Tuesday, we focused on the trap of obsessing with our own rights at the expense of Christian charity, using Venerable Bishop Sheen’s reflection on Matthew 17:25 and on St. Paul’s message in First Corinthians.  Wednesday, we focused on the trap of nearsighted obsession with current affairs when we lose sight of our true citizenship in heaven. We concluded with this quote from Romans: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rm 12:2)  Today, we pick up the discussion here, with the challenge of an honest self-assessment: are our minds are conformed to this world and thinking like the pagans, or are we transformed to Christ?

Consider this passage from Mathew’s gospel:

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on….which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown in the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Mt 6: 25-34

Do we FIRST seek the kingdom of God? 
Do we spend more time reading scripture, or reading Twitter, Parler, Redditt and/or whatever our favorite source of the latest gossip, speculation, scandal, and news?

Do we FIRST seek His righteousness?
Do we spend more time and energy seeking to cultivate virtue and the habits and disciplines that more perfectly unite us with Christ or on our career and “getting ahead?”  Do we spend more time praying and fasting or watching YouTube videos and cable news?

Are we anxious about our life, what we are to wear, and what we are to eat?

Do we spend more time and energy studying the Catechism, lives of the saints, and teaching of the Magisterium or on our savings and investments, retirement plan, college savings, and family budget? Do we thank God and rest peacefully in trust of His providence, and give generously, without counting the cost, tithing and giving alms to the poor; or do we fret and worry about markets, interest rates, and college tuition inflation and worry whether we’ll have enough to fulfill our comforts and desires?

Are we anxious about tomorrow? 
When we see the events of our world unfolding, do we think to ourselves “if they do this, then they’ll next do that? And if they do THAT, then….”  Are we dejected, demoralized, and despairing over a political election, as if the whole fate of humanity rides on this one outcome?  Or, are we at peace, trusting in God’s providence and knowing that His hand ultimately steers the ship of human history and that the end of the story is already written?    

These are not rhetorical questions. 

Do we know more about the stats and career of our favorite sports figures than we do about the lives of the saints and events of Church history?  Do we know more about the policy positions, voting records and latest poling figures of elected officials than we do about the Catechism? Do we know more about the gossip and speculation of current affairs in the Church and world than we do about scripture? 

Perhaps we are a bit more conformed to the world than we are comfortable admitting.

Perhaps we “seek the things the pagans seek” a bit more than we might be aware.

We are what we eat. This is equally true for mind, body, and soul.  Consuming content, information, entertainment forms our worldview and our conscience.  The average American spends 5.4 hours per day on their phone, 2.5 hours on Facebook, 40 minutes on YouTube, 30 minutes on SnapChat, and 30 minutes on Instagram. 

Are we willing to be honest about this, confront it, make changes and truly seek the kingdom of God FIRST and seek His righteousness?

Let’s return to the reflection from yesterday and recall those harsh and horrifying words:  “Get behind me Satan…For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” (Mt 16: 22-23)

 Are we united with Christ in mission, or are we against Him?  Are we conformed to the world or to the mind of Christ? 

 Jesus Christ, Himself, spent 40 days in the desert preparing Himself for public ministry. St. Benedict spent 3 years in a cave before he (reluctantly) became Abbott of his first monastery.

Lent is coming.  Let’s use it to consciously let go of those habits that are conforming us to the world and invest that time and energy into being transformed by the renewal of our minds.  We cannot give what we do not have.  We cannot be light to the world if we are living in darkness.

Let’s challenge ourselves and support one another in a common commitment to purify ourselves, transform our minds, grow in virtue to serve Christ’s mission.  

Brotherhood, virtue, mission.  This is the Legion of Valor.  More on that tomorrow.  

Onward,
The Legion of Valor Leadership Team