Evaluating our Priorities and Being Prudent

In Luke's Gospel we read, "For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than the children of light." This verse follows the parable of the dishonest steward who is about to be fired and so he works some deals with his master's debtors in attempt to make some friends for himself who can help him when he's standing in the unemployment line.

The children of the world are compared to the children of the light. This contrast between these two groups of people is perhaps Jesus challenging you and I to think about our strategy in life. What are our priorities? What are our goals? Like the steward, I think all of us make plans and take actions to ensure our future material well-being is in place for ourselves and our loved ones.

But we need to ask ourselves, what plans do we make and what actions do we take to ensure our eternal spiritual well-being for ourselves and our loved ones? Do we focus more on this world than the eternal one?

My generation has grown accustomed to having the good things in life and not having to be too concerned about worldly conditions impacting our lives. We've benefited from the sacrifices, hard work, and ingenuity of previous generations. But now the world we've grown accustomed to seems to be going away, making us stressed and anxious to varying degrees.

COVID has unleashed many ugly and diabolical impacts to our lives and those of our loved ones. However, God can always use evil for good which is the case with COVID, if you and I allow Him to work in our lives and if we correctly have our goals and priorities in place as children of light. I believe COVID is a wakeup call to all of us to evaluate our goals and priorities, and to determine if those are focused on worldly things or on spiritual things. COVID provides an opportunity, sometimes a forced one, to become detached to the things of this world. Perhaps God allows the evil of COVID to exist to help you and I and the rest of the world to wake up to what is really and eternally important. Let's learn how to use painful things like COVID to evaluate our priorities, because chances are very good there will be more and greater difficulties in the future. 

The Gospel passage describes the children of the world as being prudent. We, as children of the light, need to be prudent too! Let's capitalize on the current world situation, using it as motivation to take serious stock of our spiritual priorities, goals and plans and put things into action NOW, especially by receiving the Sacraments and making prayer a priority while we still can do so and while we are still in this world.  We need to be ready when we are called to leave this world to enter eternity. We do not know the day nor the hour.

May God bless you,
Deacon Bob