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Today's readings can be found here.
In many of the Gospel stories, people who meet Jesus go away giving thanks to God, or proclaiming that he is the messiah. They have been healed, their sins have been forgiven, they are free and so very happy. The man in today's gospel is not. He goes away sad.
From the outside, his life is a testament to following God. He wants to follow God so badly that he even asks Jesus his advice in how to obtain everlasting life. Unfortunately, the answer he hears is not what he wants to hear.
Jesus, first of all, loves us. He sees us as we are. Jesus IS the Word of God. The reading from Hebrews tells us that the Word of God is living and effective, penetrating, able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. The gospel says, “Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said...” (what he did not want to hear). Jesus looked at him, he penetrated his reflections and thoughts. He saw what was holding the young man back. His wealth was important to him, so much so that it was keeping him from fully entering into the life that God wanted for him. This is why the young man went away sad. If there was one thing he did not want to do, it was give away his possessions. Jesus saw this, and knew that the young man needed to hear this word.
The advice he heard was not what he wanted to hear. Maybe he wanted to hear, “You are doing a great job! Keep it up! Nothing more is needed from you!” Don't we all want to hear that our current level of effort in our faith is enough?
God has a challenge planned for each of us. This challenge is designed to see if we are really willing to make the proper sacrifices to “pick up our cross and follow after Christ” For some people, it is loving a completely unlovable person, for some people it is following a part of the Church's teaching that they do not fully agree with or understand. Almost everyone finds a part of the bible or church's teaching that they may not agree with on the surface. They might even think that their opinion, or society's opinion of the teaching is more important than what God has said.
God loves us, and he wants what is best for us. I pray that each of us could open our hearts to respond to God's desire for us. I pray that the word of God would pierce our hearts so we would be able to “take up the cross” and do the hard thing which we resist, the thing that will bring us closer to God and his kingdom.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Food for the journey (Vol 5)
Prayer
Lord Jesus, help me to find a special time and place for you in my daily life. I tend to be so busy and so preoccupied. I neglect to provide the opportunity simply to be with you. Even when I do set aside time for prayer, I tend to become so distracted. The concerns and anxieties that trouble me tend to well up and occupy my attention. Give me the courage to weather the storm of my inner desires, drives and fear so that I can become faithful to quiet time with you. Enable me in this time to experience more clearly the truth about you, about me, about others, about the world, about the devil. Sustain me in a loving embrace of all that is truly real. Amen.
-from Spiritual Masters by Bishop Alfred Hughes.
From the Saints
Perfection exists in being what God wants us to be
–St. Teresa Child of Jesus
Quote
We, the unwilling, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, for so long, with so little, we are now qualified to do anything with nothing.
-Blessed Theresa of Calcutta
Scripture
Give and gifts will be given to you, a good measure, packed together, shaken down and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. - Luke 3:8
On Evangelizing
Your faithfulness to Christ will lead more people to Christ than anything else.
On God's mighty power
If I had to depend on my own strength, I would lose all confidence and courage in such an undertaking. But when I think of the help of God, when I consider his promises, when I take into account his power and his goodness, everything within me comes alive again, and I feel strong and powerful enough to work in the vineyard of the Lord. Even if far away from home, I am close to him who has called me to this work.
-Blessed Francis Xavier Selos
Lord Jesus, help me to find a special time and place for you in my daily life. I tend to be so busy and so preoccupied. I neglect to provide the opportunity simply to be with you. Even when I do set aside time for prayer, I tend to become so distracted. The concerns and anxieties that trouble me tend to well up and occupy my attention. Give me the courage to weather the storm of my inner desires, drives and fear so that I can become faithful to quiet time with you. Enable me in this time to experience more clearly the truth about you, about me, about others, about the world, about the devil. Sustain me in a loving embrace of all that is truly real. Amen.
-from Spiritual Masters by Bishop Alfred Hughes.
