"If you gather and handle the goods of this world with one hand, you must always hold fast with the other to your heavenly Father's Hand and turn toward Him from time to time to see if your actions or occupations are pleasing to Him."

                                       ~ St. Francis de Sales

        (The rosary of St. Francis de Sales)

In this life, we have to deal with the goods of this world (some of us have more of these goods, others less, naturally). St. Jane de Chantal, friend and co-founder of/with St. Francis de Sales, was a Baroness who had to oversee numerous castles and administer her children's inheritance after she was widowed. But she handled all these worldly goods with her eyes on Heaven. An able administrator, she transferred those same skills to running a convent.

We, too, can have one hand on the things of this world as needed, as long as we keep our other hand securely in God's Hand. Let us turn to Him this evening and see if He is pleased with us....