What's It Worth?

In one single hour in the United States, more steel is poured than all the gold ever mined in the history of mankind! If all gold ceased to exist, it wouldn't cause any drastic change in our society. But if steel suddenly ceased to exist, our entire society would collapse, with its machinery, its buildings, its cars, its bridges, its entire infrastructure. For that reason, the real value of something is determined not by the rarity of the commodity but by its basic usefulness.

Christianity really "works"! Its norms and proposed virtues always "work" for our betterment, here and hereafter. Take, for example, the usefulness or "workability" of prayer. Numerous tests have shown scientifically that prayer can accelerate plant growth. Prayer can cure animals. And even anonymous hospital patients (who, for test purposes, are unknown to the pray-ers ) heal faster when prayed for, even when unaware that they are "prayer targets." 

Or take, for example, the Christian virtue of surrender to God's will. In producing anxiety control in psychiatric patients no psychotherapy "works" as effectively as the devout practice of the Christian virtue of holy abandonment to God's will. Again, no marriage counseling "works" as well as when each spouse devoutly allows Christ to "borrow one's heart" to love the other with. One of Christianity's biggest blessings is that it "works"  - always!. 

This excerpt is from the book One-Minute Meditations for Busy People, by John H. Hampsch, C.M.F., originally published by Servant Publications. It and other of Fr. Hampsch's books and audio/video recordings can be purchased from Claretian Teaching Ministry, 20610 Manhattan Pl, #120, Torrance, CA 90501-1863. Phone 1-310-782-6408 or www.Catholicbooks.net