Delivered by Joanna from the Parish of Saint Gabriel in the Diocese of Bandung, Indoensia. Romans 7: 18-25a; Rs psalm 119: 66.68.76.77.93.94; Luke 12: 54-59.

TIME TESTS

The title for ourmeditation today is: Time Tests. We say this "time tests" to signifythe time that serves to make sure if one's life is pleasing to God or viceversa. There was a family experiencing a crisis in their economy up to thepoint of the lowest situation that forced the husband, wife and their twochildren must reflect, evaluate themselves to find a way out. When times oftrials or difficulties and suffering come, they lead us to see that time istesting us. These are the examples of lessons that can teach us and call ourattention, and we must see this as the moment to change.

Saint Paul sees thereis a sign of time that people in Rome and all of us today face, about honor andworship of the body that is inevitable in this world. Worldly life orientationlike this will torture the dynamism of people’s mind and soul toward God. So theapostle Paul wanted that he himself must terminate all allurements of his ownbody, so that his  mind and soul would justfocus on God.

Worship and enjoymentof the body are commonly done today in the life of today’s society. This commonstyle manifests itself in materialism and the gratification of lust. We canshow several examples here. There was a student misused his parents' money for hisstudy, but only for eating, drinking, traveling and having fun with hisfriends. A housewife spent money of the family not for needs of the house butonly for personal pleasure and enjoyment. They represent the various human actssatisfy their bodily needs. Our era of materialism and hedonism today alreadymakes everything so easy for us to acquire any time when we need to fulfill theneed of our bodies.

However, we must saythe truth that our bodies have been consecrated by divine election to be thesons and daughters of the heavenly Father. God choose to stay in our bodies. Leus not waste our energies and times making our own bodies the desecrateddwelling places to God to dwell. We need to take care and keep purifying ourown bodies, because in a healthy and worthy body, there is a soul that isradiant and open to God. Saint Paul asks us not to spoil our bodies with anykind of pleasures of the world. We must maintain responsibly its purity becauseGod choose to live in it.

Let our attentionshould not be excessive to the body, to the extent that the soul is abandoned.Jesus asks that our souls must be given more attention, because the soul willstand before the final judgment to give the person's life account. When humansouls are free from world preoccupations and pleasures, a human person is freeand happy to go to God.

Let's pray. In the name of the Father... O God almighty, come and dwell within us always, so that our hearts alwaysexperience joy and peace. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the HolySpirit ... In the name of the Father ...