The Leading Indicator of Success – There Are Two Types of People – Matthew Kelly – 60 Second Wisdom
“The great predictor of success is not talent or opportunity, but attitude towards learning. Developing the habit of continuous learning leads to success both personal and professionally.
Benjamin Barber wrote: “I divide the world into learners and non-learners. There are people who learn, who are open to what happens around them, who listen, who hear the lessons. When they do something stupid, they don’t do it again. And when they do something that works a little bit, they do it even better the next time. The question to ask is not whether you are a success or a failure, but whether you are a learner or a non-learner.”
Become a life-long learner. It is essential in our quest to live more meaningful lives. Read books, take courses, listen to podcasts, and watch videos that help you become the-best-version-of-yourself.”
“Jesus said to him, ‘If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven’ ” (Matt. 19:21).
This directive to a young man who asks Jesus what he must do to enter into eternal life raises legitimate questions for Catholics today. Do we really have to give away what we have to get into heaven? Then why are there faithful Catholics with houses, cars, sports memorabilia, and entertainment systems?
Jesus’ response to the young man is actually threefold: “keep the commandments . . . sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor . . . follow me” (19:17, 21).
Rather than a specific task that guarantees salvation, Jesus gives us the road map to heaven.
The lesson Jesus is trying to teach his followers is deeper and more complex than “throw away everything you have!”
Jesus demonstrates how easily “stuff” can get between us and God. If we possess too much, we can become consumed by what we have and forget about God. Jesus warns us to not be possessed by our possessions. The more we have, the harder it becomes to resist the temptation to obsess over worldly things, rather than keep our attention where it belongs: fixed on God.
Jesus is not asking us simply to declutter our lives or live in a minimalistic way for its own sake.
If we look at this story through that context, we can see that Jesus is not necessarily just calling us to reject all of the physical possessions we hold dear. He also wants us to share the other parts of our lives we try to possess: our time and talents.
It might not be necessary to give up all that we own to get into the kingdom of God, but it is absolutely necessary for every disciple to offer time, talent, and treasure for God’s glory here on earth. How do we do that? By using those possessions to serve the poor, the hungry, the immigrant, the “least of these” (25:35–36).
Jesus is not asking us simply to declutter our lives or live in a minimalistic way for its own sake. He does not want us to empty ourselves for some arbitrary reason. He tells us to empty ourselves out of love and a desire to enter into relationship with him.
In sharing our posessions with those on the margins, we fulfill the commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself” (19:19). In using our time, talent, and treasure to encounter the less fortunate, we encounter Jesus himself.
So, while we don’t have to start packing away everything in our houses just yet, we’re not off the hook. Following Jesus isn’t easy, and true discipleship requires sacrifice.
No matter who we are or what our socioeconomic status might be, we are called to offer what we have for God’s glory and to make sure our pursuit of possessions does not prevent us from receiving the one real treasure: the gift of heaven and eternal life.
This article also appears in the March 2021 issue of U.S. Catholic (Vol. 86, No. 3, page 49). Click here to subscribe to the magazine.
Image: Heinrich Hofmann, “Christ and the Rich Young Ruler”, 1889 via Wikimedia CommonsT
“In a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality … They gave of their own accord, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints.” – 2 Corinthians 8:2-4 NASB
The churches of Macedonia had to endure afflictions and trials. They experienced stress and pressure and faced oppression and tribulation. They had many needs and struggled with poverty. It would have been understandable if they hoarded their resources and focused on themselves. But, instead, they demonstrated a remarkable spirit of generosity.
They focused on ways they could give to help others. They did not just give a little, but they gave above and beyond what Paul expected. And their actions were voluntary. They begged to be able to give!
What was their motive? They were generous and eager to give because they had dedicated themselves to the Lord. They were His and committed everything to Him. They were obedient to God’s commands to give generously to the work of the Gospel. They were willing to trust in Him for every need and every problem they faced.
The Bible urges us to be like these Macedonians. People in the world may be self-centered and only think about themselves. But God’s people should be sold out for Him. They should be sowing liberally into His Kingdom with their time, talents, and treasures – their “seeds.”
Seek every opportunity to give to God’s work. Don’t be reluctant, but give freely and with joy. Remember that He promises to multiply your gifts. Be confident that He will provide for your needs. Let Him use you to bless others and impact lives for His kingdom.
Prayer Father, I desire to serve You with all my resources and abilities. I long to give to Your kingdom. I trust in You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Do I have talent? No. I got the good looks, and my twin brother got all of the talent. He could do everything. We are sort of unequal in talent. Someone asked me, “Do you like mincemeat pie?” It’s from New England and one of my favorites. In the old days, it was made of meat; now it’s made with fruit. They said, “You can make it, Father. You take a jar of mincemeat and a pie crust.” I tried, and it did not turn out so well. Cooking is not one of my talents. Singing is not one of my talents. Language is not one of my talents. I can speak a number of languages all at the same time!
