Seek God First

From the Catholic Liturgy for the 8^th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Last Sunday before Lent), Feb. 26, 2017. Matthew 6:24-34. Seek First the Kingdom of God. Today’s liturgy places before us an awesome truth about God that I know we all believe intellectually, but that I think we all find very hard to believe and put into practice experientially: that our God is a loving personal God who not only knows all that we need, but who will see to it that we are provided for with these necessary things in everyday life. Our God is not some impersonal energy or force in the universe nor is our God some kind of manipulator of fate or karma, utterly disinterested in us as persons with lives to live to the fullest. Now if we truly believe that the Scriptures we have heard are God’s very Word to us, and if we really believe that Jesus is God-in-the-flesh who made this promise of Fatherly care to us…then why in the world do we not live as we believe?

I think that Jesus gives us the reason right at the start of today’s Gospel where he says: “You cannot serve two masters…you cannot serve both God and money.” Now we need to recall that in the language of his times the word Jesus used for “money” meant any material possessions, anything that has value and so provides us with insurance and protection. So what Jesus is really saying here, if we put it in our modern day terms is this: “You have to make a choice as to who will be the first in your heart and life. Only one can hold this position, the other must take a lower place. It is either going to be God or it is going to be you with all your possessions as security. What I tell you is this: seek God first and make serving him your priority. In return he will provide for all you need.”

This coming Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, and what better time for us to honestly evaluate what place God has in our hearts, in our lives as Jesus asks of us today. An important purpose of Lent is for us to re-orient ourselves to the Gospel and examine our faith relationship with God. Is he Master of my life? Do I trust him enough to allow him to have first place? If not who or what does have this place? How can I best spend the coming 40 days of Lent with this one goal in mind: To seek God first and to live in his Kingdom of righteousness?

NOTE: I forgot to hit "stop' after homily so Creed/Intercessions are recorded. Homily is first 8 minutes of recording only.