Priorities

3 October 2006: St. Francis of Assisi
Luke 9, 57-62: Priorities

A speaker in one of our leadership seminars for high school said: “There are two things that are difficult for people to do: to think and to accomplish things in the order of importance.” The Gospel today precisely talks about levels of importance and the value of prioritizing. For Jesus, he does not accept lukewarm decision. Think of what is most important for you, and then the rest follows after it. If you decide to follow Jesus, then it becomes top priority, more important than anything else. This is easier said than done.

The present age presents to us several options: a 60-channel cable TV, a variety of entertainment, a range of interest, an assortment of lifestyle preferences. Sometimes the choices are not in order of importance, but how much one can put on one’s plate. The movement is from a one-priority affair to multi-tasking. Priorities are easy when you have a few choices. It becomes more difficult if you have a variety. To make a good choice, one needs to think well. For St. Francis of Assisi, when he made a choice to follow Jesus, he did everything to make Him his primary priority. When he saw that he has to leave his family for the sake of Christ, he gave everything he owned and followed his heart. He kept his focus on Christ and his decisions are determined by what leads towards Him. His main concern is clear.

So we ask a question, “Is your priority straight?”

The UAAP game of Ateneo vs La Salle was filled to the rafters. An Atenean couple who came home from the US wanted to see the game badly, so they bought tickets ahead of time. People were clamoring to get into the Araneta Colliseum in Cubao to watch the game first hand. The long-awaited day came and they were at the line ahead of many spectators. To the husbands’ amazement, the entire venue was filled except four seats next to them. They commented to a kid seated next to them why someone would not come. The kid answered them that he knew who would seat there.

“The seats are supposed to be for my classmate’s dad and his friends, but his dad is in the hospital,” the kid said.

“I’m sorry. But maybe his friends could have watched.”

The kid answered, “No, all of his Ateneo friends are with his mom right now.”

When push comes to shove, the most important takes first place. It is said about student life: the greatest test of one's love for Jesus comes at the last 2 minutes of an exam.

No comments: