The Armor of God Blog

Matthew 6:19-23

Lectio (Reading)

Read the passage twice and get a sense of what it is saying. Pay attention to what strikes you.
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal.
But store up treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

“The lamp of the body is the eye.
If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light;
but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness.
And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be.”

Meditatio (Reflecting)

Slowly read the passage again, pausing on words or phrases that stands out. Take time to consider the meaning. particularly in your life.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…, But store up treasures in heaven…, For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

Oratio (Responding)

Read the passage again, slowly. Consider how God has spoken to you and respond back to Him. You may want to consider how this passage is asking you to act differently.

What is “treasure” in heaven? It is not gold or jewels, or a silo full of grain. God’s treasure is love and the effects of our love. It is the souls in this life that you touch and change, the children you procreate and raise. The good deeds you do that bring joy and happiness to others. The prayers you offer in sacrifice for others, and the life you forfeit for the sake of god and his church.

At the end of your life, when you die, if you are in a state of loving friendship with God, then you will go to purgatory to be cleansed of your last attachment to sin. And when you finally get to heaven you will be given a crown that corresponds to the treasure in heaven that you have saved up in your mortal life. Martyrs, saints, and even you, all get crowns, and that crown reflects your closeness to God.

But it is important to point our here, that these different crowns are not a punishment or a reward, it is a gift that is requisite to how much your heart is disposed toward God. God is a burning flame of love. The closer you get to him the harder it is to be there if you have anything closing off your heart to him. Gods flame does not burn away matter and flesh, but it burns away sin. Purgatory is there to remove the last attachments to sin we have in our lives, because if we were to be in god’s presence in a state of sin, we would not be able to stand the pain.

But after the sin is burned away, the only thing left is your openness to the lord. Jesus and Mary were totally open to God and His will, and thus it makes sense that they are at His right hand. The rest of us are all at different states of openness to god and his will, and thus we will all find that we are all at different levels of closeness to the lord. But in the end our closeness to God in heaven is completely our own free choice, not something that is imposed on us from above. So choose well, don’t allow anything to come between you and His eternal love.

Contemplatio (Contemplating)

Take time to simply remain in the presence of God.

Resolutio (Resolving)

Make a resolution that will improve your life, your relationships, or your faith. Make it small and attainable, and do it.

Oh lord, help me to come closer to you, and your will for me in this world, so that I can be with you in heaven for eternity. I pray for this lord, it is the greatest desire of my life.