Past issue

"The best part of you is who you are inside." --- unknown

When my family was young and we went on trips, we'd pack a lunch and stop at a Rest Area. After we were done, we would leave the area as good as we found it and sometimes even better. Somehow I think this connects with this week's gospel.

As we live our lives, our priorities should be such that we leave this world a little better than it was when we entered it. What is important to God is who we are inside, not how much "stuff" we have. We are to listen to God's word and act on it, to try to make our world a better place. And maybe all we can do is start with our own "world" -- ourselves, our families, our church, our workplaces.

The movie, "Pay It Forward" had a great message. Sometimes we cannot repay a good deed, but we can do something for someone else. Your support of our Social Concerns Ministry is a sign that you take Jesus' words seriously. We are at a time in our culture when we are bombarded with the latest "thing" that is going to make use happy, or more beautiful, or more popular or more successful. We need to be aware of it and come to know the difference between our wants and our needs.

One of the commentaries suggests that we make a list of what is important to us. Then go over the list and cross off those that will have made no difference in the world after we die. Then concentrate on the items that are left.