Priorities Determine Our Goal.
When you wake up in the morning do you say “Good God, morning!” or “Good Morning, God.” Whether you choose the first or second expression the fact is that you are exposing your priority. In the first you want to keep on sleeping and let the world pass you by; while in the second you want to praise God for another day to achieve His Glory and the salvation of our souls. Life is a test of our priorities. We are the only beings that can choose the goal we wish to achieve so let us take a few moments to consider priorities in our life.
Each of us can set priorities in our physical life, intellectual life and the spiritual life. If the physical life dominates then the sensual becomes the priority that dominates not only what we do but also the way in which we think. If I want to be the greatest bowler that ever lived then I will set my mind upon daily practice and scheduling tournaments. Sunday comes and that is the time to play, to compete and bowling encompasses my every thought and action. Certainly a man can live on the sensual level and most in our society do this in one way or another. Check out any Sunday and where are the masses of mankind if not in a sporting event of one sort or another. Do they worry about developing their intellectual life or their eternal life. No way! Don’t even think to question their priorities. Their game is their life.
Then there is the intellectual lot of men who develop the mind while they neglect their souls. These are the souls that become interested in one aspect of science or another. If they are focused on monkeys then the mind wants to know all there is about this creature. If they are concerned with the planets and stars then they can’t get enough time to consider all there is concerning the universe surrounding us. Again their priority centers on the intellect which can absorb one in the knowledge of the world around us but forget the world beyond and within us.
Finally, there is the priority that seeks first the kingdom of God and His Justice while everything else will be placed in a secondary position. This soul considers the essential question of “Why did God create me?” The answer puts all life in order. I was created to use my intellect to know God through His Creations and His Revelation in Jesus, my Lord. I was created that through this knowledge I might come to love the God Who has revealed Himself to me. Finally I was given this life to serve my God and my neighbor. After this is accomplished then I will lay my soul down in death and rise refreshed in the kingdom of God.
Now the ball is in your court: What is your priority? On what level do you find yourself living? Will you achieve the end that God has in mind for you? Best suggestion that I can give is that we follow in the footstep of Our Lady and the saints. Everything else is like the grass, here today and gone tomorrow. Only that which is of God will remain, so it is important for each of us to evaluate our priorities and change for our eternal good.
In the hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
Fr. Richard Voigt
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