I have never and probably will never suffer beatings, starvation and the hardships St Paul went through for being a servant of Christ Jesus our Lord. But I know what it like to suffer through humility, challenges and personal sacrifices to be His disciple and to have made disciples of others. And the rewards I have received is to witness the fruitfulness of His peace, love and joy in the lives of those I had served. It does not matter to me if I am remembered at all for my little insignificant contributions in the past, what matters most to me is that I must continue to contribute in every way I can to build His Kingdom.
Knowing that I have limited time left, I have dwelled on what is important to me. Indeed I treasure my relationship with my parents, my wife and children, my church community and all those our Lord has sent my way. But most of all I treasure my faith, trust and loving relationship I have with my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! I am very far from perfect, but I hold to the hope of perfection through Him who loves me.
Lord Jesus I pray that Your light shine away all darkness in our lives. And let Your light shine through us as we endeavour to glorify You by our lives. Amen
First reading
2 Corinthians 11:18,21-30
If I am to boast, let me boast of my own feebleness
So many others have been boasting of their worldly achievements, that I will boast myself. But if anyone wants some brazen speaking – I am still talking as a fool – then I can be as brazen as any of them, and about the same things. Hebrews, are they? So am I. Israelites? So am I. Descendants of Abraham? So am I. The servants of Christ? I must be mad to say this, but so am I, and more than they: more, because I have worked harder, I have been sent to prison more often, and whipped many times more, often almost to death. Five times I had the thirty-nine lashes from the Jews; three times I have been beaten with sticks; once I was stoned; three times I have been shipwrecked and once adrift in the open sea for a night and a day. Constantly travelling, I have been in danger from rivers and in danger from brigands, in danger from my own people and in danger from pagans; in danger in the towns, in danger in the open country, danger at sea and danger from so-called brothers. I have worked and laboured, often without sleep; I have been hungry and thirsty and often starving; I have been in the cold without clothes. And, to leave out much more, there is my daily preoccupation: my anxiety for all the churches. When any man has had scruples, I have had scruples with him; when any man is made to fall, I am tortured.
If I am to boast, then let me boast of my own feebleness.
Gospel
Matthew 6:19-23
Store up treasure for yourselves in heaven
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moths and woodworms destroy them and thieves can break in and steal. But store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where neither moth nor woodworms destroy them and thieves cannot break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
‘The lamp of the body is the eye. It follows that if your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light. But if your eye is diseased, your whole body will be all darkness. If then, the light inside you is darkness, what darkness that will be!’
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