As you read, my family and I are on a much needed vacation. After dealing with illness, childbirth, and stress at work over the past year we were so ready to get out of dodge. 

It’s amazing what a change of atmosphere can do for the soul. All the normal worries of the daily grind seem to disappear. You can breathe easy for a while, enjoy the scenery, eat some tasty treats and simply BE. No dishes or clothes to wash, no floors to sweep, no toys to trip over. 

Yet no matter how much we may look forward to these fun days of R & R, they never seem to last, do they? We always have to go back home, back to work and back to our routine. The vacation in itself can grant us only a momentary, temporary peace of mind. Why?

Because true peace comes only from God and the gifts that the Holy Spirit grants us. If we are not living in him, but rather for the next passing pleasure, our peace will always be fleeting. 

Recently I had a conversation with my 7-year-old, who frequently begs me over and over to buy this or that toy or stuffed animal or video game. He seems to always want something, and if I get it for him, he soon wants something else. I had to have a serious talk with him about consumerism and the fact that Jesus is the only source of true peace and happiness. 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the Pharisees: “I am going away and you will look for me…” If only we truly sought out Jesus, who is about to suffer and die for us, more than things! If only we were truly saddened by the thought of Jesus “going away” even for a split second of our lives! 

Lord, help me to understand the incredible significance of your presence in my life. Help me to miss you when my thoughts are not with you. Help me to yearn only for you, not for pleasures that do not satisfy the soul. Help me to seek lasting peace in your most Sacred Heart. Amen.

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