Who Influences Your Life

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1 Samuel 8

- “Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him... "Appoint for us king to govern us like all the nations." But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to govern us." And Samuel prayed to the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, "Hearken to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.”

- The question for us is, who is our king and Who do we listen to?

- Most of us spend more time listening to politicians, the news and analysts than we do listening to God. This may be because we subconsciously believe salvation will come through politics. That is why we become so angry or fearful or depressed when the wrong person is in power. But God is the one who is in control of the world. By his Providence he directs everything, political leaders have very limited power, and we have even less power over them. This is why Jesus said, Seek His Kingdom and God’s will and all other things will be given you as well.  Is God the primary person you are listening to each day?

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Who should not influence your life?

- We discussed the first one, politicians, already. But what about the news?

- Now, the news isn’t innately dangerous, but browsing it constantly is. Why?

- Because more often than not, we turn to the news so that we can feel like we’re productively pursuing our responsibilities. What we end up doing, however, is neglecting our actual responsibilities and taking on way too many distant problems that we have no control over. What this leads to isn’t a solution to any worldly problems but a double-dose of anxiety. The best way to prudently view the news is by directly searching for your actual topics of concern. And here’s a hint, celebrity news is never your concern.

- Being informed of things in the world that might affect you is not bad. I lead pilgrimage to the Holy Land, therefore I need to know what is happening with Covid restrictions in Israel, so I look at headlines from J-Post – Jerusalem News. However, the general news is not tailored to any specific state in life – no specific zone of responsibility. It is general news. If it does not pertain to our state in life – then why are we looking at it?

- Remember, we need to know what pertains to our zones of responsibility. The vice of curiosity however, is the bad desire to know what you have no business knowing. To further complicate matters, the general news sensationalizes everything by giving a constant message of danger. Danger messages trigger the fight or flight response which activates anger and fear. Everyone I talk to is angry or fearful. Go figure.

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Like the News, Commentators want an audience so they sensationalize, spread division and often hate. The fact is, division and hate are the most captivating subjects.

- That’s why you should avoid commentators entirely. They are not God and they’re almost always wrong. I always laugh when some sports analyst dogs on some pro player and the next game that player plays like a superstar. Similarly, Political commentators are never right. And Catholic commentators can be the most dangerous. Too often they spread anger and hate for the Pope and Bishops. Recall the words of Jesus. Speaking to Peter and the Apostles, of whom the Pope and Bishops carry the same authority “He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me.”

- Usually, when I make these points about news and politics, many people try to prove me wrong. Well, if you want to prove me wrong, try this, see if you can only look at the news 15 minutes a day and pray in silence for 30 minutes each day. I’ll believe you are able to be virtuous in your search to be informed if you put God ahead of worldly events. However, if you can admit you are an addict, even an addict must renounce a good thing because he can’t handle it just yet.

- So, for all of us – no commentators, secular or Catholic. Instead, we should spend twice as much time in prayer and reading Scripture and the Saints as we do the news.

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The goal is simplicity. If the world becomes overwhelming, focus on God and the rest becomes simple.

- Imagine a painting with too many subjects. It’s full of random objects, maybe there are too many people in the painting, the background is too busy, it has no focal point. It has so many details that it feels like an eye-spy book. When the painting gets cluttered, there’s not much you can do to make it easy on the eyes. It’s overwhelming to look at and it’s straining to make sense of.

- That’s why the most important thing in a painting or photo is a clear focal point, a single subject that draws the eye more than any other. When God is the focal point of our lives, then the clutter goes away. Now the details don’t feel overwhelming because they don’t demand your attention, you’re looking at the center of the painting, God, and everything else is only there to compliment his Presence. Adding a main subject or focal point doesn’t detract from the painting, it doesn’t destroy the need for those details, but rather, brings out the beauty in every part of the painting. But without God you just have a mess.

- Moreover, if you don’t make time for God, at first you might look at this painting which has no main subject and say, “I don’t know what could possibly be missing. There’s already so much going on in the picture, there isn’t even room for anything else. How could I fit in another detail, let alone a whole nother person?”

- But remember, God reorders everything. With Him, everything falls into place. That painting in which nothing seems to fit, is only overwhelming without a centerpiece to tie it together.

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And finally, let’s end on a high note. Who should influence your life? God!

- We want God, His Word, His representatives, and the saints to influence our lives.

- But we are  listening to too many voices. Can you even hear God’s?

- Instead Turn to Scripture and the commentaries on the Word of God by the Saints.

- Let me also suggest that you Read the 10 Volumes called Direction for Our Times. I know the theologian who investigated them and they are dead on the mark to know what is going on in the world from God’s perspective and what He wants us to do. They are free.

- Let’s not forget that Our Lady is begging us to pray the Family Rosary. Why? Our Mother knows what will lead to peace and happiness. Mary can protect the family that prays the Rosary daily. When a family does not pray, it becomes more difficult for them to remain united and pointed toward heaven.

- For two minutes every day we should examine our conscience to learn how to listen to our conscience.  Our Lady has also asked us to go to confession once a month.

- Finally, learn the timeless truths of Jesus that no person can change, not even the Pope. These are summarized in the catechism. And teach them to your kids and grandkids. That’s why we include them in the rosary meditation everyday.

- If you do this you will be given a deep and abiding peace which will eradicate anger fear confusion and discouragement.