Give Yourself to God

Gospel Reflection for July 17, 2023

“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Mt. 10:37-39 NABRE)

Today’s Gospel highlights the importance of keeping God first in our lives. We must never allow anyone or anything to come before God. Yet, sometimes we forget this.

How often do we get distracted from the Lord for long periods of time?

Throughout the course of our daily lives, we are often pulled in many different directions. We are frequently tasked with a variety of different things to accomplish. Maybe we have deadlines at work, chores to do at home, or favors to fulfill for friends or family. In other words, our attention is often used up by the goings-on of life.

But whatever we might be preoccupied with, we must remember to keep God first. He must remain at the center of our lives. So, perhaps we should strive to no longer be distracted from the Lord by but BY the Lord.

May we always give our entire selves and hearts to God alone. Of course, we are called to love others, but we are called to love God, our Father and Creator, most of all.

If we do not keep God first in our lives, we will be in danger of slowly wandering away from Him over time. And eventually, we will realize that we’ve gone astray, and that we’ve essentially lost our lives. So, even when we become busy or distracted, may we remember to pray to the Lord and to foster our relationship with Him.

Rather than straying from the Lord, may we keep Him first and give ourselves to Him anew each and every single day.