“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ,
set your hearts on things above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Set your minds on things above,
not on earthly things.”
(Colossians 3:1-2)
Reflection:
It is so easy to allow the things of the world to take first place in our lives instead of God. We can find ourselves getting on with the everyday business of life, whilst God finds Himself in the odd corners until something goes wrong and He is really needed. And yet this is how things went wrong in the first place!
The Great Commandment to love God with all our hearts, minds, souls and strength clearly states the need to place Him very firmly at the centre of our lives. Jesus teaching that we should ‘seek first His kingdom and His righteousness’ underlines it, as does the great prayer that He gave us,
“This, then, is how you should pray: “`Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10)
The answer to this prayer begins when, in our own lives, God’s name is sacred, His authority is unquestioned and His desire carried out exactly as it is in heaven. This is how we honour Him.
We need to look at the reality of our lives in relation to God and get our focus where it should be. It takes prayer, effort and openness to the Holy Spirit as He guides and empowers us. The starting point is to acknowledge to ourselves that God has to come first, and that His word in Scripture has the directions that we need. St. Francis de Sales put it this way,
“What a sad thing it is to see that most people never even bother to think about the reason for their existence, but live as if they believe themselves created only to build houses, plant trees, cultivate the garden, pile up wealth, or do frivolous things. Consider your own past life. Say, “Lord, what was I thinking of when I was not thinking of you? Whom did I love when I was not loving you?”
Response:
Let the Gospels continue to inform you about your life – and the Letters build upon it.
Prayer:
Father, please help me to set my heart and mind on things above, and to trust You to help me with the things on earth, for Jesus sake. Amen.
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The Soaring Eagle 