But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness
and all these things shall be added unto you.
Matthew 6:33 (KJV)

We are a culture obsessed with the god of progress, today defined most often in scientific and materialistic terms. The revolutions in technology and communications in particular have captivated the world, their impact ever broader in range, ever more minute in application. As adherents of this ethos, we seek nothing less than the total transformation of the world and power over it.

On a personal level, we walk the spiral path of continual striving toward the goals we have set for ourselves. Over the course of our lives, we slowly shift from the enthusiasm of youth enthralled with grand possibilities to the disillusionment of experience aware that its future is gradually but inexorably contracting, and then we repeat the process over and over with newly elucidated, more "realistic" ambitions. Through it all, we seek to exercise some control over our own lives, gain more knowledge, become better people, and serve those in need.

Still we strive and still we languish, eventually recognizing that all that progress, all that achievement, impressive though it may be, does nothing in the end to change the heart of the universe or the nature of our own being. Not that the world's massive problems do not demand resolution or that our personal issues do not need attention. Nor that our goals, either collective or individual, are necessarily unworthy or our work completely inefficacious. Indeed, on many levels, our efforts have alleviated suffering and made the world a better place to live.

But they are insufficient at best and destructive at worst, and always will be as long as they are carried out by an unenlightened humanity. And spiritual awakening requires a journey inward, to gradually rid the self of ego-striving, disguised so often in altruistic attire. A journey to the Light, to the only source of true compassion and genuine insight, to the only power that can ultimately change the world. A journey out of time and space to the stillness at the core of this spinning cosmos. We have no choice if we are to succeed. We must seek first the kingdom of God, not as a luxury to bask in its peace and quiet, but as a necessity to immerse ourselves in that eternal stream of love and wisdom. Only in this way can our human activity truly contribute to a lasting peace and social justice for all

Contributed by Diane
Sunday April 6, 2008
Liturgical Year A Week 19
Sunday Gospel reading:
Passion Sunday