Eye on the Prize

19^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Cycle C

The summer Olympics are here again. Did you watch the opening ceremonies last night? One of my favorite things is the parade of nations. Every Olympics it seems the TV commentators have some inspiring story or other to tell about some of the athletes. One runner last night from Africa used to train barefoot because his parents were too poor to buy him shoes. Another woman in a wheelchair carried her country’s flag in. She had begun her career in taekwando, but after a car accident left her paralyzed she took up archery and made the Olympic team. And to make it more inspiring, she was competing on the Iranian team, which has very few women. Saudi Arabia also had some women on its team this year.

I love these stories of perseverance and courage and sacrifice. My favorite line from last night was that, for most of those athletes, the opening ceremonies are their Olympics. They have little chance of winning a medal, so just the fact that they qualified to be there is all they will take away from years and years of struggle and preparation.

What sets Olympic level athletes apart is not only their talent but their unwavering focus on the prize. They never take their eyes off the goal, even if that goal is to just participate. They are ever vigilant. That’s what our readings are about today.

When we are focused on the goal, it’s easy to be vigilant. We watch out for what is important to us. As parents, we never really stop worrying about our children. We are ever vigilant of them. When they are little we always keep one eye on them, to make sure they are safe. We do this because we love them and we don’t want anything to happen to them. We never want them to suffer or need for anything.

Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

But I also think we are so vigilant of our children because we couldn’t bear it if something happened to them. We couldn’t live with ourselves if something we did or didn’t do caused our children pain. And we are terrified of losing them.

Why do we feel this way about our children but not about our souls?

Shouldn’t we watch out for and protect our very souls? Shouldn’t that be what we are most vigilant of? After all, that’s what will be going to heaven.

There are so many dangers to us in the world today. We need to keep an eye on so many things. Physical dangers at home, in the workplace, in public. Sadly, we have been forced to train ourselves to be ever more aware of what is happening around us in public, due to the danger of terrorism and violence. Even in our churches there has been deadly violence lately.

And there are so many spiritual dangers to our souls. The breakdown of the family and many of the institutions that used to provide us with safety and stability. The lack of trust between the people we look to to protect us and the people who they protect. The dismal regard in which we hold our government. The failings of leadership in our own Church. And the constant bombardment of immoral influences through the media and the internet. Our very culture seems to be falling apart sometimes.

It is easy to become numbed by all these negative influences. Our souls seem to shut down as a protection mechanism. We oftentimes just want to throw in the towel. That’s what I think Jesus is talking about today when he tells us to be vigilant. We can’t just give up. We have to keep hoping and praying and working for the kingdom of God. We have to remain the bulwark against the evils of the world. We have to make it a habit to remain conscious of the world, not because we fear it but because we are called to change it.

Jesus doesn’t want us to be vigilant out of fear. Fear that we’ll miss out on heaven if we don’t watch out. He wants us to be vigilant because he loves us and wants us to be with him forever. He wants us to be vigilant because it’s good for us. We don’t want our children to be safe and healthy and happy because we fear the consequences. We want them to be safe and healthy and happy because we love them and couldn’t imagine life without them.

This gospel passage is usually interpreted to be referring to Jesus’ second coming or to our deaths. We are to keep ourselves in a state of grace because you never know when the next moment will be your last, and that’s a very wise way to live. However, I see it sometimes in a different way. You never know when Jesus will want to come into your life in a special way. You never know when the grace of the Holy Spirit is there waiting to help you or fulfill you. You never know when true happiness is there available to you. Therefore, be on the lookout for it. Keep yourself open to God. Don’t harden your hearts to His presence.

We need to be aware of when Jesus comes to us in other people. Not just in the poor and needy that we are called to serve. But also in the people who are called to serve and help us in our time of need. Jesus comes to us in thousands of little ways every day; in an unexpected phone call from an old friend, in a smile at the checkout counter, in the simple things that make us smile and remember for a moment what is truly important. We need to stay vigilant for those moments as well, because they can break through the negativity and give us a glimpse once again of the promise of Christ.

It’s tough sometimes to do that. There are so many things that can blind us to God’s grace. Unless you are locked up in a monastery somewhere praying 24/7, it is so easy to forget to watch out for your soul. All the stresses and problems in our lives make it hard to keep our eyes and hearts on God. And if we don’t keep God in the center of our lives He will usually fall by the wayside.

It is a lot like taking care of your health. If you are in the habit of taking care of yourself, then sickness oftentimes can be avoided. Sometimes that habit is forced upon you by your circumstances. For example, I have been blessed by very good health my entire life. Therefore, I tended to take it for granted. I ate and drank whatever I liked and exercise was a bad word for me. However, three years ago I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Suddenly I had to check my blood sugar several times a day. I had to take meds, which for a guy who never took more than an aspirin was tough to get in the routine of doing. I had to watch what I ate and drank. And I had to start exercising. Now my health is something I am vigilant of. I have gotten into the practice and habit of tracking my progress and getting better at taking care of myself. I read up on the science of diabetes. I download recipes.

This would seem natural for me. I mean, the consequences of not doing it can be fatal. I do all these things because not only do I want to live a long and healthy life, I want to feel better now. Taking these preventative measures helps me to feel better now. I do not do them out of fear of what could happen. I do them because I am happier when I do.

It’s the same with your spiritual health. We should not fear death nor the second coming of Christ. But we should make our spiritual health as important to us as our physical health. We should get in the habit of actively being aware of the state of our souls. We should build practices to strengthen our spiritual health. Not because we are afraid of the consequences but because if we do we will feel better. We will be happier because we will be aligning our spiritual selves with the Holy Spirit Himself.

To those who have been given much, more will be required. Reaching the Olympic games does not mean things get easier. They get harder. And if you have a record of winning, like Michael Phelps, you can’t rest on your laurels. The world expects even more of you. You have to push yourself even more. You have to stay motivated and focused.

It’s the same in our lives as Christians. We have been given the great gift of God’s grace. We have been given the truth and we will be expected to do something with it. We have the fullness of the revelation of God to the world, and we can’t just keep it to ourselves. With that knowledge comes great responsibility. We are required to live our lives to a higher standard, because the world is watching us.

And our vigilance should be born out of hope and joy in the promise of Jesus. We are vigilant not because we need to be but because we want to be. We look not at the consequences but to the prize. Those thousands of young people in Rio de Janiero right now have struggled and persevered not because they fear failure but because they see the prize within reach. For some of them years of preparation will be over in mere seconds, but they are willing to endure the struggle for the glory that awaits them.

Isn’t the glory that awaits us so much more? Keep your eyes on the prize.