May 27, 2020
They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. (John 17:11-19)
In today’s Gospel, John distinguishes between being in this world and of this world.
We were placed on this earth. Like it or not, we are in this world. We hold out hope for eternal life in heaven; but for now, we are in this world.
Modern society invites us to be of this world as well: to embrace its immorality, to partake in its greed and self-centeredness, to condone its disregard for the dignity of human life, and to reject God and Church.
But we have a choice; we have been given the gift of free will. We can make the decision to hold on to our values, to live our faith, and to answer the call to love God and others.
We can make the decision to be in this world, but not of this world.