Tuesday – 17th Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel – Matthew 13:36-43
And I Will Walk “500 Miles”…….
Church of Holy Sepulchre
I am not the greatest at asking for directions or for help. I am more of a ‘learn from my mistakes’ kind of guy. Give me a project like assembling a 400-piece bookshelf/office work-station and I will go at it completely on my own. Who needs directions? In the process, I must admit, it probably takes me twice as long to complete but then I tell myself – I did it all by myself! So in the end, I feel what I lack in wisdom is made up for with brute force, not always a good thing!
The disciples in today’s Gospel are in a much better frame of mind. Jesus has just shared the Parable of the Sower and the Seed. And they don’t understand! They don’t get it! But give them credit; they ask Jesus to explain it to them. For once, I think Jesus’ explanation takes a back seat to the attitude of His disciples. They are honest – they are willing to admit that they don’t get the meaning of Jesus’ story. That shows a good deal of honesty – I’m not as smart as I think I am. It shows a willingness to learn – teach me the meaning! And it displays a certain wisdom – admitting that I don’t have all the answers and that I need help and direction! And it shows an attitude of humility – that there are many things that I just cannot control.
It’s an attitude that, in the face of disease and uncertainty, as the positivity numbers are again on the rise, we all still need today. We are living at a time with a lot more questions than answers and we need that attitude of “teach me” now more than ever. This is not a time to relax or be complacent. This is not a time when I can ‘do it all myself”. As trite as it sounds, we have only gotten this far by working together and looking out for each other! Throughout the last 16 months, we all needed those daily reminders – wash your hands, disinfect your phone, where’s your mask, 6 feet please, and wash your hands again! We all needed to remember that what I do affects those around me. We all needed a good dose of humility, of honesty and wisdom. We all needed, like the disciples, to admit we didn’t have all the answers and to put ourselves in the hands of Jesus – to pray for His guidance, to ask for His helping hand! Just as this pandemic continues to demand our attention, may we also continue to focus our attention on our Father in heaven, with humility and in recognition of our need for His wisdom and grace!
Great Spirit, help me today to appreciate my failings and Your Wisdom, to abandon my selfishness and seek comfort under your wings. Give me a caring heart and a discerning mind!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
  Feast of the Presentation Gospel – Luke 2:22-40 We Are Family Church of St. Joseph, Nazareth 5 extremely short stories to start the day! Once all the people in a village decided to pray for rain. On the day of prayer, all the people gathered, but only one boy came with an umbrella. That is faith. When you throw babies in the air, they laugh because they know you will catch them. That is trust. Every night we go to bed without any assurance of being alive the next morning, but we still set the alarm to wake up. That is hope. We plan big things for tomorrow in spite of zero knowledge of the future. That is confidence. We see the world suffering, but still, we get married and have children. That is love. Faith, hope, love, confidence and trust!   Sounds like a perfect list of values/virtues for a happy family! Today’s Gospel tells us of another family – the Holy Family going up to Jerusalem with the baby Jesus to present Him to the Lord in ...
Read more
Image
Sunday – Feast of Corpus Christi Gospel – Luke 9:11b-17 Loaves and Fishes Church at Tabgha Throughout those 2 years of isolation from Covid,   I really missed my St. Kateri community.   I missed my native brothers and sisters.   I miss crowding ourselves into the chapel on a Sunday morning for Mass.   And I miss our community potluck meal afterwards. I think that I missed that simple meal the most; it speaks volumes to me about the community and about the values that should define our lives.   I said a ‘simple’ meal but actually it’s more of a constant miracle.   Jody, our director, and/or Ginger provide the main course.   And that’s it!   All the rest – sides, salads, pasta, dessert, bread and drinks   - all of that is left to the community.   Bring something to share!   We never know how many people will come!   We never know what they will bring!   Ginger always calls it a “loaves and fishes” event! ...
Read more
Image
  Tuesday – St. Aloysius Gonzaga Gospel – Matthew 7:6, 12-14 Narrow Gate Old City, Jerusalem We celebrate today the Feast of St. Aloysius Gonzaga.   He was raised in a wealthy and powerful noble family in northern Italy in the 16 th century.   As a youth, he served as a page for King Philip and afterwards trained to be a soldier.   However that career path was cut short by kidney disease.   After he recovered, he gave up all his wealth and title and entered the Jesuit order at the age of 19.   When the plague broke out in Rome, he volunteered to care for the sick.   Unfortunately he fell victim to the disease and died a scant 4 months later at the age of 22. He could have easily kept his title and wealth; he could have enjoyed a comfortable easy life.   But instead he chose a different path, a path that was not only uncomfortable but extremely difficult and   challenging. In terms of today’s Gospel, Aloysius chose the ‘narr...
Read more