What we do with our time, talent and treasure will define us…..So put your “shoulder to the plow”….And make it count

Today at Holy Mass in the second reading St Paul is attempting to instruct people to put “things” in prospective….”If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God”…….What is your highest priority?…..Before you speak and address that question because as we all know, words are easy to say…There is a very accurate test of our priorities……Look at a person’s check book - “Ouch”!……How we spend our money should tell us everything we need to know….We are told by Christ himself that the number one commandment is - Love God Above All Things…The second - Love Your Neighbor As Your Self…..So before we say that - God is our number one priority - What does your checkbook say?……Years ago I had an interesting conversation with my local doctor on one of my yearly visits…We were talking politics…He told me how his father would measure the worth of a politician…I will share with you what he said……”If a politician can’t tell me himself what the price of a gallon of milk is and how much money he gives out of his own pocket to charity - I will not vote for him”….An interesting measure indeed - But I believe it to be a good one……How about us? - What does our checkbook say about our priorities?

“Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry”

There is an old saying…”If you put God first, everything else will fall into place”…....This is so true - From how we choose our spouse……To the way we manage our household…..To the profession we choose…..To what we do with our time….I can go on and on….This is why making God our number one priority is the MOST important decision of our life because that decision will govern every other decision and if we choose to put God first - Our life will not only be ordered but we will thrive here on earth - That is a stone cold fact!……Have you ever thought to yourself - Why was I born here in America?…..Why did God give me good parents?…..Why was I given a solid education?…..Think about that for a minute because it’s very easy to lose sight of the fact that so many, even people around us were not given that....…Where would we be if those things were not given to us?……I have had a very unique life…I say that because I have traveled extensively, all over the world in fact…I have seen the beautiful places and also in my service to the Church, I have also seen the “not so beautiful places”….Over the course of my travels, it became abundantly clear to me just how blessed I am….Why bring this up?…..Do you think God gave me my many gifts to just keep them for myself?…..I want everyone to think long and hard about what I just wrote….Jesus is VERY CLEAR about what he expects from those who have been blessed…So much so, he “bakes” this idea into how we will be judged….And YES - We all will be judged by God……..I will hear (and so will you) something along these lines one day - “Joseph - What did you do with everything I gave you?”…..I cannot speak for you but this question drives me each and every day!…..To make my life worthy of the gifts given to me…..Because this is what I want to hear after I am judged by “the man up stairs”……‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy”…….How do we make God our number one priority?……It’s an important question, one that we all need to consider….Ultimately, we must realize that we were created out of love for a purpose much greater than ourselves…. The measure of our life does not end with the “stuff” we collect along the way in the is life - That is for the social media picture and the “game of make-believe” most people play sadly……The measure of our life will be how we impacted others…..The example we gave to our children…And yes - How we grow the Kingdom of God here on earth - Because that is the only Kingdom that will last…..The “rest of the stuff” all turns to dust and is forgotten in time

“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”

Today’s readings at Mass attempt to awaken us to the most important decision of a person’s life - Do I make God my number one priority?…..Everything “rides” on how we address that question!……After reading this reflection, you may think I am “way off”….If so, I want you to ask yourself this question….Have you ever met an 80 year old man who showed you a picture of his house?…….I can only speak for myself - I have not….Most men who are fortunate enough to live to 80 because I got news for you - Most do not!….But if you are fortunate enough to make it to 80, that crowd is always quick to show you pictures of their grandchildren with a huge smile on their face……That reality should “clue” us into how we should be living now….What we do with our time, talent and treasure will define us…..So put your “shoulder to the plow”….And make it count