Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Kissimmee published a homily by the Rev. Mark Suslenko in its July 26 weekly bulletin.

In Suslenko's reflection of what matters in this life and how to find perspective, he wrote that we are still fighting for some sense of normalcy as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt our lives greatly.

“One cannot help but realize through these challenging times what is really important,” Suslenko wrote. “The significance, beauty and specialness of family, friends, God, creation, community, life, hope, love and faith are brought front and center.”

The Rev. Mark Suslenko | https://isidoreandmaria.org/

Just as Solomon asked God to grant him understanding, so we too must ask for wisdom to be guided by the Holy Spirit in a challenging time. 

“We cannot ignore what has happened to us personally or socially, as doing so will only do us grave harm,” Suslenko wrote. “We have to be honest and realize that we focus too much energy on the unimportant, superficial stuff and neglect paying attention to the things that really make a difference and have the greatest impact.”

Fortunately, by God’s grace, we can have access to wisdom and discernment, to lead us out of darkness and into light, Suslenko continued. 

“What really matters is the Kingdom of God, and when we finally realize this, we will desire it more than anything else,” Suslenko wrote. “Once we discover this pearl of great price, we will find ourselves experiencing profound joy. We will know that we discovered something extremely valuable and true.”

While it is not easy to gain this wisdom and understanding, he said, it is imperative to our lives as followers of Christ. 

“We know what is not of God’s Kingdom: violence, hatred, despair, exclusivity, privilege, power, inequity, fear, isolation, apathy, greed and injustice,” Suslenko wrote. “In understanding the root cause of the presence of these in all of our stories, we will discover a pearl and walk the path to joy. Come Holy Spirit, we desperately need your wisdom.”