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Before I Forget…
· You shall indeed find the Lord when you search after him with your whole heart and your whole soul. ~Deuteronomy 4:29
· Oh, that today I might find him, that I might even come before his presence. ~Job 23:3
· "Take time to sharpen your axe."
~Stephen Covey in Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
Three men in their 50's -Bob, Ben, and Bill- were discussing the possibility of sudden death.
"What would you do if you knew you only had four weeks of life left to live?" Bob asked.
Ben said that he would quit his job and spend those four weeks fishing.
Bill said that he would spend as much time as possible with his children and let them know how much he loved them.
Bob thought for a few minutes and said," I'll tell you what I would do. For those four weeks, I'd travel around the United States with my wife and mother-in-law in a tiny compact car, and stay in a cheap hotel every night."
Ben and Bill were puzzled by Bob's answer. "Why would you do that?" they asked.
"Because", Bob smiled sarcastically, "it would be the longest four weeks of my life!"
Maybe the question that we should ask ourselves is not what we'd do with the last month of our lives, but, how are we living our lives day after day, year after year? What road of life are you traveling? There are only two roads in this life. One road leads to God, and the other road leads away from God. Does that sound too simple to you? Jesus tells us that we're either with him or against him. All of us have to make choices and decisions as we live each day. We can choose to be selfish or we can choose to be selfless. Think of your own parents while you were growing up, how selfless they were, always doing what they could for you. Not a day goes by that I don't think about all the sacrifices that my parents made for their children. And, here at St. John's, there are so many good people who make quiet sacrifices for the good of the parish community. The two roads of life are selflessness and selfishness.
How do we learn the "art of selflessness"? How do we teach this art to our young? It's quite simple, really. We imitate Christ who always took time for prayer. Jesus took time to recharge his batteries. Do you think that you're too busy to pray? Stephen Covey uses the metaphor of the axe. "Take time to sharpen your axe before you begin cutting." Begin each day with prayer and we are better prepared for all the surprises or problems that come our way. Just as we take care of our bodies (watching what we eat and drink, and by exercise), our minds (reading, study, on-going education), our emotions (dealing with our fears, feelings), so we must nurture our soul, our spirit, through prayer. Our faith keeps us going through the mysteries of life because we have a relationship with God. Any healthy relationship demands time, communication and listening. Prayer helps us to think and act in the right way.
As parishioners, let's pray for one another.
Fr. Bill
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