Gretta Bender

April 11, 2016

9-3
a. Theme: Life after Death
b. Scriptural Passage: 19 [a] Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth
and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. 21 For where your
treasure is, there also will your heart be. (Matthew 6:19-21, NABRE)
c. Reflection:
This passage gives hope as to what life after death will be like. It shows that ones
actions during life affects his or her particular judgement by God. An emphasis is
put on how much God loves us. It also displays how little material things matter
in the long run, and how we should never take anything for granted. No matter
how many things we possess on this Earth, not one of those things will matter as
much as how we have lived our lives and helped the people whom we have met
along the way. The ultimate pathway to gaining treasure in Heaven consists of
selfless acts of mercy and true love of God while one is blessed with the gift of
life. Modern society tends to be consumed with the accumulation of material
goods as well as power and prestige, and has begun to drift away from the
primary reason we were put on this Earth. We are here with the purposes of loving
and serving, and in Heaven there are no obstacles to accepting the love of God.
No earthly matters are important in comparison with those which aid us in storing
treasures in Heaven. Overall, our purpose of life is to serve God by serving others.

With losing ourselves in this service of others, we ultimately find ourselves and
give glory to our God.

d. Prayer:
Heavenly Father, give me the strength and wisdom to lay aside my worries of this
day. I realize that all of my earthly struggles can be offered to you, my Lord, and I
stand before you a sinner. Sometimes the unknown can scare me, but then I
remember your promise of Eternal Life. This promise fills me with hope and faith,
because I know there is somewhere beyond perfect; something waiting for us after
this world filled with suffering. I offer all of my tribulations, my complaints, and
my sufferings to you. I want to make a positive impact by the way in which I live,
and I want to affect as many peoples lives as possible. I am starting to come to the
realization that material things dont matter, because they do not bring true
happiness. They leave a void in the heart and cause it to yearn for more. What the
heart really wants is Gods presence and the rewards of eternal life. Grant me the
strength to fight this secular culture and stay true to what will bring complete and
total joy; the things of the spirit. I lift all of the worries and struggles of this day to
you, my Lord, and live with the hope of a tomorrow with you.
Amen