From the Saints
Perfection exists in being what God wants us to be
–St. Teresa Child of Jesus
Quote
We, the unwilling, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, for so long, with so little, we are now qualified to do anything with nothing.
-Blessed Theresa of Calcutta
Scripture
Give and gifts will be given to you, a good measure, packed together, shaken down and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. - Luke 3:8
On Evangelizing
Your faithfulness to Christ will lead more people to Christ than anything else.
On God's mighty power
If I had to depend on my own strength, I would lose all confidence and courage in such an undertaking. But when I think of the help of God, when I consider his promises, when I take into account his power and his goodness, everything within me comes alive again, and I feel strong and powerful enough to work in the vineyard of the Lord. Even if far away from home, I am close to him who has called me to this work.
-Blessed Francis Xavier Selos
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Todays readings can be found here.
“We were given: Two hands to hold. To legs to walk. Two eyes to see. Two ears to listen. But why only one heart? Because the other was given to someone else. For us to find.” (Anon author) In the beginning, man was alone and knew that none of the animals were enough for him. God took part of the man and made a suitable partner for him. What was originally one, is now two separate persons. As it says in the reading from Genesis, “This is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife.”
Weeks ago we were presented with a reading that used marriage as the metaphor to describe the relationship between Christ and our Church. In this marriage, the spouses were to help each other get to heaven. Today we are given readings that describe the union of man and woman through marriage as designed during the creation. Man and woman were once one, but are now two. We were also once one with God, but are now separated from Him.
The fall in the Garden of Eden was like a divorce from God. Our baptism and sacramental life re-unites us. Like divorce, the hardness of mankind's hearts keep some separated from God. Some people say, “I'm spiritual, but not religious.” Well, God made each and every one of us. He is Spirit and life, we are alive and we are spiritual. It is in our very nature, as created by God, to be spiritual.
The religious aspect of our spiritual life is a way that God helps us. He saw that it was not suitable for persons to be alone. He made a partner for man so that he would have a companion in life. In our spiritual life, we are given our religion as a way to unite and connect with others. The union is what we call church. The union we participate in is called the One, Holy, Apostolic and Catholic Church. This Church is created for us, to help us unite ourselves with God. He created us to live together, to be together, to be one body. This body, this Church, was created to help us get to heaven. Marriage and the Church reflect each other, as ways that two parts can become one through sacrifice and obedience to each other; and they both can get us to heaven.
“We were given: Two hands to hold. To legs to walk. Two eyes to see. Two ears to listen. But why only one heart? Because the other was given to someone else. For us to find.” (Anon author) In the beginning, man was alone and knew that none of the animals were enough for him. God took part of the man and made a suitable partner for him. What was originally one, is now two separate persons. As it says in the reading from Genesis, “This is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife.”
Weeks ago we were presented with a reading that used marriage as the metaphor to describe the relationship between Christ and our Church. In this marriage, the spouses were to help each other get to heaven. Today we are given readings that describe the union of man and woman through marriage as designed during the creation. Man and woman were once one, but are now two. We were also once one with God, but are now separated from Him.
The fall in the Garden of Eden was like a divorce from God. Our baptism and sacramental life re-unites us. Like divorce, the hardness of mankind's hearts keep some separated from God. Some people say, “I'm spiritual, but not religious.” Well, God made each and every one of us. He is Spirit and life, we are alive and we are spiritual. It is in our very nature, as created by God, to be spiritual.
The religious aspect of our spiritual life is a way that God helps us. He saw that it was not suitable for persons to be alone. He made a partner for man so that he would have a companion in life. In our spiritual life, we are given our religion as a way to unite and connect with others. The union is what we call church. The union we participate in is called the One, Holy, Apostolic and Catholic Church. This Church is created for us, to help us unite ourselves with God. He created us to live together, to be together, to be one body. This body, this Church, was created to help us get to heaven. Marriage and the Church reflect each other, as ways that two parts can become one through sacrifice and obedience to each other; and they both can get us to heaven.
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