Seeing clearly

 The evidence that Paul presents to the Corinthians about his credentials as an Apostle who is presenting the Truth of Jesus as the path to righteousness before God is a method of evangelization for Christians today. The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge our culture of celebrity and our reliance on our material wealth and our pursuit of personal pleasure led by our eye for temptation. Friar Jude Winkler notes that Paul counters the super natural power proclaimed by the Gnostic heretics to the people of Corinth with the real power of the Spirit in Paul to endure much suffering in the service of Jesus. The path of selflessness and service which Paul lived is our model and we certainly can experience our powerlessness to live a service witness without the help of God. The Gospel of Matthew today continues the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus advises that our attraction to material wealth will be a temptation to draw our heart away from Love of God and others to attempt to satisfy our personal needs for security and comfort. The saint of today, St. Aloysius Gonzaga, lived a short time afflicted with sickness. One account of his life notes that his commitment to living professed virginity was marked by his practice of keeping his eyes down in the presence of women. The temptations to abandon service and selflessness in modern society come easily to our eyes. When the desire in our vision becomes a direction for our heart we are moving away from the advice in the Gospel to maintain a sound eye. The reflection of our soul, the eye, is a powerful window to our compassion, forgiveness and desire to include others. Let us pray to keep this window clear.