sacrifice

Finding Your One True Priority in Life

Lately the word “priority” has been sticking with me. I learned that when it first entered English in the 1400s, it was singular—there was just one “priority,” the first and most important thing. Only in the 1900s did we start talking about “priorities,” as if we could have many “most important” things at the same time.
​
As a Catholic, that little language shift makes me pause. If everything is a priority, then nothing really is—and for me, it raises the question: who or what actually comes first in my life? In my faith, God is meant to be that one priority, the One everything else flows from and returns to.
​
Another word that has been on my heart is “consecrated,” which means something set apart, made holy, reserved for a special purpose. In Catholic theology, to be consecrated is to belong to God in a particular way, to be given over to Him in love. The ancient burnt offerings in the Old Testament were a symbol of this: something given completely, not partly, to God.
​
Christians believe that Jesus is the “Lamb of God,” offered not as a thing, but as a living person who gives Himself totally for us, for our forgiveness and healing. In Jesus, God is not distant or abstract; He draws close and offers His whole self so that we can live in friendship and union with Him. Even if you do not share that belief, there is something moving about the idea of a love that holds nothing back.
​
What encourages me is that God does not just give words, but also gives a language of actions, symbols, and even our everyday choices to communicate with us. The way we order our time, our energy, and our “one priority” becomes its own kind of prayer—a way of saying, “This is who I belong to, and this is what I’m living for.” That feels like good news in a scattered world: we are invited into a simpler, deeper center.
​
A Scripture that captures this for me is Romans 12:1: “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” It speaks of life, not destruction: offering our ordinary selves—work, family, struggles, hopes—as something set apart for good, for love, for God. Whether or not you share my faith, it is an invitation to ask: what is my one true priority, and what am I willing to give myself to, wholeheartedly, in love?

As we close this reflection, please join me in prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ,
You are the one true priority and the Lamb of God, consecrated and given for our salvation.​
Teach us to set our hearts on You above all things.
Gather our scattered desires into a single yes to Your will.
Consecrate our minds, our work, our relationships, and our rest,
so that all we are and all we do may be set apart for Your glory.​
By Your Holy Spirit, make our lives a living sacrifice,
holy and pleasing to the Father, our true and spiritual worship.​
Mary, Mother of God, and all the saints,
pray for us as we learn to live with one heart and one priority in Christ.​
Amen.

The Symbolism of Two Turtle Doves in Christmas

We all may remember that line from the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” citing two turtle doves. Incidentally, this was Joseph and Mary’s offering in the temple where they took Jesus, given the Laws of Moses from Leviticus. These small animals actually pack a great deal of theology and meaning- from the humble, socio-economic status of the Holy Family, their obedience as Jews, all way pointing to the establishment of their son Jesus and His role in salvation history.

Check out this deep dive broadcast sharing some of the insights in this mystery from the Rosary. Take ten, relax, and enjoy the listen. In it is a message of hope and symbolism- of holy prophesy fulfilled, and the beginnings of Jesus’s life on earth.

The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple

Where Will You Be?

Eternity
How Will You Spend It?

Today’s reflection isn’t on designer perfume, but on the concept of “Eternity”. I just found that the ad campaign for this Calvin Klein product seemed fancy and eye-catching enough for the discussion.Ironically, this symbol of “high fashion” is an example of the material comforts that do not last the test of time and in fact, are a part of what we leave behind when we die.

As believers in Christ, we are reminded that life on earth is a mere temporary stop on our journey. Life here is intended only as a testing ground for what lies ahead: an eternal feast in the true presence of the Lord our God.

John 14:1-3
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

There is a place for us that is prepared and not one of us spends a day more than God intends us to have on this earth.

Many of us grieve when we have lost a loved one also often ask the question “why“? Author Max Lucado said it best when he writes: “You and I both know I can’t answer that question. Only God knows the reasons behind his actions. But here is a key truth on which we can stand. Our God is a good God.” (Traveling Light, Max Lucado). As inspired in the Book of Psalms: “You are good, Lord. The Lord is good and right.” (Psalms 25:7-8) God’s plan may not be revealed completely to us, but the motivations are pure and loving; it truly is “for the good” that these things happen.

But how could death be good? Isaiah writes: “Good people are taken away, but no one understands. Those who do right are being taken away from evil and are given peace. Those who live as God wants find rest in death.” Death is God’s way of taking people away from evil.What is this evil that the Bible speaks of? It could be a number of things, but mostly they are the things that turn us away from God or the things that harm us or cause unnecessary suffering in ourselves and in others.

That’s where eternity comes into the picture. What length of time is our life here on earth compared to eternity? It’s almost nothing… “In God’s plan every life is long enough and every death is timely.” (Lucado) We all have our season of life and our time, though highly unpredictable is completely intentional and planned by the Lord.

Psalm 23:6
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

These “days” are the eternity that believers long for – for those of us left behind to live, we should take comfort in the loss knowing that the sacrifice of Christ has ensured the continuation of the journey for the dead in the life of the world to come.