Seizing the Moment - SERMON

Seizing the Moment: Steps Toward Heaven’s Heart

Probably you have heard from someone something like this;
I wish I would have been quicker to love.
I wish I would have been slower to speak.
I wish I would have known the power of my words, hands, and heart.

If you could return to your 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, what would you say to your young self? What are the things that you carry in your heart as it is unresolved, unborn? Blessed are those who can say, I do not have any regrets. I would choose the same path as I did, and I am grateful for who I have been.

 Yet probably many would find something that they would have done in a different way. Sometimes we care too much about other people’s opinions, or other material satisfaction. Sometimes in pursuit of our own needs, we miss opportunities to care for those dearest to us. We focus on how to win, but neglect the treasure found in making true friends. Every day, we make choices and that adds up to our life. And one day, we may find ourselves surrounded by things we thought would bring fulfillment, only to discover those things that lack true meaning. And we may regret with little left that we can cherish and be grateful for.

specially, living in 21st century, the media produces floods of messages, as if this is the last chance to hop on the trend. We are pushed and rushed to make decisions in a reactive, compulsive way even without thinking. Beneath that illusion of security and craving for approval we rarely find anything that is deeply rooted in our hearts or touching another. Eventually, one day as we look back over our lives, we may find so many empty spaces filled with echoes of “I wish…” 

In today’s Gospel of Luke, we hear well-known parable of a rich man and Lazarus. While this rich man had everything he needed and lived a lavish life which many would have envied, a poor man named Lazarus was inflicted with sores, and did not have anything to eat to ease his hunger. However, when they died, their fortunes drastically changed. The rich man was put into endless torment, and Lazarus was comforted and blessed. The rich man was begging for mercy, but interestingly, there is not so much description about Lazarus.

Personally, I don’t think he was enjoying his seat at the switched side. I don’t think it was more like reversed position between the rich man and Lazarus. While the rich man is begging now, and Lazarus is indifferent.

Heaven, I believe, is a state of loving, and if Lazarus was truly in Heaven, he must have felt bad about the rich man. Knowing the pain of being hungry, not attended, not included, he must have reached out to the rich man to help him.

And yet, Abraham says to the rich man; “there is a great chasm between you and us, and no one can cross from there to us.” Often, I wondered what that chasm would be. When I think of that, I tend to think it is not actual limitation or restriction, but more like incapability of the person’s mind to receive the blessings.

The rich man lived a life only thinking about himself. He did not know what it would be like to share what he had, care for others, bear someone’s burden. In that regard, although Luke’s message the rich man’s fate sealed. Some may say there is still a glimpse of hope since at least he is concerned about someone else other than himself as he was asking to warn his brothers.

In a way, when we are blind to love and forgiveness, we cannot find heaven even if it stands right before us. On that note, this parable encourages us to become more loving today. We do not want to say “I wish I had known, or I wish I have chosen” at the end of our lives not knowing where to go after. We may already have those regretful thoughts, but today is the day we can make a new path for our future. Today could be the turning point that our future self will look back with gratitude.

Yet, change is hard. We are still busy minded or too distracted to notice the doors opening before us.  

What can help? First, we need to remember and trust that God created each of us as His beloved child. Life is a blessing and a gift in as much as our awareness of God’s invitation to embody the attributes of God, Beauty, goodness, and truth. Created in God’s own image, we are not merely stewards tasked with caretaking, but we find joy and peace as we create beauty, reconcile goodness, uphold truth.

Of course, within our free will, we are also tempted to put ourselves above all others, seek for easy comforts, and hide behind fleeting pleasures. But our soul, the essence of our true self, cannot be deceived. Deep in our hearts, where neither fear nor greed can reach, we know what our heart truly desires and dreams. And as the beacon of hope, the Church is given to us to remind us of who we truly can be.

Then with this vision in mind, we need to learn how to seize the moment. Contrary to our assumption, lots of people who succeeded through disciplining themselves often say our will power is fragile, whether abstaining from harm, or pursuing what is good. For example, someone who is trying to quit smoking, drinking, or sweets. People who trained their mind and tamed their will power say, it is “5 minutes”.  The strong urge to get what we want remains only 5 minutes. If you think not having something you crave for in general, it seems so impossible. But holding your urge for 5 minutes, you can do it.

In a similar way, people also emphasize the importance of pushing yourself when the window is open. We feel like we want to go for exercise, old friend or family member might be waiting for someone to call. Or sometimes we wanted to say to someone “I’m sorry”, or “I love you”, and the person is just about to leave the room. In these situations, you need to push yourself to enter the open door, since it will soon close. So in a way, we need to hold back for a second not to take a step into what is not good for us, or push the door within a second to step in what is good for us. By these small choices, we lay new paths, a path of love, restoration, and growth.

I wonder if the rich man ever had a moment to listen to his soul’s true desire and dream or ever hear the quiet ache and recognized hunger of his soul beneath worldly satisfaction. I wonder if the rich man ever paused for a moment before he routinely and repeatedly shoved God’s blessings meant to be shared into his own pocket. I wonder if the rich man ever broke his bubble to answer another’s need. If only, if only, he was able to make that choice, if he were able to taste what it is like to be living as God’s children,

Perhaps, we, too, are not so much different.  So we pray.

Gracious God,

Teach us to cherish what is truly meaningful, and to be present to the needs of those who wait at the gates of our lives. Grant us the courage to embrace each new moment toward growing into love, so that in the end, we may look back not with regret, but with hearts full of thanksgiving.

Amen