Dear Family, “What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?”
This quote is from our Gospel reading this weekend and it should be a quote that we reflect on often in our prayer life. How much time do we spend contemplating the fact that we will live forever? How much time to we spend contemplating the fact that we choose where we will spend eternal life through the way we live our life here on earth?
That is right; God lets us choose! Do we spend more of our time worrying about how much money we have or how big a house we have or what kind of car we drive than we spend working on our spiritual life and ensuring that we are living our life in a way that will be pleasing to God? When we seek power and riches in this life it can often become the sole focus of all our activities. This inevitably results in spending more and more time away from our families and our God. God asks us to make the choice of what is most important.
Of course He expects us to provide for ourselves and our families. But He also reminds us that He comes first! When we forget about our God and our eternal life with Him because we are too focused on the things of earth, we are risking the imperishable life of heaven for the perishable things of earth. And if we have been entrusted with a family, we set the example for them of what is truly important by the decisions we make. If we choose power and riches and sports and other activities over time spent with God, that will often end up being the priorities of our children as well. So we may not just be jeopardizing our own eternal life but also that of our children! As always, Jesus if giving us some things about which to pray!