Jesus means what He says.  Nothing may come before our relationship with Him.  We are to love Him more than we love our spouses, children, parents.  Now, I know how much you love your children.  I don’t know how much you love your spouses but I do know how much you love your children.  This commandment is clear:  You are to love God more.  You are to love God more than parents, children, spouses, or work.  That doesn’t mean that you are not to love your family.  Indeed.  Of course we know that if you love God above all things, you will love your children, your spouses, your parents, even more.  You will love them more perfectly.

There’s a children’s sermon that has a little practical demonstration about the love of God, and placing God first in our lives.  In the sermon, the priest took several baby food jars, the small size with the lids, a number of walnuts, and a number of measures of rice.  He told the children that the baby food jar represents their life.  The walnut represents Christ.  And the rice represents everything else – important things like people, and less important things like hobbies and work.  He demonstrated what happens if you put the walnut in the jar first, and then put in the measure of rice, shake it around and it all fits.  You put the lid on and it works.  You know where this is going.  He then demonstrated that if you take the measure of rice first and put it in the jar, and then try to put the walnut in, it doesn’t fit.  You can’t close the lid on the jar. 

A simple demonstration is that if we put our time and energy into other things first, there will be no room for God.  And that is so true.  Have you ever done this:  “I’m going to pray today, but let me get the other things taken care of first.”  You’ll never get around to prayer.  We are so busy.  It’s like work and play expand to fill the void.  Even after retirement.  I ask a lot of people, “Now that you’re retired, do you have a lot of time?”  “No.  I’m busy.”  Even doing nothing we are busy.  Time goes so quickly.

How do we place God first? He says, “If you love me, carry your cross.  If you love me, keep my commandments.”  I think a simple way to remember how to keep God first is that we are disciples, and the root of that word “disciple” is “discipline.”  It requires a certain discipline to put God first in our lives.  There’s the discipline of the disciple.  That has to include daily prayer.  There’s no commandment that says. “Thou shalt pray daily.”  But if God is first in our lives, how can we not pray daily?  If we don’t plan that in a disciplined way, it won’t happen.  You know that.  If you get around to prayer when everything else is done, forget it.  You have to structure that in your own life.  Everyone has a different life, everyone has a different plan.  The morning seems to be the best time.  Again, our chapel is open 24/7.  Many of you pass this church, or the church in White Rock which has a chapel open 24-7 also. Take some time, at home or in the chapel, and set it aside to talk to God, to keep that relationship first in your life. 

Spiritual Reading. How about spiritual reading? We all love to read.  How many books do you read that spiritually enhance your life, your spiritual life?  Spiritually edifying books. There are many of them; many of the books of the saints, many good spiritual writings exist today. 

The discipline of discipleship obviously includes weekly mass, Sunday mass.  It’s amazing the excuses people can find to miss mass.  I have to go to mass 4 times every Sunday.  If I’m not here, everyone knows.  I can’t get away with anything. 

Confession.  I nag you about confession but I do that because I love you.  And I mean that.  Confession.  You need to come to confession whenever you need it, and at least once a year.  Can anyone here go a year without sin?  I hope there’s no one there saying, “Yeah, I haven’t sinned in a year.”  Well, I’ve sinned up a storm for you!  But seriously, confession is a wonderful sacrament.  We don’t pick and choose.  This is a gift from Christ to you and to me.  You’re lucky you have a priest here.  I don’t have a priest here.  I have to go find a priest.  And when they’re hearing confessions, I am hearing confessions.  I like to go to Fr. Roca, in Chimayo.  Who knows Fr. Roca?  He’s an institution.  I went to confession to him. He’s from Spain. He’s been in Chimayo for 50 years, and he’s small in stature.  I like to be with him.  “How ya’ doin’ there, Father?”  He makes me feel tall.  So I said, “Bless me Father, I have sinned.  I am angry.”  “You angry?  I am very angry.  Oh, I get angry.”  He keeps interrupting, every time you tell him something he says, “I do same thing but worse.”  Anyone who knows Fr. Roca, knows that’s exactly how he speaks. 

And then, of course, how can we be a disciple--by charity and right living.  “If you have not love, you have nothing.”  You know, the world has its discipline.  And so does a disciple have discipline.  What happens if you don’t study?  You will fail.  If you don’t show up at work, you will be fired.  If you don’t take care of your health, you will get sick.  What happens if you don’t take care of your spiritual life?  Oh, my!  In our busy lives, something has to go, and it’s often God.

I love the story of the Jewish man, who, when he was a child, used to go to the synagogue … on Saturday, and he learned Hebrew, and the scriptures, and he loved his faith.  But as he got older and busier, he moved away from his faith.  He went to see the Rabbi and he said, “Rabbi, I am just not close to God.  I want to be close to God like when I was a little boy.”  And the Rabbi didn’t say anything for about a minute, and then he looked at him and said, “So, who moved?”

Sometimes kids tell their family secrets in confession--especially nine-year-olds in their first confession.  Many of them say, “I don’t go to mass.”  They confess that as if it’s their own sin.  What are they going to do, borrow the keys to your car?  So I say, “Well, why not?”  And they say, “Well, my dad works all week and my mom catches up on her work on Sunday.”  So, I'm asking you, don’t ever do that to your kids.

God means what He says.  Jesus means what He says when He says put Him first.  The truth is that when we do that, everything else works well.  Husbands and wives, who are united as one in Christ, truly love each other and grow spiritually.  Children have a chance at leading a holy life.  Even your business and work will be better, if you are truly Christian in your approach to it.   Indeed, here’s a question.  If you put Christ first, is there anything of importance that you will lack?  Can you think of anything?

Who are the happiest people you know?  Are they the wealthiest people you know?  Is that how you judge happiness?  Of course not.  Are they the healthiest people?  Are they the holiest people, closest to God?

You know, as a priest, I have the sacred privilege of being with the dying and it is a sacred privilege.  Oftentimes, I ask the dying, after we discuss that they are in fact dying, I ask them, “Are you afraid?”  Very often, they look at me and it’s the first time they’ve been asked that question.   They say, “No.  I am not afraid.”  They inspire me.  I want to be like that when I am about to meet my maker. 

Most recently, I think of Lucy Branch, who was buried from our church last week.  Lucy was in hospice for two weeks before she died.  Many people visited her, from her family and the parish as well.  She would wake up, and she was totally cognizant and lucid, and she would look at who ever was visiting her and say, “Oh, hello!  Thank you for visiting me.  It’s good to see you.  Thanks for praying for me.”  She blessed everybody.  She’d say, “Come here,” and she gave a special blessing and she would place a little cross on their forehead.  She died in peace.  Lucy put that walnut in the jar a long time ago, and kept it there.  We need to do the same.  Place Christ first.  “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all things will be added unto you.” 

Please bow your heads.  I’d like to conclude with the Prayer of St. Therese of Avila.  This was found in her breviary, after she died. 

Let nothing disturb thee, nothing frighten thee.

All things are passing.  God never changes.

Patient endurance obtains all things.

Who God possesses nothing is wanting.

Alone God suffices.

We believe this, and make this prayer today, through Christ, our Lord. 
Amen.