Life and Prosperity vs Death and Doom
Thursday after Ash Wednesday
Have you been confronted with choices? Would it be easy to choose between two or more good choices? Would it be easy to choose between two or more evils? Would it be easy or difficult to choose between opposing options?
Moses, in the book of Deuteronomy, presented choices to the Israelites: life and prosperity vs death and doom. Obedience to the commandments, to love God and to walk in his ways are needed to gain life and prosperity. Turning away from God, not listening to Him, and serving other gods will lead to death and doom. If these options will be presented to you, which would you chose? Remember, we are to choose only one.
Our Lord Jesus further deepened this challenge of Moses in gaining life and prosperity. “Whoever wishes to follow me must deny himself, take up his cross each day, and follow in my steps.” He proceeded on to presenting the paradox of Christian life: “Whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake, will save it. What would it merit man to gain the world but destroys himself in the process?” Jesus challenged his disciples to put behind their self-centeredness and live in charity, which is the core of following Him. Our Lord also says the same to us today: are you ready to put yourself behind to follow me and live my way of love? Is life and prosperity the choice you make for yourself? Are you willing to lose your life for my sake?
In the end, we are asked to choose only one and leave behind the other. If we take one of the options, then we have to decide to live by it in order to gain its consequences and reward in the end. Pope Francis at the start of his pontificate said that if we do not pray to God, to whom do we pray to? The devil? If God is not the center of our life, then it might be that the evil one is. If we choose life and prosperity, then we have to live the commandment of love from God.
As we start the season of Lent, we ask the Lord for the strength to live his way of love in our world today. We live in a time of indifference, as the Pope said. May our daily choices lead us closer to God by being charitable to our brothers and sisters in need. This is our way of ‘denying ourselves’ and taking up the cross of Christ. Through this we are slowly led to life and prosperity, to eternal life with Him.
The question then is: would you choose life and prosperity or death and doom?
Think about it.
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