Changing perspective: God's priorities

	Word to Life  Sharon K. Perkins

My teenage son and I recently attended a traveling show featuring some of the country's best drum and bugle corps.

Since he is a drummer, he was quite inspired by the sights and sounds, so after the performance he and some fellow drummers gathered for the better part of the night to jam and share drumming tips.

When my bleary-eyed but invigorated son came home the next morning, he enthusiastically demonstrated a newly acquired method of practicing rudiments ("paradiddles," nine-stroke rolls and flams, to be exact), strokes that are absolutely essential to master but which are incredibly tedious to practice over and over.

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Sunday, Aug. 5, 2007) Ecclesiastes 1:2 and 2:21-23 Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9 Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11 Luke 12:13-21

The drum session spent with friends and the new method removed a lot of the tedium from the repetition and gave him a new perspective on the formerly dreaded practicing.

All of today's readings are about changing one's perspective from the "vanities" of earthly life - especially greed and its companions impurity and immorality - to a view that places God's priorities at one's center.

Jesus' rather sobering parable echoes Qoheleth's warning against the acquisitive practices of working to excess and amassing wealth for its own sake - habits that have become almost sacred in contemporary materialistic society.

The more one practices these culturally sanctioned habits, the more ingrained they become and the more difficult they are to "put to death" through Christian practices of gratitude, simplicity, and generosity.

	Reflection questions • What Christian practice have I found to be particularly burdensome lately? • How do today's readings and the support of my fellow believers encourage me to find a new perspective?

But St. Paul's letter maintains, equally firmly, that those who are in Christ have in fact died to their former selves and are being renewed in the image of their Creator. The psalmist prays for "wisdom of heart" that teaches the proper perspectives on time, work, and prosperity.

And through the support of Christian community we can encourage one another to persist in those life-giving and corrective practices that can be challenging, unattractive, and tedious, but which also can become the paths to joy and gladness.

This column is offered in cooperation with the North Texas Catholic of Fort Worth, Texas.

New direction in life: Having faith in God

	Word to Life  Dan Luby

The house is full of talk and laughter and the cheerful clink of glasses and cutlery on china.

The Lazy Susan turns, delivering cheese, salsa, grilled peppers, and sour cream, as fajitas are built and memories swapped and expectations shared.

Our son and three close friends, freshly minted college grads, have joined us for one last, fond supper before they head out to new places, new careers, and new adventures.

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Sunday, Aug. 12, 2007) Wisdom 18:6-9 Psalm 33:1, 12, 18-19, 20-22 Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19 Luke 12:32-48

As we question them about their plans, as they share the information tinged with anxiety and great excitement, I recognize the power of hope.

None of them really knows for sure what lies ahead. Will the classroom be a scene of triumph or boredom? Will flight school prove the fulfillment of a lifelong dream or just be scary? Will the Manhattan internship be an adventure or an ordeal? Will the volunteer service in Vermont turn out to be an idyllic time or just an idle time?

The real possibility of failure is not far from their imaginings, but, over and over, hope trumps fear. Partly from inexperience, but more out of a decision for trust, they all are launching themselves into new lives beyond the horizons of what they know for sure into what they hope will be bright and fulfilling futures.

	Reflection questions • What's one time when you moved beyond your familiar horizons and found God present in the midst of uncertainty? • Where might God be calling you to move in the future?

Sunday's second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews recalls how our ancestors in faith journeyed from the comfort and familiarity of their everyday worlds into the uncertainty and even danger of the unknown. They walked in faith, confident not so much in their own abilities but in the One who was calling them to move to the edge and beyond.

Following Jesus is risky business. If we are paying attention, we ought to recognize the dangers to which discipleship invites us. The good news is the fidelity and love of the One we follow.

This column is offered in cooperation with the North Texas Catholic of Fort Worth, Texas.