Memorial of St. Benedict

Those things I used to consider gain I have now reappraised as loss in the light of Christ. I have come to rate all loss in the light of the surpassing knowledge of my Lord Jesus Christ. For his sake I have forfeited everything; I have accounted all else rubbish so that Christ may be my wealth. Phillipians 3:7-8

Meditation:

When we think about all that we have and accumulated through the years, to what purpose does it serve, other than to make us look good. We fill our homes with so much, our closets with more than we need. We use storage as if we are going to use what we store there. But in the long run, it sits there collecting dust. Today's reading may apply to us, when we consider the gain we have, think about the loss of Christ. We have clutter. Not just in material goods, but in spriritual as well. We are a people who claim to be smart about how to do many things, but the one area we are not, is in cleaning our inner houses. Does it bother anyone that they have lost Christ, with so much that we take in on a daily basis.

When we forfeit our desires, in whatever they may be, then we have the knowledge of having chosen Christ as our wealth, as today's reading implies. If you don't think so, then try going a few days without acknowledging your desires. The desire to get angry, the desire to swear, the desire to hate, these are just a few. Think upon what desires drive you, and go from there.