Our priorities are important. They reflect our character and what we feel is worthy of our time and attention. They are an accurate gauge of our heart. They tell the story of what we truly care about. If our priorities are a reflection of who we are, then we must ask if those in our lives know what is important to us. Can others tell our priorities by the way we live and speak? Is it obvious who we really are? This line of thought leads us to the crucial question, “Does God know what our priorities are ? ”
Today’s Readings provide us with clear insight to why we must stop and analyze our lives in regard to how we chose to live. The important book of Haggai clearly lays out how God views our choices. The Israelites had been in exile in Babylon. God’s temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed. King Cyrus of Persia had issued a decree allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem specifically to rebuild the temple. That amazing decree was obviously a gift from God.
However, the people returning to Jerusalem began by rebuilding their own homes. They must have thought that their personal comfort was more important than God’s house. They likely let the world influence their decisions. But God saw their hearts and called upon the prophet Haggai to set them straight. He challenged them to “Consider your ways”. He reminded them that there was a reason that their crops were not producing, that their appetites were not being satisfied, that their lives were simply not fulfilling. Their priorities were messed up. They needed to make it clear to God, as well as to everyone else, that God is the most important focus of their lives. They needed to elevate the rebuilding of God’s Temple as their top priority. They needed to place God as the most important focus of their life.
Both today’s Responsorial Psalm and today’s Alleluia clearly point out how much the Lord takes delight in His people. Considering all of God’s blessings each and every day, how could we not constantly praise Him?
As I consider what I put first in my life, I shutter at how God views me. Of course the world is OK with my choices What I do, think, and say, every single day, is often precisely what the world expects. But that is simply NOT ACCEPTABE. As today’s Gospel in John reminds us, the world will never understand how crucial it is to put Jesus first in our life each and every day. The resulting peace and joy of the Lord is simply incredible ! ! Only with the Lord as our top priority, can we indeed be effectively used by Him. Our life can truly point to Jesus. His powerful light can indeed shine through our lives. We can become the person that God created us to be.
Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you in humility. I have not consistently put you first and foremost in my life. I want to be the man you created me to be. I truly want your light to shine through all of my thoughts, my words, and my actions. Please forgive me when I have allowed the world to influence me. Help me to faithfully keep my constant focus upon you and you alone. In the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen
Larry Hopp
As I enter my second retirement, I can only express my deep appreciation to God for the opportunity to touch the lives of the amazing students here at Creighton. After 40 years as a civil engineer in the construction industry, I felt that I had completed my life’s work. God, however had a different plan – a MUCH BETTER plan. He opened a door to Creighton University and its Energy Technology Program which I would never have imagined. An opportunity to teach and lead a program that has proven to be some of the most rewarding and satisfying work of my life.
That process has only further refined my total trust & faith in following God and seeking Jesus with all my heart. His plans are always so much better than anything I could have ever imagined.
But of course work could never be the top priority of my life. Over the years, I have been engaged with a truly amazing church with an un-apologetic commitment to Jesus that has changed my life and future forever. My wife Linda and I have four children, 4 grandchildren and 5 foster “grandchildren” that have all been such a daily blessing in so many ways.
I am looking forward to see what God has in mind for this next stage of my life.
It is not surprising that God provides these reflection opportunities with the precise readings that I need to hear at that specific time. Spending time in prayer as I write & rewrite each Daily Reflection opportunity is truly a blessing. My prayer is that God can use these thoughts to bless you as well.
