Deacon Stu Dobson’s Reflection – 6-17-22

Deacon Stu Dobson’s Reflection – 6-17-22
Friday of the 11^th week of Ordinary Time, Year 2, June 17, 2022
2 Kgs 11:1-4, 9-18, 20; Ps 132:11-14, 17-18; Mt 6:19-23

There is a song called, “O be careful, Little Eye,” and it starts with, “O be careful little eyes what you see.” I really like what Jesus says when He says, “The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light.” How true this is of our human nature. Our minds have great capacity to store information. And the first information we get is usually from our eyes, followed closely by sound and smell. From there the image, sights, and surroundings are permanently fixed into our memory. As a child, these memories start to form our thoughts, words, and actions. They are the beginning of who we are, what we believe, and how we will act. They define our character and form our consciences. As we become adults, we will use our hopefully well-formed conscience to make the right decisions.

I think that is one of the messages Jesus is trying to get across to us today. To use our well-formed conscience to know what is right, and what is wrong. It seems Jeosheba, in the first reading today, realized, based on her previous experiences, that she knew what the right thing was to do. She hid Joash to not only protect him, but to preserve the future of the country. Later on, Joash was made king, and restored the kingdom to its rightful heir. Moreover, because of this, the people then re-dedicated themselves to the Lord. 

And in the gospel, here is Jesus telling us to be careful what treasures we store up. He is warning us that if we do not have a well-formed conscience, we may end up coveting things that have no real meaning. All these things, this stuff, we gather up on earth, will not get us to heaven. What will get us to heaven will be what our heart believes. 

Have we been careful of what our eyes have seen, our ears heard, or our noses smelled? Have we made sure that the things we do, and the places we go are true to what we believe? There is nothing wrong with accumulating things, and having wealth, but it is what we do with it that matters. This stuff we have, these things we treasure, are not things that we can take with us when we leave this earth. What we can take with us is the love we share with others, and the people we treasure in our hearts. So be careful what you see, hear, say, do, and go, for where your treasure is, there also will be your heart.