Men's Rosary

It seems to me that our culture is rife with too much stuff. Think about it….we have scores of self storage facilities where people can pay to pack stuff in a locker. Most of this is stuff they will not ever use or look at. But they have it!

Is this some sort of security? Why do we have so much stuff? Some things are sentimental or important but most of what we store is nothing we need and maybe something someone else could use.

Then there is all the things we think we have to have. Cars, boats, tools, books, money, stature, etc. But can’t we have too much of this? This is stuff as well!

We have to work to support ourselves and our families. As lay persons this takes us into secularity. So it is important to keep our faith and spirituality central to what we do. But outside of work all the extra stuff usually takes us away from God and focused on ourselves and the things WE have.

Things we have are good. They are all gift from God. As such we should enjoy them but also use them for the good of others. What I see is a slippery slope of falling into materialism and distraction from what is most important….our relationship with God.

We need to store up good things in heaven and beware of storing up stuff in our basements, garages, sheds or storage facilities. The things of heaven give us purpose and lightness of heart. The stuff of this world weighs us down and causes stress and disorder. I pray we all have order in our life and are always oriented to things of heaven. This world is temporary. The stuff doesn’t matter. What happens after we die is permanent. We will not get a “do over”.

We have free will so ultimately the choice is ours. I can only speak for myself, but it is too easy to let stuff get a grip on our time and attention and I believe this is one of the biggest dangers to our spirituality and sanctity of our souls. It is worth having an honest conversation with ourselves about this.

May Christ’s peace be with you!