No man can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one, and love the other: or he will sustain the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon . . . Be not solicitous therefore, saying, What shall we eat: or what shall we drink, or wherewith shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the heathens seek. For your Father knoweth that you have need of all these things. Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his justice, and all these things shall be added unto you.

Mat. 6:24, 31-33

The observance of Lent, when done right, helps us to obey Christ’s command. Fasting, and more broadly the renunciation of worldly goods, detaches us from what does not ultimately matter. In this way, we will more readily attach ourselves to He who alone matters.

So often, we are more concerned with satisfying our sensible appetites than we are with fulfilling the longing for God in our hearts. We are easily distracted by what moths eat and what thieves steal, neglecting heavenly treasure (cf. Mat. 7:19-20). We are more concerned with the needs of the body than with the needs of the soul. But our Lord says,

Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth: where the rust, and moth consume, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven: where neither the rust nor moth doth consume, and where thieves do not break through, nor steal. For where thy treasure is, there is thy heart also.

Mat. 6:19-21

It matters what we treasure, and it matters where our hearts are. To me, it seems that laying up treasures is like investing. If someone invests in a 401k, he is laying up for himself treasures for retirement. Paid labor is also a form of investing, the worker investing his time and effort in order to reap the fruit of some monetary benefit. Now, I am not suggesting that Jesus is saying that we can not invest in a 401K, nor do I imply that Christians must resign their jobs. It’s about priority. Where do we place our hope? Do we value heavenly or earthly goods more? To which end do we direct our labors ultimately: toward worldly prosperity or to heavenly glory? As for the heart, it “usually indicates our true intentions, what we really . . . desire” (Francis, Dilexit Nos, par. 5). If we are fundamentally working toward and aiming at the things of this world, then that is where our deepest desires lie. Do we seek first the kingdom of heaven, or our kingdom on earth?

We attend to what we value, and we value what we attend to. The more we desire, long for, or treasure something, the more likely we are to think about it, contemplate it, or work toward it. But the reverse is also true: the more we think about something, the more we contemplate it, the more we work toward it, then the more likely we are to desire, to long for, and to treasure it. If we direct our minds to earthly goods rather than to heavenly goods, then we will value earthly goods more. Conversely, if we direct our minds toward heavenly goods rather than to earthly goods, then our values will slowly change accordingly.

This is part of why we fast. St. Thomas Aquinas says that “we have recourse to fasting in order that the mind may arise more freely to the contemplation of heavenly things” (ST, II-II, Q147, A1). In other words, fasting disposes us for prayer (cf. CCC par. 2559). Importantly, merely abstaining from food in some way can not, on its own, accomplish this end. Fasting is of no use if we think just about how hungry we are or how much we would like to eat or drink. This is why St. Thomas does not say “that the mind will arise to the contemplation…” but “that the mind may arise more freely to the contemplation…” Just because something becomes less difficult does not make it easy, much less inevitable. Fasting makes prayer easier, but prayer still requires effort: so many free decisions to stay focused on God. And that is where our focus should be. That is where our treasure should be laid, where our efforts should be directed, where our hearts should rest.

If we intend to benefit more fully from this holy season of Lent, then merely fasting is not enough. It is not enough to turn away from our worldly attachments. We must, in addition, turn toward God. It is not enough to renounce the worldly kingdoms we build for ourselves. We must also “seek first the Kingdom of God” (Mat. 6:33).