Today is August 3, the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
We read at today’s Mass, “Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry. Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator” (Col 3:5, 9-10).
St. Paul doesn’t mince words. Today’s reading from Colossians feels like a strong correction — and it is. But behind Paul’s rebuke is a call to something greater: the life of grace, the new self created in the image of God.
The truth is, we often chase after things that leave our souls parched. Earthly goods and passing pleasures promise satisfaction but ultimately disappoint. We’ve all experienced this. I’ll admit, even I got swept up in the excitement of summer clearance sales, hunting for the best deals during Prime Day. Before I knew it, I was spending way too much time thinking about undershirts and socks. It left me wondering: Why had something so trivial occupied so much of my heart?
Only God quenches eternally.
From God’s hidden spring
St. Augustine, whose feast we celebrate later this month, understood this longing better than anyone. In “Confessions,” he writes, “As to the souls which thirst after Thee … You water them from a secret and sweet spring, so that the earth may bring forth her fruit. And she brings forth her fruit at Your command … our soul blossoms with works of mercy according to their kind, loving our neighbor in the relief of his bodily necessities.”
When we thirst sincerely for God, he nourishes us inwardly — through grace, through the sacraments, through his abiding presence. And what does this spiritual nourishment yield? Works of mercy. From God’s hidden spring, our souls are watered and bear fruit: compassion, service and love for others.
So today, let us ask: What occupies my heart? What am I thirsting for? May we long for the things that endure. May we be renewed in the image of our creator.
Let us pray,
Draw near to your servants, O Lord, and answer their prayers with unceasing kindness, that, for those who glory in you as their Creator and guide, you may restore what you have created and keep safe what you have restored. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
