Every day we make hundreds of decisions about what deserves our time, attention, and energy. We juggle work schedules, family responsibilities, appointments, finances, household chores, children's activities, emails, text messages, and countless other demands. Most of us aren't trying to ignore God, we're simply trying to keep up with life.
In this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus says something that can sound unsettling at first: "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me." Some might hear those words and wonder if Jesus is asking us to love our families less. He isn't. Jesus is asking something much deeper. He is asking, "Who has first place in your heart?"
When Jesus is first, we actually become better husbands and wives because we learn to love with patience and forgiveness. We become better parents because we entrust our children to God rather than trying to control every part of their lives. We become better friends because we learn compassion instead of judgment. Even our work, our retirement, our successes, and our disappointments begin to take their proper place.
The truth is that something will always occupy the center of our lives. For some, it is work. For others, it may be financial security, success, worry, sports, politics, social media, or simply trying to keep everyone happy. None of these things are bad in themselves, but when they become our highest priority, they eventually leave us anxious, exhausted, or disappointed because they were never meant to carry the weight of our hearts. Only Christ can do that.
Jesus never asks us to choose between loving Him and loving those around us. Rather, He teaches that when He becomes the center of our lives, every other relationship is strengthened. His love changes the way we speak, forgive, serve, and sacrifice. It gives meaning to our work, peace in our worries, hope in our grief, and direction when life feels uncertain.
Perhaps that is why Jesus also says, "Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." The world tells us that happiness comes from holding tightly to everything we have. Jesus teaches the opposite. When we place our lives in His hands, we discover the peace and purpose we have been searching for all along.
As you prepare for Mass this weekend, I invite you to spend a few quiet moments with one simple question: Who, or what, has first place in my heart today?
The answer to that question has the power to change every other part of our lives. Because when Jesus is first, everything else begins to find its proper place.