Today's Reflection: Out of love and compassion, Jesus heals us

Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched the leper, and said to him, "I do will it. Be made clean."
 Today's gospel scene brings to our hearts the depth of Christ's love for all of us. It revealed to everyone that we have a God in Christ Who is truly authentic in His desire to care for all of us. He showed everyone how unconventional loving and caring should be among His people. That our love for our neighbor should never be fixed within the confines of a designed framework or program but one that extends to what is difficult to do, one that needs our total commitment, one that is almost impossible to pursue.

By what Jesus witnessed to us, He exhorts every believer to love one's neighbor with the kind of love that is not only true and deep but one that will be enough to move one into action, one that flows into mercy and compassion. He wants us to love our neighbor as He did, without any reservation and totally selfless, a love that totally considers the present need and predicament of our neighbor.

Jesus healed a leper by touching him, a very meaningful act of love and compassion on a man who by law was barred from ever touching anyone again. To be near a leper was beyond peoples' minds then, and even today. Lepers have practically been banished from society that no one would even dare come close to them, not even within reasonable distance. With their sores, dirty and contaminated bodies, lepers are the last persons man would want to touch.

To touch a leper is quite unthinkable up to this present time, yet the first thing Jesus did was to touch him. Jesus touched him, healed him and made him whole. Even before Jesus could respond to the plea of the leper, Jesus Who was moved with pity, stretched out his hand, touched the leper and said: "I do will it. Be cured." That is the kind of love Jesus has for us, one that flows into mercy and compassion, one that is authentic enough to make Him accept death on the Cross-for the salvific benefit of sinners and not the righteous.

Today, let us follow the great example of Jesus by showing love and compassion to someone we find hard to relate to, not only because of their physical deficiencies but also due to what we have perceived as their sinfulness and brokenness.

What do we do when we see that a man encounter adverse situations… when his words and actions do not seem to fit a Christian? Do we show him our love and minister to him? Do we walk with him in Christ and try our very best to restore him and bring him closer to our Lord? Or do we make his life even worst by back biting on him and destroying his image within God’s flock? Or do we remain indifferent to him and rationalize our actions by saying I have better things to do for my family and community, than involve myself with such person?

In relationships within community, family and office is there a "leper" God wants us to touch with our loving care, understanding and compassion? Have we taken a ten-foot pole to shield ourselves …to ensure that we are at a safe distance from the person? What about the pastoral care we have always talked about?

‘“Harden not your hearts as at the rebellion in the day of testing in the desert… Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil and unfaithful heart, so as to forsake the living God. Encourage yourselves daily while it is still “today,” so that none of you may grow hardened by the deceit of sin. We have become partners of Christ if only we hold the beginning of the reality firm until the end.”’

Lord have mercy on me if I have not been faithful to your word whenever I encounter a leper in my daily interactions at work and in community… if I have been cold and indifferent to them. Forgive me for taking another road whenever a leper comes my day. Give me the grace, the strength and the courage to touch with your love those I have seen and considered as the “lepers” in my life. Open my heart and make me your vessel in bringing your love to them.

Direction
Our love and compassion for our neighbor should go beyond our words and be evidenced in our actions.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, give me the grace to find ways to express love and compassion on those who are hurting and are in need of your healing touch. In Jesus, I pray. Amen.
[source: email]

Continue>>>

Today's Reflection: Live in the world the Lord's way

As a distinct part of God's family deeply submerged in work for Him, what do you think our Lord truly wants from us within the next twelve months?

Meditating on our God and His works has led me to believe that God is not really asking from us for a charter of accountabilities at this point of time. He is not requiring us to present to Him a plan of what we intend to do in His Name. All He wants from us is to look deep into our hearts and try to assess our own discipleship in Christ, how well we have pursued our covenant with Him and how much we have contributed to his cause and purpose.

In a wonderful message written by George Carlin (as sourced from our Church bulletin), he stated the paradox of our time in history. He spoke the truth behind our present world which only revealed how we have lived out our lives, how we have been drawn to the world than to our Lord.

