“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.” (Gospel for Aug. 4, Jn 6:27)
Before the Fall, God put Adam to work tending the garden. Good men work hard to provide for their families, including their material wants and needs. These temporal necessities, however, must never become our highest priority. Our first obligation is to seek the path to eternal life — for ourselves and for our loved ones. Jesus, the Bread of Life, is the food that will endure.
Our Founder, Father McGivney, worked tirelessly to serve God and man. I challenge you to pray the novena to Blessed Michael McGivney this month, during which his feast day takes place (August 13).
Does your goal of attaining heaven for yourself and your loved ones come first in your life? Do your efforts focus excessively on temporal needs and pleasures? What more can you do to ensure that your primary mission is to prepare yourself and your family members to enter the kingdom of heaven?