Sometimes, when we read scripture passages, it’s easy to get caught up in the solemnity of the language and the foreignness of the biblical era. Parables may not attract the viral status of twitter or TikTok feeds, yet, their messages are as current. Whether or not we know who the Ephesians were, or if we relate to a story of a wealthy farmer, today’s readings from Paul and Luke seem to harmonize in their advice to us: wake up and smell the coffee!

How are you living your days? Luke reminds us that, as much as we’d like to believe that our wealth can control our future, in reality we may leave this life at any moment. So, what matters? Paul gives us the answer in his letter to the Ephesians: follow the light! Try to live every moment to its fullest in goodness and love ^“for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.” 

  “Wake up” we’re told, “Don’t be stupid!” Don’t listen to lies (conspiracy theories, gossip); don’t take part in actions that encourage self-centredness. We can discern what (and who) is true when love is in the source and outcome of any action. A popular Hollywood star (Danny Trejo), at the age of 78, writes in his memoir that anything good that ever happened to him came from helping another person. Our Sunday readings never fail to point us in the direction of true success and happiness: living our lives for each other in goodness, truth, and light.