He shared, "that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways but narrower viewpoints. We spend more but have less. We buy more but enjoy less. We have bigger homes and smaller families, more conveniences but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine but less healing"

"We drink too much, smoke too much, spend recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, love too seldom and hate too often. We have learned to make a living but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years."

"We've been all the way to the moon and back but have trouble crossing the street to meet our new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We have done larger things but not better things. We have cleaned the air but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom but not our prejudice. We write more but learn less. We plan more but accomplish less. We've learned to rush but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less."

"These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses but broken homes. These are the days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies and pills that do everything from cheer, quiet and kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom."

That was quite a mouthful but nothing could be more true than what was shared. It is a regret that man's focus on the world rather than on God has caused us to be more of the world and less of God. Instead of being new creations in Christ, bowed down low before God with hearts and minds full of love for Him and genuine humility before His grace and mercy, we have been snared by worldliness. We are so full of pride and arrogance that we have not left space for our Lord and His works. When we become a friend of the world we become God's enemy. We become infidels as we break our covenant with our Lord. We fail to love Him with all our hearts, souls and strength.

Let us be reminded that we have a God Who puts to death anything that does not add up to our being His children and gives life. He casts down to the nether world and He raises up again. Jesus did not come to destroy us. The Lord makes poor and makes rich, He humbles, He also exalts. He raises the needy from the dust, from the ash heap he lifts up the poor, to seat them with nobles and make a glorious throne their heritage.

Can't we give God space in our hearts so that He can work in us?

Direction

Let us examine how faithful we have been to our covenant with God and re-commit and dedicate our lives to Him.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I pray that you will bless me with the grace to deepen my relationship with You through Jesus, my Lord and Savior. Amen.
[source:email]

Continue>>>

Today's Reflection: Are you willing to abandon everything for God? What does it really mean?

What caught my heart in today's gospel reading were the words. “they left” meaning "they abandoned." Simon and Andrew left their nets to follow Jesus. James and John did not only abandon their nets but left their father Zebedee with his hired men as they responded to the invitation of Jesus.

Sometime ago, we heard God's call to follow Him. Some of us may have instantaneously left (abandoned) our old lives and embraced our new lives in Christ. Others may have taken time in responding to God's call. Whatever the case may be, each one of us left (abandoned) something behind. We had to forsake whatever we had in exchange for what we believed will achieve the reason why we are in this world. We all realized that to reach our final destination we had to give up a lot. We learned that we had to die to our selves and open our hearts to what is Christ-like and allow the Spirit to take full control.

Responding to God and His call means we have to make a complete turnaround and discard our old ways. It means we should never re-consider going back to our old lives or even look back at them but continuously and incessantly work at what will bring us close to our God. It means seriously pursuing our ministry and being fruitful in the Lord's vineyard.

Unfortunately any activity, even the most religious and spiritual in nature, when marred by tension and major differences can numb souls and may cause one to seek spiritual refreshment. One may in time find a need for a fresh anointing from the Lord Who is always at work in creating a masterpiece out of us.


Amid any difficulty and pain, the temptation to abandon our relationship with God and His Church may be knocking in our hearts. The temptation to give up our work in community is so strong because we feel pain in our relationships. We may have placed our ministry/apostolate dependent on whether we will get what we want from a situation..

Are we going to give in to the enemy and allow our servanthood to be jeopardized by our self centeredness?

God is asking us to abandon all that we are and all that have caused us to experience coldness in our hearts. He is calling us to make a return to Him for all the good He has done for us. He is asking us to give our all to Him so that He may work on us and purify us and cleanse us of our sins, so that we be made heirs of all things and the refulgence of His glory and the very imprint of his being, so that at journey’s end we may take our place in the greatest banquet that awaits all of us at the right hand of our Lord!

With humble and contrite hearts and in the presence of all His people, let us take the cup of salvation and call upon the Name of the Lord.

Let us pay our vows to the Lord.

Let us abandon the evil one and offer our Lord a sacrifice of thanksgiving!

Let us offer Him a sacrifice of praise!

Let us abandon everything that is not of Christ as "This is the time of fulfillment. The reign of God is at hand! