S1 Ep 30: When More is Never Enough

Transcript

Carol Vassar:

From SS. Isidore and Maria Parish in Glastonbury, Connecticut, I'm Carol Vassar, and this is Living in Faith, Hope, and Love. Each week, our Pastor, Father Mark Suslenko, delves into Scripture, shares insights from the saints, prophets, and theologians, and discusses practical ways to cultivate faith, strengthen hope, and embody love in the world around us. Through his reflections and spiritual encouragement, this podcast aims to inspire you to live your Catholic faith with joy and purpose. Welcome. 

As Christians, even the most devout among us wrestle with competing voices: one telling us we’re asking for too much, and the other urging us to ask for more. In that tension, we find ourselves walking with one foot in eternal life and the other in the secular world—a world often dominated by money, possessions, and the fear of not having enough.

In this episode, Father Mark challenges us to reflect on where our true allegiance lies. Are we serving God—or serving mammon? And how do we recognize when our pursuit of “more” is pulling us away from the love of God?

“When More Is Never Enough,” by Father Mark S. Suslenko, Pastor, SS. Isidore and Maria Parish, Glastonbury, Connecticut

Father Mark Suslenko:

I think the most devout among us have to admit that we really fluctuate as Christians between two voices that we hear. On the left is the voice that tells us we ask for too much. On the other side, on the right is the voice that says, why not ask for more? You ask for too much, why not ask for more? And we go back and forth as these two voices play out in our heads. And we wrestle between our allegiance to God and our allegiance to this world, and we walk with a foot in eternal life and a foot here in the secular world.

You ask for too much. Why not ask for more?

How do we know in our lives whether we are really serving God or not, or whether we are serving the needs of the secular world, or what can be termed mammon?

We have to admit, our world operates on money. But when does it start to get the best of us? I think all of us can look honestly in the mirror and see one or more of the following things occurring in our lives at one point or another: worry and anxiety over money; worry and anxiety over money. A fear that I will not have enough, and that fear leads to hoarding. I cannot afford it because it might run out. Stinginess, greed, impulse buying, debt discontent. If we have our feet in this world and we're absorbed in this secular system, we're going to experience one or more of those things at some point or another.

Young people today have those two same voices playing in their heads, too. You ask for too much, why not ask for more? And then how much is too much? And when does mammon grab us by the heels and move us away from truth?

The problem with an allegiance to the secular world and an allegiance that sometimes overwhelms us, even without our true knowledge, is that it robs us from the ability to love, the ability to love.

Martin Luther King reminded us that no manmade system can ever replace the eternal plan of almighty God. You cannot allow the constructs of the secular world to erode your road to eternal life. So, if we find ourselves living in this world, feeling unhappy, feeling discontent, racing after possessions and thinking more is better, then we're probably off center and in need of a spiritual adjustment.

What really ought to be first and foremost in our minds is how, by the gift of love, can I make this planet a better place because I am here? How can I make this planet a better place because I am here? It is not through the pursuit of self-centered pursuits, but is only by the power and the gift of love, because ultimately that's what God is asking in today's Gospel. Whom do you love? He asked that same question of St. Peter, the first Pope: do you really love me? Even St. Peter got annoyed with being asked that question so much. We have to ask ourselves that question every day and then answer with a yes or with a no. And if it's yes, then our primary goal is making today better than yesterday, even if it means sacrificing some of what we have.

Carol Vassar:

Father Mark Suslenko is the pastor of SS. Isidore and Maria Parish in Glastonbury, Connecticut. If you like what you've heard today, please subscribe to Living in Faith, Hope, and Love on your favorite podcast app, and take a moment to leave a review.

SS. Isidore and Maria is an active parish community, so whether you’re a long-time parishioner or are just getting to know us through this podcast, we welcome you to join us at Masses or any of our other community events and services. Visit our parish website - isidoreandmaria.org - for a full schedule of Masses, services and other happenings. That's isidoreandmaria.org. We're also active on Facebook and Instagram.

On behalf of Father Mark, I'm Carol Vassar, and we thank you for listening to this episode of Living in Faith, Hope, and Love.