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TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B
Welcome everyone to the program IN THE BEGINNING. I am Fr. Linh.
Today we celebrate the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B.
Our Gospel passage is from Saint Mark, chapter eight, from verse twenty-seven to
thirty-five.
A pollster stopped a woman in the mall to survey her religious beliefs.
He said, “Ma’am, I’m taking a survey on religious beliefs in America.
Would you tell me what you believe about God?” The woman emphatically stated, “I believe
what my church believes!” He then asked, “What does your church believe?”
She firmly replied, “My church believes what I believe.”
He then took another angle and inquired, “What do you and your church believe about
God?” She assertively said, “My church and I believe
the same thing!”
This woman is not certain about what value she believes in!
Yet what would each one of us answer if asked the very same questions
of what is and what is not important to me; what is and what is not valuable and worthwhile
to me? For example, between Needs and Values, which
one is more important to me? Human behavior is driven by two forces: needs
and values. All of us have certain needs.
Some of these are physical needs: food, water, shelter, et cetera.
Some of our needs are emotional: love, acceptance, recognition, power.
We all have needs. Some of those needs are immediate and severe.
When we are without food or water, we will do almost anything
to satisfy our need for these fundamentals of life.
Unless we have these needs met we die. Most of our emotional needs are not that life-threatening,
but they can leave us dissatisfied. These needs, both physical and emotional,
are God-given. They are necessary for our survival.
Our values are a little different. Our values carry an element of choice.
We choose a set of standards by which we live our lives.
It can be about God, family, honesty, freedom, and many other standards.
Yet the mark of maturity of a person may be defined
as the ability to be values-driven rather than needs-driven.
The immature person is driven only by his or her needs.
How can I fulfill my physical needs – needs for food, shelter, et cetera?
How can I meet my emotional needs – needs for recognition, power, security, et
cetera? If you are a needs-driven person, then other
people are simply objects that you use to satisfy your needs – whatever
those needs are. You only start becoming mature
when you are able to overcome your needs to your values.
For instance, one of your needs may be acceptance by others.
Let’s suppose you are a teenager. One of the needs teens have is acceptance
by their peers. But suppose you are a young person
and the other young people you look to for acceptance
get into some antisocial behavior – say, shoplifting.
You may come under intense pressure to conform to the group and shoplift.
But one of your values is “Thou shalt not steal.”
So, do you listen to your needs or do you listen to your values?
Again, the mark of maturity of a person is the ability to have your values outweigh
your needs.
For the Christian, of course, the highest value is God.
Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33).
Spiritually, you have reached the highest level of maturity
when you are able to pray that God’s will will be done in life –
even if all your needs are not met in return. This was the prayer that Jesus prayed in the
garden of Gethsemane, “Not my will, but your will be done” (Matthew
26:42). This was the prayer that led him to the cross.
Jesus had needs just like you and I have. One of those needs was the ultimate need – the
need for self-preservation. That is a need all of us have.
Most of us will do just about anything to keep from dying.
Jesus had a value, though, that was higher than his need to survive.
That value was to do the will of God. And thus he followed God’s plan for his
life all the way to the cross.
Jesus demands his followers, “Whoever wishes to come after me
must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34).
What does he mean by telling us to deny ourselves? Self-denial is about stepping out from ourselves
and asking the question: Am I being driven by my needs or my values?
Ask God to help you make some commitments to your core values today.
Whatever your commitments may be, remember your highest value is to do the will
of God. “Lord! Help me to put you first in my life
by doing your will, not my will.”
Thank you for listening. Please subscribe to my video
and visit my website at FATHERLINH.com. May God bless you.