Yesterday was supposed to be an ordinary Sunday when I woke up early to attend a nine am mass. I go to mass to try and know God better, to learn His word & have a better understanding of the divine. I wasn’t expecting to feel so convicted by the priest’s words. I was convicted by my abundantly blessed lifestyle and I am grateful his words showed me how well off I actually am.
How often do we feel deprived because we have a large mortgage to chip away at, we can “only” afford a reliable car but not a fancy high end car, we cannot eat out as often as we like, we have bills to pay for electricity, drinkable water, we have constant pity parties for ourselves because we cannot afford to buy designer threads or go South to escape the icy grips of a Canadian winter. What a hard knock life we live having to work numerous hours and put in over time and only be able to afford nice stuff but not the best of the best. Some may read what I just wrote and think “what the heck! I wish I could afford a car. I wish I could afford to eat out once a month, I wish I had a job which allows me to work full-time hours and et cetera”.
It is human nature to want more and to want better. However, we are so isolated from the majority of the world we cannot see beyond our own “hardships” which really are nothing in comparison to most.
Many live in deplorable conditions which are hygienically unsafe, without income coming in or enough money to make a difference to change their accommodations. When a health concern does arise many are unable to afford the medical aide they require or in many situations they do not have access to medical care or medicines and they are left to waste away and become another statistic of extreme poverty.
What I believe was the intention of yesterday’s mass was to give the message that we need to better understand our values. If our goals are to focus on wealth and attaining more then we we are seeking our purpose in material things, and we all know happiness does not come from “things”.
If all Christians were to live as we are truly called to live, we would be feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and helping the poor more. We would choose driving a reliable car over driving a fancy car so we could give more to others. We would not have to hesitate to think about the choices we make, we would buy ourselves enough food to meet our needs and then share with others to help meet their needs.
By no means am I living as I should be; I am not as generous as I should be, I still have worldly wants and I am not sure if I can be what I feel I am being called to be. Hence, me feeling so convicted by the priest’s words. I am far from being a saint, there are a lot of things I need to change about myself. I think the one thing we can all do is be grateful for what we have. Even if what we have is little, if you are living in a first world country and you are able to read my words then you are already ahead of the game.
The blessings we receive in life allow us to bless others. This is our highest purpose.
Peace and love – Rachel
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