Dear Family of St Luke,

Jesus tells us in today’s gospel “we cannot serve both God and Mammon. You will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the
other.”

Whom do we serve with our lives, to who are we devoted? If we say God, is there enough proof there to convict us? If you in fact say, it
is God then family verses all the worldly allures such as job, sports, hanging out with the girls or guys then who gets the most time? Take
a few moments and write down all those proofs in your life that show that God is first in your life. Now write down those proofs that
show your spouse and children are second in your life.

When time gets tight or you are pulled in multiple directions, who wins out? Who or what do you get frustrated with and make excuses
for not being there? Which one do you leave behind? Is Jesus truly first or are we just fooling ourselves?

I know these are tough questions and hopefully you are still reading this article and did not get so frustrated with me that you put it
down and said, “Deacon clearly has no clue about the real world, it is tough out here, and we are always being pulled in multiple
directions”. Yes, I know about the real world- trying to balance God, family, career, and diaconate. I also know many times I failed to do
what was right because I had not truly sat down and really thought through what was important in my life. I was not giving God a
chance to help me to see what was important and then allowing Him to help me order my life so I could in fact keep Him first in my life.
Please know I still fail many times, but having a clear and honest assessment of what is important in my life. Knowing where I am doing
well and where I am falling short helps me to continue to bring my focus back to God and have the courage to try again. If I did not do
that, I have no idea where I would be today. Probably no longer a practicing deacon because I would have strayed further and further
from God because of all the demands of family, job, and peer pressures.

Where do you want to be five or ten years from now? Do you want to be closer to the Lord, and your family? If so, you owe it to yourself
to sit down and do an accounting of your life and what you need to do to make that direction a reality. You can hear the gospel message
each Sunday and listen to a homily giving you possible things to look at but until you take it seriously, meaning your relationship with
Jesus Christ nothing will happen. Even if you believe you are on your way it is still good to sit down and examine where you are in your
relationship with the Lord and what you need to do to grow closer to the Lord.

We live in a fast-paced world that is hell bent on pulling us away from God and His guidance, and away from our real responsibilities to
our family. It takes God’s grace and an open heart to that grace, to have a chance in making a positive difference in our lives and families.
We can clearly not serve both God and Mammon, which one will you serve?

You remain in my daily prayer as we journey together towards God’s kingdom.

Deacon Pete