Time-Management

November 4: Tuesday of Week 31 of Ordinary Time, Year A-II:

Philippians 2:5-11; Psalm 22:26-27, 28-30, 30, 31-32; Luke 14:15-24

Click here for the complete text of today’s readings.

What is Jesus saying to us as stewards of his kingship?

(To support  Reaching Jesus: 5 Steps to a Fuller Life ... Step Five )

Time-Management

“Because of this, God greatly exalted him” (Philippians 2:9).

Jesus pinpoints three common excuses people make for not giving time to prayer, religious discussions, retreats, even Sunday Mass: possessions, work, and family obligations.

Modern affluence provides more pleasant pastimes than church does: “I have bought a… (TV, smart phone, ticket to a game) and want to use it.” Technology and business practices require constant updating: “We’re into a new computer system and I have to learn it.” Family life can be all-absorbing, “I have to take my kids to soccer practice three times a week. Family comes first.”

Family should come first. And “religion practice” should have first place in every family’s schedule—every day, not just on Sundays. For every kid who gets a scholarship to play sports, a thousand others learn from their parents that investing in “a perishable crown” (1Corinthians 9:25) takes priority over spiritual growth.

One of the most important skills of stewardship is time-management. Doing it well depends on clearly classifying responsibilities, relating each one to our ultimate goal of establishing God’s reign over everything we do.

For this we need to cultivate “the same attitude that was in Christ Jesus.” We can’t “regard equality with others—as the world defines equality—something to be grasped.” If we “become obedient” to the way Jesus reversed values on the cross, our “souls shall live and our descendants shall serve him.” That is enlightened stewardship.

PRACTICE: Re-examine your time-management, PRAYING: “Jesus Christ is Lord.”