Slow down, you move too fast.

A few weeks ago I went for a free financial consultation with a major American investment firm, the gist of their message to me being: By the year 2045 you're going to be living in a cardboard box on the street because you don't have six months' cash reserve or a domestic no-load tax-exempt fixed-income fund."

I left there feeling the pppbbblllltt of a deflating balloon.

It turns out a future I thought was bright and promising is actually destined for destitution (or so they tell me). And what the heck am I doing working at a not-for-profit anyway?

Then just the other day I received a survey from my alma mater asking if I would potentially be interested in burial on the campus and, if so, how much would I be willing to spend?

So much for living life while I have it. At 28, I'm already lying awake at night worrying about how I'm going to finance college tuition for the four children I don't even have. And what about my dog who will surely develop simple chronic halitosis and require major medical care? Don't you know that at any minute a large object could fall from a high-rise window and cripple you for life, rendering you eternally jobless?

When I turn to the Christian toolbox for a remedy to this anxious world, I find a gospel reading that tells me not to worry about what I will eat or drink or wear, that God will take care of me (Matt. 6:25).

So how do I balance a gospel that tells me not to worry about tomorrow on one hand with a savings plan for my funeral expenses on the other? Where does faith fit into future financial planning? As Catholics, it's a question we all have to ask ourselves, whether it's about our decisions on ethical and not-so-ethical investments or simply how our faith can address anxiety about long-term finances.

Personally, I realized a long time ago that I will likely not be able to afford a beachfront retirement home with a matching pontoon boat, but that's not exactly what I'm shooting for anyway.

This month's cover story, "Time crunched" (pages 12-17), explores how this cultural quandary plays out in the short term, how our day-to-day lives reflect a fast-paced culture and the pressure we face to do more, make more, and "be" more. It's a culture where faith gets squeezed out as excess baggage, just one more thing in a string of activities on a Sunday. Making peace and prayer a priority will require some conscious choices against a culture on the go.

Also check out "How to 'do it all'" (pages 38-40), a reflection on modern motherhood and the demands placed on women to be Supermom, Superlawyer, and Superwife all at once. Again, we call on faith to put things in perspective.