GET OUR PRIORITIES STRAIGHT
It
is scary to think that one can be totally successful by the standards
of the world and yet fail to enter the Kingdom of God. The only way to
prevent this from happening is to ensure that in every decision we make,
we remember that we live in the world but we are not of the world. This
is most evident in how we pay attention to advertising. Is there an
advertisement that tells us to delay our earthly pleasures for the sake
of better ones in the Kingdom of God? In fact, we are more likely see
exactly the opposite: Get it while you can for it may not be here
tomorrow!
This “get it while you can” attitude is totally antithetical to the
values of the Kingdom of God, which are always forward-looking and have
eternal life as the motivation to guide us in the here and now. Jesus
reminds us that it is useless to gain the whole world (now) and lose
eternal life (future). We need to find the right balance between
pursuing the things of the world and looking forward to receiving the
promises of eternal life.
It is not easy to find this balance as the world can be very insistent
on its agenda. Advertising companies spend a lot of time and millions of
dollars to try and obscure this goal and keep you from lifting your
eyes from the
ways
of the world to those of heaven. This is why we need to be men and
women of prayer and Scriptures. It is Scriptures that will form our
hearts and minds in line with God’s standards and help us keep the
advertising world’s agenda at arm’s length and in its proper place. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL
REFLECTION
QUESTIONS: How does advertising affect you? Do you tend to slip into
the trap of focusing on worldly things rather than storing up for
yourself treasures in heaven?
Holy
Spirit, help me to embrace the life I am called to as a disciple of
Jesus. Help me to keep my eyes fixed on the things that really matter as
I go about my life in this world.
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