but as means, not as ends. They are nothing and can be harmful to us, if not related to our ultimate end.
We must find ways to relate everything to God, the supernatural character of our final destination. Whether we like it or not, this is how the cookie crumbles for us, given our nature that is material and spiritual.
We are meant for a supernatural life with God because that is how we are wired with our intelligence and will, and also because it is God's will and He gives us the grace to effect it in us.
This is no gratuitous assertion, because many Bible references tell us so. "My son, give me your heart and let your eyes delight in my ways," we are told. (Prov 23,26) "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have summoned you by name. You are mine." (Is 43,1)
The strongest proof is the fact that God became man, Jesus Christ, who assumed all our sins with His passion, death and resurrection. God wants us to be like Him in Christ through the Holy Spirit.
We can correspond to this grand design of God by keeping a constant dialogue with Him. This is not difficult to do since any item in our life can be a material for that dialogue.
Our problem is that we prefer to talk with ourselves, and oftentimes we find ourselves empty headed and prone to weaknesses, temptations and other allurements.
The Holy Spirit is constantly prompting us, intervening in our lives, showing us the way, and empowering us to do good. If we would just allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit, instead of our flesh-and-world-based reason and will, we would be doing a lot of good, and storing up treasures in heaven.
To be led by the Spirit is the best thing that can happen to us. We would not be lost as we cruise the tricky ways of the world. Nevertheless, even if we commit mistakes in our temporal affairs, we would still end up doing good.