THE BEST INVESTMENT
Today's
Gospel presents us with a paradox: we lose what we keep, and we gain what we
give away.
What's the best investment
you and I can make? Today's Gospel presents us with a paradox: we lose what we
keep, and we gain what we give away. When we lose our lives for Jesus Christ,
we gain an eternal inheritance, a priceless treasure from our heavenly Father.
St. Peter raises a bold
question in today's Gospel. Basically, he asks Jesus, "What's in this for
us?" There sure seems to be a lot
of pain and persecution going on here. Wow! It sounds like something that would
easily come out of our own mouths, today. But Jesus responds to Peter by
pointing out that being a disciple is no small task. A disciple of Jesus Christ
must look at a bigger reality - be a visionary of the truth and its future -
just as Peter and the others had to come to realize. We, too, by following
Jesus, are placed in the midst of a faith community, which expands one's world
almost beyond imagination. In the present day as well, there will be suffering
and persecution, but that is so little compared to what one gains in the community
of faith. In the long run, it leads to eternal life!
So what can we expect from
being a disciple of Jesus Christ? The answer is: everything! It's why we call
it the "Good News!" Christian living is not about instant
gratification. Instead, it's about faith and perseverance. In our Responsorial
Psalm we acclaim, "To the upright I will show the saving power of
God" (Ps 50:23b). "Gather My faithful ones before Me, those who have
made a covenant with Me by sacrifice" (Ps 50:5).
Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy once
wrote: "I have come to the conclusion that the most important element in
human life is faith... What I want to make clear is that from faith, and
through it, we come to a new understanding of ourselves and all the world about
us. It puts everything into a spiritual focus, if I may say it that way, so
that with love, and joy, and happiness, along with worry, sorrow, and loss,
become a part of a large picture which extends far beyond time and space"
(Times to Remember, 1974).