“Let the lovers of this world keep their possessions, though they be as great as they desire; for me, my God alone is sufficient.”
Joseph Cafasso of Turin (1811-1860) as recounted in The Quotable Saint ed. Rosemary Ellen Guiley (New York: Visionary Living, 2002) 204.
Once we think we own possessions, they own us. They also promise to satisfy our desires, but they cannot (cf. Psalm 49). All this is why we must be careful to treasure our triune God, who alone is sufficient for us.
The call in Scripture to love God and not the world (cf. 1 John 2:15) is not intended to make life miserable for us, empty, or even boring. It’s actually the pathway to freedom, satisfaction, and life.
Yesterday, we flew to Newark, checked into a hotel in Times Square thanks to Hilton points, and we enjoyed dinner and a show. What struck us here is the billboards and jumbo TV’s. They shout messages in this epicenter of commercialism about what you need.
We made a priceless memory together as a family, while not buying into the world’s messages to us. Today we head to family camp at Camp Spofford in Spofford, NH, where I will speak this next week on “Life in the Economy of God” and I’d appreciate your prayers.