Reflections in Ordinary Time

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - July 10, 2005

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us. Creation waits in eager expectation for the revealing of the sons of God. Creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in hope, that creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.

Romans 8: 18-21

Our Reward in Heaven

I have to give the apostle Paul a lot of credit for how he lived his faith. He had a lot going for him as a young man in Jerusalem before he was knocked off his horse on the road to Damascus. He was a rising star in the Pharisee party, an ardent proponent of the party's views who advocated harsh repression of those who broke with traditional beliefs and followed the new way of Jesus. But he gave up his promising career after his own personal encounter with Jesus, and he went on to become the greatest missionary of all time.

Paul endured many trials in his missionary work. In one of his letters^* he mentions some of them, describing how he received the standard forty-lashes-less-one five times, how he was three times beaten with rods, once stoned nearly to death, three times shipwrecked, once spending a night and a day adrift at sea, how he spent many sleepless nights, how he endured hunger and thirst and exposure to the elements. And he went through all this for no other reason than to spread the good news that Jesus, through his death and resurrection, has set us free from the slavery of sin and given us a share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.

I am quite impressed with Paul when, after going through all this, he can write that he considers the sufferings of this present time to be not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us. He leaves me feeling a little ashamed of myself. I have all I can do to make it through a hard day at the office. When I drag myself home from work at the end of the day, I sometimes feel like I don't have enough strength left for as little as a short prayer to thank God for giving me the day and helping me through it. I can't say there is anything heroic about my faith.

If our reward in heaven is determined by how well we live our faith on earth, I should not expect too much. I certainly will not be given a place of honor at the heavenly banquet. I may not even get a seat. But I would be happy just to wait at table, or even work in the kitchen, as long as I can be there and see the glory. For nothing in this world or in the world to come can compare with the joy of just once catching a glimpse of the face of God.

- Entrance Antiphon, Fifteen Sunday in Ordinary Time