Where our treasure is our heart will be also.

I am a bit of a bibliophile. I love books. Part of the desire is to look for what makes sense of the world and to make connections. In looking for patterns and what fits I find myself in an ongoing search for what is real and lasting. However, at times I also need to remember that books are a way of engaging with the thinking of others and to have conversations with them but they are not an end in themselves. They are a way of assisting us to learn about life but they are not a replacement for engaging with what sustains life.

It is the same with many things which can become a security for us, whether it is money, possessions, the work we engage with, relationships or our favourite hobby. These are all important ways of seeking to find meaning in life but they do not substitute for what lies at the heart of life. We are called to seek a relationship which lies at the heart of all relationships. We are called to be people of prayer who prayerfully engage with our world. This is a call to be attentive and present. To listen for what is important for this day and this moment. It calls us to be real and in tune with the heart of God who seeks us out. In discovering what is real we find what is the treasure which sustains us.

God love us as much as we love our worst enemy.

The most challenging of prayers is the one that we say each day. The Our Father calls us to come together with a common desire to discover a relationship which lies at the heart of all relationships. It seeks to draw us into a life which gives meaning to our own. It is a way of being present to the world as God recreates it and not as we would have it. The desire is not to possess others but to be open to the creative spirit which always seeks life, not death.
In our own hearts, we can become so fearful of what may happen in the future that we are no longer present to this moment and this day. It calls us also to remember how our lives can be drawn into past hurts which we can carry with us. The heart of this prayer is not that we force ourselves to forgive but that we experience the love of God in the places where we most struggle to forgive. This allows us to be open to a graced life which is not of our own making or achieved through our own efforts. When we experience those hurtful memories or feelings it is good to ask God to transform us with life-giving words.  We are called to live life differently from a place where God meets us at our deepest need so that we can reach out to others with compassion and grace.

We are more than what we do

There is a saying that if you want something done ask a busy person. However, this can be a double-edged sword because a person who is busy may find it difficult to reflect on what occupies their time and whether it gives full expression to who they are called to be. Unrelenting activity is not healthy for any person and at times can actually lead them away from the very person they want to be. They start to identify more with what they do rather than who they are called to be. An unreflective life calls us to be caught up in the winds beyond our control rather than harnessing those winds to give direction and purpose to our lives.

The Gospel of Martha and Mary is often presented as a contrast between the contemplative and active life. However, what seems to be stressed is the importance of the one thing that gives our lives direction and meaning. Mary in listening to Jesus is not finding a way out of work but rather a way of being present to the work she may be called upon to perform. Her life discovers meaning in listening to and becoming familiar with the voice of Jesus. So too for us, our lives are not necessarily solely about what we do but how we are present to what we are doing. By listening to the voice of Jesus we find what brings us life so that we can bring life to all that we do.

Living from a compassionate heart

Our lives can at times be so focused and busy that the rest of the world can fade into the background. The priorities we set ourselves can be moved by what we consider the most urgent and worthy of our time. We become preoccupied with what is happening next that we forget to live in the present. Our lives become controlled by things that have not yet happened that we do not see the people we encounter along the way. The story of the good Samaritan touches into the heart of living of the present moment and encountering God in the life of another. This recognizes that our faith is not just about getting things right and living according to the law but discovering the creative power of God which reaches out to all people in all situations. In fact, the story of the Good Samaritan shows us it is the heart which moves us to make the right move at the right time. It is mercy, that produces good law and good action. It unites us in concern for those in greatest need. In living from the compassionate heart of Jesus we live those powerful words, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself." A fountain welling up to eternity.