Remember man, “To dust you shall return.” Yesterday, our Mother the Church reminded us of the role of material assets, not as ends in themselves, but as steps towards our personal accomplishment as human beings, as steps towards the great happiness forever that we all desire.

But also, we were told, “You are dust,” pointing out to us clearly the way towards that happiness: by being dust, by being what we are.

This is humility. Recognizing what we are and the consequences that should affect our responses.

Christ's call requires a continuing response on our part, an ever-greater penetration into God's will for us, and a deeper understanding of the greatness and the responsibilities of our Christian vocation.

There is no room in our lives for routine. We can't let our eagerness to follow Christ lose its first freshness. We can't allow monotony to creep into our divine adventure. If that were to happen, it would be a sign that we had started dawdling along the way.

Every day is a call to us to renew our love for our Christian vocation, to refresh our desires to live it to the full. Our fidelity is a continuous offering: a continuous act of love and generosity and magnanimity, which is not just the result of inertia. What gave rise to your early love, also has to maintain it now.