Our spending habits say a lot about our priorities. Most of us don’t think twice about spending money on a nice home, a nice car, vacations, purchasing clothing, or any of several financial priorities that our children demand with travel sports, outings, camps, and other extracurriculars. But we hesitate when it comes to offering financial support to the church. Most of us are familiar with the adage, “Give until it hurts” but I prefer a more uplifting version, “Give until it feels good,” for the Lord loves a cheerful giver.
Each of us has 168 hours a week. Most of us go to church at least once a week. How do we make the other 167 hours a week matter? If you struggle with attending Mass consistently, set a goal in mind and track it. I think we should always be working to get better. If you go most weeks, try committing to going every week. If you go at least 50%, try 75%. If you haven’t been in weeks, months or even years, commit to coming to one Mass this week. If you are struggling with praying on a regular basis, schedule prayer in your life. Start each day with the sign of the cross and thank God for the day ahead of time. End each day the same way. If you can’t remember to do that, schedule a specific time each day and set a reminder on your phone or in a calendar program, let technology help you prioritize. Volunteering is another great way to use time. Be aware of opportunities to volunteer (we are short people in many of our current ministries) and offer your assistance.
What does all of this have to do with our Connecting Point this week? Well, to commit to growing in our spiritual life we must be willing to prioritize it. The man from today’s Gospel walked away, he was not willing to do what the Lord asked of him. Are we going to respond the same way? Or can we work on prioritizing Mass, regular prayer, and volunteering, as well as offering financial support? By doing this we may lose a little time or money, but it will help us focus more clearly on our spiritual journey, and more clearly on the Lord’s presence here on Earth.
