LIVING IN EXILE

XI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - 2 Corinthians 5:6-10

Looking back at his life, Paul expresses the desire of being exiled from the body, that is of dying, so that he may be with the Lord. However, he leaves that decision to the Lord, since he only cares about one thing: do all he can to please the Lord.

In my pastoral work, I remember an old lady who called me to give her the annointing of the sick, so that the Good Lord might remember her and take her to be with him.

Paul wrote:

We are always full of confidence when we remember that to live in the body means to be exiled from the Lord, going as we do by faith and not by sight – we are full of confidence, I say, and actually want to be exiled from the body and make our home with the Lord. Whether we are living in the body or exiled from it, we are intent on pleasing him. For all the truth about us will be brought out in the law court of Christ, and each of us will get what he deserves for the things he did in the body, good or bad.

As Christians, we must be always aware that, here on earth, we are in exile, longing for our permanent dwelling, a dwelling of rest and peace in the Lord. We cannot loose sight of our goal or destination, knowing that it relativises everythig else we do and everything that we see as worthy of consideration.

In the end, we will be judged by what we do: “each of us will get what he deserves for the things he did in the body, good or bad.” (2 Cor 5:10)