What is Essential is Invisible

We've heard the saying "What is essential is invisible to the naked eye."

How true. See, most things in our world are fleeting and temporary. Say, our cars, houses, things, etc. may exist right now, but may not be there anymore in the future.

Money, too. You may have money now, but that is no guarantee of the future. It may simply be depleted at anytime. Money is to be used only in this world; it cannot be brought into heaven, no matter how small or big. Once our life ends, our money stays here permanently.

There are three things that are irreplaceable. These three are time, youth, and life. They are directly related to each other.

1) Time - It is often called the "irreplaceable resource". Either you have time or money, or both. Money once lost can still be earned back or replaced. Time, on the other hand, when lost is lost forever.

2) Youth - The saying goes "Life is short. Youth is shorter". When we're young, we seem to be oblivious to reality, it just seems we'll stay young forever, don't we? Then, when you graduate from college, you go out into the real world and work so hard.

The busier you are, the faster time flies by. Suddenly, you're in your late 30s or early 40s and it hits you real hard! You're not getting any younger!

Ah, we do take our youth for granted so many times. We certainly will miss it when it's not there anymore. Don't believe me? Ask your grandma!

3) Life - The saying goes "The only sure thing in life is death." Or as another man said "Is there one who lived, but did not die?"

So what are the "essential things"? Those that do last?

They do exist, certainly, even in this world. And they are very few indeed, these "essential things that last forever".

Three essential things are:

1) Achievements - Ever wonder why great men and great women strive to achieve so much, work so hard as if there was no tomorrow? There's a good reason.

They know well that life is short. Not even youth or money is any insurance or protection against life's eventual end. Life is a gift, and wasting time is simply wasting our life.

When these great men and women are gone from the world, their good works, high achievements tend to be remembered for many generations to come, forever. It's as if time never affected them.

And the highest of these works are the "spiritual achievements", great acts or great works of love and selflessness. Among all great men and great women, the spiritual achievements of the saints are considered the highest.

The saints are ordinary people; ordinary people who have achieved extraordinary works. They are people who have gone beyond themselves, doing great works of love even without self-benefit whatsoever.They are the also the most humble, modest of people in their greatness.

2) Good works - The good works that we do for God and others are truly eternal. Even when we're gone from this world, people shall remember those "works of love", that "helping hand" we gave to them.

It is said that you will see how a person was loved, during his/her funeral. The more that person helped people and did good, the more people at the funeral.

When people are asked on comments about the deceased person, you won't hear people talking about that deceased person's wealth, or how good he/she was in business or career, money, etc. No. On a good person, you'll hear them tell you "He was a good man." Or "She was a good woman".

Comments like: "He was a loving father to his wife and children." "She helped me out when I was in my most desperate need". "A person always willing to help others". "A godly person.", etc.

People don't remember how rich or financially successful you are at your final hour. They'll only remember if you did good, the good deeds you did for them.

Also, for those people that were done wrong, there seems to be this "force of forgiveness" so strong you could really feel it. People seem to be able to forgive somehow the past wrongs done to them by a deceased person. It is unexplainably amazing, a phenomenon in itself.

3) Love - If there's one thing that is most eternal, it is love. As God is love, God created us out of love for us His children. As God is eternal and shall always exist, love therefore is also eternal since God is love.

God is the only source of love. He created love and love cannot exist without Him. Without God, we will not be able to love other people, even our loved ones, and we will not be able to be loved either.

God's gift of love to men and women is to make us love Him more and to know him more. It is to make us know Him, love Him, and serve Him forever!

The "acts of love" we show to other people shall never be forgotten forever.

As St. Paul said "Even if I know all mysteries, have gifts of prophecy, possess immense power....... but if I have not love, I am nothing."

What are You Searching For?

We live day in, day out, accomplishing what we usually do, what we have to do. Work, then home, eat, sleep. Then, amazingly, it's similar upon waking up. Eat, then go to work, etc.

Always, there's this "hunger", something we all feel but can't seem to explain or comprehend. Even if you have it all, it never seems to be enough. The things of the world are simply not enough to quench this "emptiness".

You know a problem exists. This is obvious. If we state the problem, the problem is: an "inner hunger or thirst" that only comes back again and again no matter what we do or possess.

Now that we have clearly defined the problem, it's time to go to the harder part: the source of the problem.

Christian theology teaches us that there are three elements that make up a human being. These three are the spiritual, mental, and the physical.

The spiritual element ranks as the highest, second highest would be the mental element, and the last rank belongs to the physical element.

So what is the real cause, the source of our "inner emptiness"?

Physical element: Is it a lack of physical element? Hardly. Assume you've got these: good looks, good body, big house, sports cars, etc. - all the things money can buy. But are you really happy?

It makes you happy for a time, but eventually the "inner hunger" comes back. Instinctively, we seem to think we need more. More good looks, more cars, bigger house, etc.

The truth is, satisfying the physical element alone is not enough.

Mental element: Is it a lack of mental element? You've got the talent, the brains, the skills, a successful business or businesses, or a high-profile career, etc.

Again, even if you have all these, there just seems to be something missing, isn't it? We sometimes get into a state of denial, as if denying something that exists removes it from existence. Unfortunately, it doesn't.

We could brush it off as "imagination", or maybe a lack of someone or something in life. Oftentimes, the natural instinct is to somehow think that we need more. We think we need more money, more businesses, more challenges in life, more spice in our love life or marriage.

Somehow, satisfying the mental elements of life is just not enough.

This brings out the final element left: the spiritual element or the spiritual life.

How is your relationship with God? Do you prioritize Him and your relationship with Him as the highest of all your relationships? Remember that anyone or anything you prioritize over God is an act of idolatry, therefore a sinful act. There is no excuse. This includes our family, loved ones, business, career, etc.

See it all around you. There are a lot of good people. But many people just can't do it. Whether they're conscious of it or not, they prioritize family over God, or a love partner over God, a business/career over God, etc.

This "inner hunger or thirst" we feel therefore is a "spiritual hunger or thirst", an inner emptiness that can never ever be quenched or satisfied by the things of this world.

God instilled in us a form of "spiritual instinct", a trait which makes us search for Him even in this world. Hence, St. Augustine once said "God made us for Himself. Our hearts can never rest until it rests in Him."

No amount of satisfying our "physical elements", or our "mental elements" can ever substitute for satisfying our "spiritual elements".

To satisfy our "spiritual elements" means to prioritize God above everyone and everything we have been given in this world, never forgetting it all comes from Him anyway. It is to develop a closer relationship with God, by always prioritizing our "spiritual life" above both "mental life" and "physical life".

In the end, the source of the problem comes from wrong prioritization. We simply prioritize so many other things over our spiritual life. The solution to the problem therefore is to "prioritize our spiritual life" above other things in this world.