In this week’s Gospel passage, we are challenged to take a look at our priorities. Specifically, we are asked about where God falls in our line-up of priorities. Hmmm…that could be a mind blowing experience for each of us…if we are honest in our assessment. Is God at the top of your list…or near the top…or far down your list…or is it the case that He didn’t even make your list? In essence, we are asked to consider WHO or WHAT is in the driver’s seat when it comes to our life. In the first part of today’s Gospel, Jesus emphasizes the impossibility of serving two opposing masters, namely God and riches. In our hearts, we know that our ultimate goal and master should be the Lord and not material possessions. It’s true…material possessions can help us reach our ultimate goal (God), BUT…only when we share them. So, Jesus calls us to a detachment from material goods and a life of simplicity and dependence on God. Then Jesus pushes us, His disciples, to avoid unnecessary worries. Worry is a superfluous attitude of those who really don’t believe in a loving and providing God. Isn’t it true that other creatures, like birds, work hard for their daily food, but they don’t worry about tomorrows. Worry is basically useless…we can’t change the ways things are going to happen just by worrying about it. Worrying is tough on the heart! Worry can affect our health, causing us physical and mental problems and illnesses. Poor people worry that they have no money and rich people worry that they don’t have enough money. Sick people worry about their premature death, and healthy people worry about getting sick. Some people worry about their past blunders, and others worry about their future. Everyone one, it seems, worries about something all the time. The tragedy of most of our lives is that we worry so much about tomorrow that we never claim the gifts God has for our living TODAY. So, in this Gospel passage, Jesus gives us some reasons why we should not worry. Worry can take all the joy from life and wears out our mind and body. Doctors agree that emotional stress can bring actual changes in the organs, glands, and tissues of the body. It’s not so much "what I’m eating" as "what’s eating me" that gets us down! Several years ago a country gospel singer named Christy Lane scored an international hit with a record titled "One Day At A Time." “One day at a time--this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful it will be worth remembering.” Its popularity probably had little to do with the tune, which was ordinary at best. Nor could you explain its appeal by referring to Ms. Lane's voice. She has a nice voice, but were it the reason for the success of her song then each of her recordings would have gone gold. The bottom line is this: It was the words of the song that appealed to millions the world around, the words which deep down we all know are true and wish we had the faith to live up to. The best we can reasonably do in this world is to live one day at a time and leave the rest up to God. Too often, too many of us become trapped in the past or seduced by the future, to the point that we miss out on the present -- which is actually all any of us ever have. GOSPEL QUESTION FOR THE WEEK: Does worry eat up too much of your life? Trust in God’s love for you!