What do you look like fully alive?
After fighting an aggressive cancer for five months, an old coworker of mine passed away at the age of 27. Same age, same name as my brother. We laughed, teased, gamed, and complained together. So, it’s not a stretch to say over the last few weeks I’ve been thinking a lot about death and life. What is it all about? What matters most? What do I want people to say about me at my funeral?
In this week’s gospel, the elite of Jesus’ time try to corner him. They argue “Moses said we could do…” And Jesus responds with a you may do that here, but in heaven it is different. Jesus reveals that they focused on the wrong thing, losing sight of what really matters. He points out that God is calling them higher; they are called to Heaven by name.
"He is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive."
Luke 20:38
Over time I realized how often I miss the mark, how often I completely miss the point by the way I complain when things don’t go my way, the way I treat my friends and family, the way I forget the most important things. Most of the time I’m caught up worrying that I’m not doing the right thing, making the right career move, what does God want me to do with the rest of my life, forgetting that God simply wants me to spend time with him. All he wants is a heart turned and open to him.
What is it to experience heaven now? What is it to be truly alive? I think it is simply moments of communion with God. It is sitting in the quiet place and gazing upon him. It is taking the moment to speak and listen to him. It is recognizing the glimpses of God in those around you. It is an awareness of how God is moving and being docile to step where he steps, to speak what he speaks, to love how he loves.
What do YOU look like fully ALIVE?
