Rich in the Things God Loves - Fr. Pat McGrath 8.3.25

Have you ever found yourself clinging to a title, a job, a situation, a lifestyle—or even an identity—that deep down isn’t giving you life? Maybe it feels empty, like you’re wearing a mask just to keep up a charade. Or you find yourself constantly busy with activities that drain you, not fill you, all in an effort to maintain an image or a certain status. God invites us to confront the illusions we so often chase—wealth, security, status, success—and instead ask ourselves: What really matters? Are we willing to loosen our grip on the things that leave us feeling empty in order to receive the things that truly last? Things like love, purpose, and connection. God wants us to listen to that tug in our hearts—that quiet sense that something deeper is calling—and to respond. We don’t have to wait until life is perfect to take a leap. In fact, that desire for perfection is often just fear in disguise. But when we step out in faith and take action anyway, our efforts are met with grace. Because ultimately, no amount of planning, storing, or striving can protect us from the truth: we can’t take our things with us. What lasts isn’t what we accumulate—but how we love, how we give, and the communities we build that help heal and carry one another. Today, Father Pat urges us to focus on what really matters—so that we may become truly rich in the things God loves.