Number One

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071425.cfm

We really do have an issue with prioritizing. I saw this often in youth sports. Kids would sign up and commit to playing and you would have a full roster, and then, all of a sudden, you would not have enough. Other activities crept in. Understandable. Many were family obligations, etc. As a coach, though, I had to make the team number 1, or the season couldn’t happen. We see it with parties and get togethers, everyone trying to do all of them when it is just not possible, avoiding priority because they do not want to offend. Again, understandable.

But priority is a real thing. We choose one thing over another every day. We place greater emphasis, greater importance, greater preponderance of time on one thing, or even person over the other. We just don’t want to admit right out most often. We often say ‘I already had a commitment’ when the truth is ‘I chose Bob’s party because I think I’m closer to him’. We often hold off on committing to one thing or anther because we fear that something better might come along. There’s even an acronym for it: FOMO (fear of missing out). We all do it to some degree.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is trying to make clear to His disciples that they have no need to have FOMO. What He is offering is THE VERY BEST, no doubt, no ifs, ands or buts. When someone offers you an expense paid trip to Hawaii for two weeks, you are probably not thinking ‘I better hold off in case another opportunity comes up’. When someone offers you eternal life in heavenly bliss, you just choose it, right? Right? Right? The sad thing is we often don’t.

Instead of completely following Jesus’ word, we are concerned about the many other ‘priorities’ in our life. Our jobs, our families, our friends, our kid’s soccer or baseball game, our favorite show on Netflix, our phones, etc., etc., etc. We can easily spend more time on each of these things each week than we spend with and for the Lord. I know this because I have had nearly a hundred couples complete a ‘time inventory’ of their weeks where they list the top ten things they dedicate their time to each week. Jesus, prayer, Bible study, etc. rarely crack this top ten.

This probably puts us right in the same place as the apostles that Jesus is addressing in today’s Gospel. He uses a bit of hyperbole to get their attention, images of contention between one and the other. But priority is always about contention, choosing one over the other, and Jesus is telling us very clearly: God is first, PERIOD. If you are serious about being a follower, a disciple, then you must take this challenge to heart. Order your Sunday around Mass. Let prayer be the first words out of your mouth each day, and maybe even the last thing at night. Dedicate time. Intentionally choose the things of God over one other thing this week. When you are with the Lord, you cannot be missing out, because He has the very best thing in store for you. After all, there really can only be one number one – what’s yours?