Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be” (Mt 6:19-21). Jesus helped his disciples then and is helping us today to be aware of the reality of our world. All that exists is finite and material. Each thing, each being, has a beginning and an end. We need to resist the temptation to be attached to anything, even to our family and friends, because in this life and this side of heaven, nothing and no one lasts forever.
Adopting an attitude of non-attachment to material things can be freeing as long as we do not embrace the opposite extreme of placing no value in created things, thinking that we can destroy and abuse the environment, exploit or objectify each other for our own ends. We can also be tempted to see all things that are not spiritual as corrupt and bad, even our material reality as human beings. The idea that our soul is imprisoned until we die. This extreme will not bring us happiness, joy, or fulfillment either.
Living a life directed by Jesus’ teachings will help us to embrace a more balanced life of recognizing that much of what is material and finite is good, as well as very good, and yet each has a time and a season. We have the opportunity and invitation to be participants in God’s eternal plan of salvation, and we can embrace and enjoy the wonders and gifts of his creation when we don’t hold onto the things of this world too tightly and allow our relationships and activities to be properly ordered by God’s will.
We need to resist grasping for and clutching anything material and finite. We will then be freer to embrace and follow the steady movement of the Holy Spirit, which is ever fresh and new. The Holy Spirit invites us to deepen and grow in our relationship with our loving God and Father and one another. Refusing to fill the deepest core of our being with the things of this world will help us to be less distracted and diverted from placing God as primary.
When we embrace the reality that our time here on this earth is limited, we will be less apt to take each other and each moment for granted. We will realize how precious life is, show greater appreciation for, as well as be more present, understanding, kinder, supportive, and patient with one another. We will be freer to let the petty things go and embrace the love that Jesus offers us, so that we will have more love to share with one another through thick and thin.
An imminent death helps this reality to become front and center. Knowing that JoAnn only had months to live – at best, was a gift. We embraced a greater appreciation for each moment we had together. What was even more foundational was that even before her diagnosis, we had already begun a journey together of deepening our relationship with Jesus. He helped us through the bumpy beginning years of adjusting and adapting our lives, through learning balance in the busy years, the financial challenges, life with kids and then teenagers, empty nesting, diaconate formation, and everything in between. Each year was a gift of growing closer to God and each other. A lot of the material things of this world became less important and time together became more important.
Dealing with death is never easy. Trusting that Jesus opened up heaven for us in the humanity he assumed and that he conquered death in his resurrection, helps when that reality moves from the head to the heart. Instead of denying or keeping death at a distance until faced with our own or another, we will be better off by engaging the reality of death more intentionally. Doing so is not a dive into morbidity but an invitation to define who and what is truly important in this life. Pondering death with God helps to live life more fully with the time we have left. Storing “up treasures in heaven where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal” (Mt 6:20), helps us to be free of holding too tightly to the things here below and to come to a greater appreciation of what is truly important.
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Photo: Not clinging to JoAnn as she was dying, nor after she had died has helped me to experience her love in a deeper way that has never died. Happened to check and this picture was taken exactly 7 years ago today! Little did we know we had 93 days left together this side of heaven.
Spiritual Stepping Stones 