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An
argument arose among the disciples about which of them was the
greatest. Jesus realized the intention of their hearts and took a
child and placed it by his side and said to them, "Whoever receives the
child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one
who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who
is the greatest."
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It is a fact that it is not easy for a
human being, wounded by sin,
to maintain moral balance. During the
final session of the movie “Radio,” Coach Harold Jones
realizes that above all,
he must have a moral balance in his life. He tells his critics
that he must keep his priorities straight, and then
proceeds to make a decision for his life based on that principle.
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According
to the
Scriptures, Jesus in his own way reminded his Apostles many times that
they
should have the proper priorities. A
couple of times, he used the example of a child to bring it
home. Basically, a child is helpless, and if
children want to have life, they must depend on someone else. It
is the highest priority they have. Jesus reminds his disciples that
they must understand
the priority of establishing his kingdom the same way. Like a child who
desires life, so must they
desire the kingdom. It is the
priority
of their lives.
Decisions on what is a priority in one’s life at a given time are essential for maturity. What one’s fundamental objective is at any moment will determine the action human beings choose. If gaining an education is the most important idea of high school and college, it will determine the rest of one’s activity at that time. If family is more important than making more money, it will dictate what should be done in the business world. If service is more important than who gets the credit, amazing things can be accomplished. Always stressing the most important ideas will have measurable conclusions in the way people live. The application for all of this lies in the answer to the question of what is really important in our lives. As with everything that we do, the answer should be governed by our Christian beliefs. It is relatively easy to determine what Jesus expected—it is contained in his words in the Gospels. Our problem is that too often we allow our human natures to choose the answer, and our human natures, wounded by sin, hardly ever dictate the moral balance and proper priority. |
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THOUGHT
What should be your
principal priorities right now?
PRAYER Good and gracious God, you want us to
establish the proper priorities in
our lives. Primary among them, of
course, is our ultimate goal of heaven. Help
us choose properly in this life, so that we never jeopardize the
gift of heaven. Be with us, we pray.
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©2007
Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America |
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