God has given people different talents, some more, some less. It seems unfair. I mean, how could all these good looks have no talent! Come on! However, it seems that God’s little talent fairy gives everybody different talents, and it doesn’t seem right. Maybe. But, not really. We all have one purpose, and that is to build up the Kingdom of God. There is one talent He gave to us equally…we all have equal shares in this talent. It’s language. Now, you may be thinking, “Father, we’ve been here for 15 years for the Spanish Mass…you do not have a talent for language.” Well, maybe not for the languages we can hear. This is a language that can reach all men. If I speak Spanish, I won’t reach much of the world. If I speak French, I won’t reach much of the world. If I speak Latin, I’ll reach even less of the world. I am not fluent in other languages, except one. And that’s the language of the mighty Will of God. With that language, you can reach everyone, because it reaches people without them hearing.
One day while I was making my rounds at Hospice in the Veterans Administration Hospital, paramedics brought in a new patient, and they put him in Room 3. The nurses were busy with other patients, so I went to that room and helped the paramedics get the patient in to bed. Afterward, I washed my hands, because I had touched him…and this was before Covid too. One of the paramedics, who had not greeted me during this time, walked over to me and said “Thank you, Father.” This is how you reach people with your faith. Remember what Saint Francis said, “Teach the gospel continually; use words if necessary.” This is the universal language we have been given.
Beginning at Baptism, we were given the virtue of faith which was infused in us. Faith, hope, and charity… three infused divine virtues…were given first at Baptism, Confirmation, Penance, Holy Communion, and the other Sacraments. We have that gift…we have that ability…to teach others about Christ. This is how we evangelize. Not my becoming whatever or learning every language under creation. That’s not going to happen. I’m too old for that. I’m old enough now to eat dessert first, because I can’t trust anything else. Teach people the language of love. I don’t know if you will appreciate this, but even during my work in Hospice, I can teach the language of love. Impressing medical people is really hard. I’m not there often and for only a few hours a week. However, I have been asked to sign every death notification before the official record is closed. That was a “thank you”, from the medical staff, because somehow they were impressed with my work. But, it wasn’t my work, it was God’s work…I was just the village idiot doing what God told me to do. This is how we can reach out and touch people.
The human nature our Good Lord took from the Blessed Mother is the one that He suffered and redeemed us with, cried over our sins with, healed us with, and consoled us with. Now, it is in heaven with the Blessed Mother. But, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, which He gives us in the Holy Sacraments, He takes our human natures and makes Himself present. So, when you console somebody, you are Christ consoling them. You are Christ helping them. You are Christ healing them. Help others without being asked. When your neighbor has problems, help them. Why? Because it’s the right thing to do. People see the love of Christ in that. The acts of love and the sufferings of love are the universal language that can lead to Salvation. For example, if someone is sick, take over a casserole or nachos, and leave it on the porch. Contactless delivery. Why? Because it’s the right thing to do. Did anyone see you do it? No. But, you may get extra credit. Still, it’s the right thing to do. You are showing God’s love. Will they ever know it was you? Maybe…maybe not, unless you left your name on the plate so they could return it. This is how we evangelize. This is how we teach. God is using your human nature. It’s true. Jesus said it. When you help others, Christ is using your human nature. He said it in the Book of Acts. When Paul was persecuting the Church, Christ came down in a vision and said, “Saul, Saul why are you persecuting Me?” He didn’t say, “Why are you persecuting My church.” You cannot separate Christ from the Church. When you are separated from your body, you are usually dead. I didn’t go to medical school, but I’m pretty sure that’s what happens. When you do that, you are doing God’s work. What you “did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”
You want to be great evangelizers? Wonderful. You have that gift in you. You don’t need to go to a special course, you don’t need to pay money for a program, or go to Charlotte…please stay out of Charlotte. You don’t need to pay any money. You don’t need to buy books. You don’t need to do a lot of things that “they” tell you to do. What you do need to do is grow in God’s love, and then you cannot help but to bring that love to other people.
How will you apply this message to your life? Use your talent to help people so that they can see the love of God.
Our parish is blessed with many talented people. Talents are a gift from God to accomplish our vocation. What is our vocation? Achieving salvation and building up the Body of Christ. No matter how many talents you think you have or how few you think you have, each one is vitally important; otherwise, God wouldn’t have given them to you. Your talents perform a vital function in the Body of Chris.
