More of God and Less of Me
Gospel Reflection for Friday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time.
In this Lesson of the Fig Tree, we are once again taught by Christ to constantly be ready for when the Day of the Lord arrives. Jesus describes how we know with a fig tree when summer is near, and he uses this analogy to tell us that we will know when the Kingdom of God is already near. We do not want to be caught by surprise when this happens. We do not want to suddenly realize that the Day is near, knowing within ourselves that we have not been living as we should in preparation for the Last Judgment. This helps us to ask ourselves this question, especially since Advent is so close: If Christ were to come back tonight, would I be prepared to be judged? Are each of us living in a way that shows Christ’s love, or are we living to glorify ourselves with our actions?
This life is not meant to show our own beauty to the world; rather, as each human is made in the image and likeness of God, we are meant to use our whole beings to glorify Him and nothing else. Even the smallest of actions, like complimenting someone’s shoes or just giving someone a small smile as you walk past them, can be a way to show the Lord’s love.
