What are those things in our lives that we cannot live without? On the surface, we might think of the basics: air, water, food, family, a house. But maybe, in reflecting on this question more, we might sneak some other things on the list: a nice car, our annual vacation, a specific salary, and the list can go on. These things are all good. However, how we relate to these things can go wrong. We might think we need these things as much as the bare essentials. We might erroneously believe we need our beach house as much as water. St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, would say that we might have disordered attachments to these things. And so, we need to get our attachments in the correct order.
In today’s readings, the king of Babylon seems to be attached to his kingdom, which Daniel predicts he will lose. Additionally, those whom Jesus is talking to seem to also be attached to the Temple with its costly stones and decoration. While kingdoms and the Temple are good things, Jesus emphasizes that in the end, this will not matter as much as our relationship with God. Our relationship with God comes first, which means everything else is not first. They need to be ordered correctly. In our lives, we have our own kingdoms and temples. As the prophet Daniel might imagine, we have our statues that can one day get bulldozed. How do we repair our relationship with these things if we have put too much stock in them or have a disordered attachment to them? Can I still be happy even if some of those things on my list were crossed out or erased?