A lot of talents are time sensitive – you only have them for a little while before Mother Nature encroaches and they fade away. For example, you do not see many professional athletes in their 50’s…that just does not happen. You don’t see brain surgeons in their 90’s, now do you. Believe it or not, I had a very easy job as a chaplain in the U.S. Army. However, when I turned 60, the Army said, “Hey, you’re too old…get out. This isn’t a geriatric unit.” That was very disconcerting, because not being married, I had nobody to tell me what to do for the first time in 24 years. You mean I can grow my hair? It was very unsettling. So, what might you see in people who are in their 50’s and 90’s? You may see that they are wonderfully and deeply in love with God. That is our common vocation. He has endowed us all with the ability to be in love with Him and united with Him in this world and in the next.
All the other talents and abilities that He has given us come to their proper end. So, there is no need to be jealous of the talents of others. I used to always kid my evil departed twin brother who had two doctorate degrees, wrote textbooks, worked as an EMT, and was a scuba diver. He had a file cabinet filled with all these courses he had taken…not that I hold any resentment…No! He took all my spare body parts with him. No, I’m not resentful at all. You see, my brother’s vocation was different than mine. His vocation depended on what God wanted my brother to do compared to what he wanted me to do. It’s the same for everybody. Don’t compare your physical and intellectual abilities with others. All of our talents and abilities are to be used for the glory of God. The only thing I knew how to do was to show up for PT (physical training) formation for 24 years. I’m not the most talented man in the world, but He did give me the ability to love Him. Love is the one talent God is going to judge us on. He will ask: “How have you shown My love to the world? How have you responded to My love?” Bishop Sheen told the story of a street cleaner. This guy was the best street cleaner around. Somebody asked him, “Why do you clean the crevices? Nobody sees them…why do you bother?” The man answered, “Because God sees them.” Whether in the penthouse or outhouse, on Park Avenue or a park bench, we all have unique abilities. The talent we have in common is the ability to grow in God’s love and to be possessed by Him.
As with any talent or ability, it must be used or it atrophies. If Frankie doesn’t practice her music, it will fade away. Muscle mass will atrophy unless you keep exercising. We must do this no matter our status or vocation in life. Our talents require practice, concentration, and study. So, too, does love. You need to practice through prayer, mortification, spiritual readings, and the Sacraments. Very simple things to do, but very hard to put in to practice, because we don’t like to practice.
The biggest obstacle in growing spiritually are the excuses we make. “I don’t feel good about it.” “I don’t get anything out of the Mass.” “I don’t like the music.” “It’s too hot in here.” “It’s too cold in here.” Really? Everybody has an excuse; “I don’t like the Mass.” “I don’t like it in English” “I don’t like it in Spanish.” “I don’t like it in Latin.” Well, come to the 12:15 Mass. I’ve got two or three different languages going on there, so you needn’t worry. Sometimes, I would love to say, “I’m getting too old for this.” The Mass is not to you. The Mass is the offering of Christ on the Cross, always before the Father, pleading on our behalf until the end of time. So, the Mass is not to you; it is for you. It is not presented so that you can sit there in judgement; instead, it shows the constant prayer of Christ for you, and He asks you to become a part of it. When I offer the bread and wine of the Body and Blood of Christ, your human nature is represented. You are being offered with Christ on the altar to the Father just as the human nature of Mary is being offered on the cross. Spiritually, Mary and John the Apostle are at the foot of the Cross, and you are fulfilling their hopes by being there. The Mass is the Holy Sacrifice of our Lord and a representation of what lies in Heaven to the end of time. Mass is not an action to you; it’s the prayer of Christ for you. So, how can you say you don’t get anything out of it, or that you don’t like it; or that you don’t like the language in which it is spoken?
Some people say about their prayer life, “Oh, I don’t get anything from prayer.” All we are doing when we pray is trying to grow in God’s love. Love is always reaching out to the loved one and not to self. That’s why so few grow in the spiritual life. They think that they have to like something before they do it. Read Mother Theresa’s autobiography. She and the sisters cared for lepers. Did they like it? No, but was a gift to God. Loving God is a talent we all share. I will never be a good golfer. I will never be a brain surgeon…thank God, right? I will never be a great hockey player, although I have the teeth for it…I had my teeth knocked out while playing hockey. I’m not a Misfit; they took power tools away from me. I will never be a lot of things, but, I was given the talent to love God. And, that talent does not go away with time. It may lay dormant from misuse and abuse, but it never goes away. In order for that talent to grow, you do what you can through mortification, spiritual readings, and the Sacraments. You can love God as equally as any canonized Saint of Church. You are capable of that same depth of love. The means are all before you. How will you apply this message to your life? Will you use prayer, mortification, spiritual readings, and the Sacraments to grow in your love for God?
