Pastor's Spiritual Reflections

By Fr. Leo Schneider (8/12/2007)

Dear People of Holy Name,

When I was pursuing a graduate degree in Violin, my life was consumed with every aspect of the instrument. Even as a youth I’d go to bed and think about fingerings and exercises in my head as I fell asleep. If I wasn’t practicing I might be listening to recordings of music, immersing myself in the art of sound. In short I was single-minded in my pursuit of the violin.

Directing one’s focus and energy toward a goal isn’t unique to me. We all pursue our own interests with a passion. For some it is a hobby like hunting or antique collecting, for others it may be career centered, but we all know what it is like to truly seek something with our whole being.

I believe it is this whole-hearted kind of pursuit Jesus is speaking about in today’s gospel. The Lord wants us to pursue him whole-heartedly. He wants us to be willing to leave what seems most important to us, even family, to be his disciples. He also wants us to use all our gifts of mind and soul to put all things, including all our possessions, second in our desire to live in Him.

God is a jealous God and wants our full attention. For me his request comes as a challenge. I must ask myself if I am truly pursuing the Lord at least as much as I would pursue other things in my life. To answer honestly I’d have to say no. I know there are times I have other things on my mind and heart, that keep me from spending good time with him in a day. When that happens I know something is out of whack and that I am pursuing something that will not bring the kind of happiness my heart really longs for.

I must constantly remind myself to “come home” to the Lord, to take time to pray and just be with Him. Then my mind and energy are directed in the right direction as I go about my life. It can be a challenge for me or for any of us to do this, but if we believe God is the most important thing in our life, we will be willing to take up the discipline in our lives to make it so.

Let us pray to the Lord and ask God to help us make him the center of our lives. That our first thought may be of Christ when we awake, that our hearts may turn toward him during the day, and that at night we may place ourselves in his care, as we rest through the night to begin the blessing of another day.

May the Lord be first in our minds, hearts and souls!

In Christ's Peace, Fr. Leo