Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish

AVAIL YOURSELF

If you avail yourself of “Christ’s presence” letting it take hold of your life, you will stand to benefit whether you are alive or dead. A person whose life is centred in Christ, who witnesses to the Lord with his/her life while alive, will find his/her life is glorified with the saints when (s)he dies. This may have informed St. Paul to say: “…speaking with all boldness Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.”

We need to avail ourselves of the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to take hold of our lives and becoming intoxicated by the presence and the power of Christ. For this to take place the first reading invites the believer to avail him or herself in desiring and calling for the presence of the Lord. And if a person has the desire and disposition to call on the Lord, the person should be found in a location that when Christ comes, he will find him/her and pick him/her. In the gospel passage, we are told that the landowner knew the location where laborers waited to be hired. Is your location appropriate? Let us reflect on today’s readings.

Modern spirituality rests more on spiritual accompaniment – meaning there ought to be two people involved in the spiritual journey. If two people are involved in something, availability is very important. If a person makes a journey with the Lord and (s)he does not avail him or herself of the Lord on that journey, the person cannot enjoy the fruits of the spiritual journey, nor can God make good use of the person in his “Holy Spirit” saturated vineyard.

Certain elements are very key if one can avail him or herself of the Lord on a spiritual journey. The first element that the Prophet Isaiah highlights in the first reading is the word “seeking.” The word “seeking” when placed within the context of spiritual accompaniment carries the nuance of “activeness.” God does not want his children to be passive in the spiritual journey – meaning as God plays his part, the believer should reciprocate with a desire to seek the Lord. Seeking should not be only measured in material terms as many modern-day Christians do. For some Christians, if they are to seek the Lord, it is for material gain but here I would like to recommend “a seeking” that transcends earthly desires and mundane acquisitions. I can confidently tell you that there is nothing that can be compared to a life in Christ. Why should a Christian opt for material gains if God asks him/her for “what (s)he really needs in life.” Any material acquisition loses its value with time and becomes valueless to the person when (s)he dies but if a person is blessed with a life in Christ, that value transcends earthly life and time. The real treasure of a Christian is a life in Christ in its totality. Please desire for this and call on the Lord in prayer every day for this.

When one’s “seeking” of the Lord reaches maturity and fullness, (s)he can speak in line with St. Paul that “…for him to live is Christ and to die is gain.” If one’s life reaches this point, then the second element in today first reading will always be present in his/her life. And the second key element is “calling on the Lord…” If the Lord takes hold on a person’s life, one cannot do without the Lord but calls on him day and night.

When there is desire, it is easy to help a person to live his/her life in Christ. This is the scenario that makes life’s accompaniment easy and enjoyable because the person always displays the desire and the willingness to seek the Lord. As much as desire and willingness to call on the Lord is important for one to start a life in Christ, it is highly recommended that the person should be found in the right place so that when the Lord comes, the Lord will find him/her. In today’s gospel passage, we are told that when the landowner wanted to hire workers to work in his vineyard, he went to the right place where he could find workers. The workers stationed themselves at the right place that is why at any moment that the householder went there he was able to find workers.

In our spiritual journey, as much as seeking and desiring the Lord is good, one ought to station him or herself at the right place. In our case the right place should always be places of spiritual engagement. These places can be a church, pilgrim center, a sanctuary, a retreat center, a seminary, a good Christian home, and other places where one can smell the presence of Christ. If you need Christ in your life, then there is a call for one to desire him and call on him but also one ought to be stationed at the right place. OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP PRAY FOR US.