As we move into this time after Pentecost, the assigned readings seem to give simple advice on how to live and the attitudes we must have if we are to gain the fullness of life. For the most part, our readings until the beginning of the new Church Year, will be taken from Paul’s Epistles to the Romans, Corinthians and Galatians. Our Gospel readings will be taken from Matthew’s Narrative.

In the readings assigned for this weekend we hear this sage advice from St. Paul:

We know that affliction makes for endurance, and endurance for tested virtue, and tested virtue for hope.

 and this from St. Matthew:

No man can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other or be attentive to one and despise the other. You cannot give yourself to God and money.

The advice contained in St. Mathew’s Gospel is contained in his sixth chapter and seems to be an adaptation of the general wisdom gleaned from the teachings of Jesus, albeit Matthew does not directly attributed it to Him.

I don’t know about you, but I feel that the advice given to us through these two readings is quite profound and, if embraced, can truly help us to more effectively live this life. Think about the advice!

First, St. Paul casts the challenges of life, especially the difficult ones, as a means by which life builds our endurance. He then suggests that it is only when we build this endurance that we can begin to truly hope. I must admit that I totally agree with Paul in this respect. It is only when we face the very difficult challenges of life that we finally can come to understand the meaning of life and be filled with hope.

The second piece of sage advice, found in Matthew’s Gospel says “yes” to me on so very many different levels. I truly believe that you cannot serve two masters: God and this world. I think you have to make a choice. This world suggests all sorts of things to us. Most of them are truly not in accord with Jesus’ revelation – in what God has revealed to us about living this earthly life.

This advice calls us to decide what we truly believe about life and to either accept the things of this world or the things of God’s Kingdom. We all have to make a decision. Do we truly want to be a part of God’s Kingdom or not?