“The world is your ship, not your home.” ~ St. Therese of Lisieux
There are several items on my “highly desirable” list: taking a world cruise (post-COVID, that is), living at Disney for a few months each year, taking a cross-country train vacation, and visiting all the national parks to name a few. Yet, as much as I might dream about any of those or other things, I know that they are just worldly desires and that none of them can ever give me ultimate fulfillment.
As much as my physical self yearns for some of these “worldly treasures”, my soul yearns for the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom is most important. I try to remember that when I make major decisions. Sometimes I do a good job of remembering, sometimes I fail and succumb to something other than the Kingdom. That is a part of our human nature and is something that we are all challenged to monitor every moment of our lives.
Choosing is a difficult thing to do. I have often said that it would be so much easier if we didn’t have free will. If God would just move us from one thing to another until He plucks us from earth and deposits us in heaven, well, that would be magnificent, wouldn’t it? But God doesn’t work that way. God loves us too much to predetermine anything in our lives. God loves us so much that He gives us ultimate free will. He might not be pleased with some of our decisions; yet, He loves us unconditionally.
St. Therese gave us something to consider. We need to remember that the world is not our ultimate reality. It is not our forever home. It is merely the vessel upon which we sail while we move through this life to eternal life. If we keep that in mind, we might be better able to steer our course appropriately. Don’t live for this world. Live for the Lord.
FAITH ACTION: Ask the Lord for the grace to keep your eyes fixed on your ultimate goal: the Kingdom of God. If you have faltered, consider going to confession soon.