Real treasures

All of us are reminded regardless of whether we are Roman Catholic or not that we should not seek to gather for ourselves treasures of this world. All the riches and glory found in this world, all of which are truly transient in nature, are merely distractions in our pursuit of the true treasures in heaven.

And we are reminded today so that we may truly re-evaluate our lives and direction so that we may be aligned to what the Lord has called us to be in our respective lives, in our calling and mission, for each and every purpose that God has provided to all of us as His beloved and holy people, called to be His faithful missionaries in this world.

All of us should always strive to keep ourselves free of what is wicked and immoral, what is distracting us away from God, our worldly pursuits and ambitions that make us so preoccupied and filled with desire that we end up forsaking God and His ways.

In fact, some of these pursuits and ambitions, desire for fame and worldly glory, our attachments to various desires may lead us to disregard our responsibilities and duties to those whom we love and hold dear. This is why it is important that we must always be firmly rooted in our faith in God at all times, focusing and aligning our lives and actions with Him.

In the Gospel this Sunday, Saint Luke the Evangelist wrote about Jesus speaking to the people and responding to someone in the crowd who asked Him to be a judge between him and his brother. At any time and age, disputes between family members, friends and others regarding money, material wealth, and privileges are commonplace, and it can really be very damaging to relationships.

I am sure we have witnessed how families, relationships, and friendships are torn apart by disagreements and conflicts, and unless we realize the folly of such arguments and contentions, there will only be more heart pain and suffering among us.

And in line with what our earlier readings from the Scriptures had highlighted to us, the Lord used a parable to show the folly of pursuing worldly ambitions and desires, such as what we often argue and bicker with each other about.

In His parable, the Lord showed how a man who possessed a lot of riches was so preoccupied with thinking and planning about where and how to store his wealth that he forgot about his own mortality and the impermanence of all the wealth and worldly possessions he had accumulated. If that man were to die that very day, then what would possibly happen to his soul.

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My greetings to George Christian Go of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority for the assistance extended to us last Thursday. Thank you very much, sir. Likewise, to Ms. Sharon of the PIO, MMDA. Also to P/LtCol. Ramon Czar Dimawala Solas, station commander of Police Station 7 Cubao, Quezon City Police District and P/Maj. Jennifer Ganaban, PIO, QCPD.