What are you working for?

Readings for Monday April 19, 2010

First Reading: Acts 6:8-15
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 119
Gospel: John 6:22-29

When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. And when they found him across the sea they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered them and said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.” (Jn 6:24-28)

Since the age of 16, I have been working. When I first started working, it was to pay for my truck and auto insurance. When I got to college, I worked to pay for things like books, rent, etc. Now, I work to help provide for my family and give God glory. Work is pretty much an essential thing for each of us, no matter what our job or title is, we are all called to do some sort of work in this life. Besides finding out what exactly that work is, we should also ask ourselves what are we working for? Are we working to get material things, or are we answering God's calling for our lives and working for His glory?

We should also be thinking about this question not just in our careers, but in every aspect of our life. What are we working for? In today's gospel, Jesus says that we should "not work for food that perishes but for food that endures for eternal life, which the son of Man will give you." Jesus tells this to the people because He wants them to know that in this life we should be striving for one thing above all others, and that is to make it to Heaven. Nothing else is more important, and the only way that we are going to be able to reach Heaven is by following Christ. He is the way, the truth, and the light; it is only by Him that we can be the people that we are called to be and to have eternal life.

While there are certainly a lot of nice things that we can have in this life, we should not be working for these perishable things. Our main goal in life should be working to get to Heaven.

Father above, we thank you and praise you for the gift of this day. Lord, you are so loving and merciful to us; help us to never veer from your path. Lord, we want to be with you in heaven someday, help us to persevere in this life and to ignore the distractions, and to only follow you. Help us also lead others to you, so that they might one day too life in eternity with you. We ask this all through Christ our Lord. Amen.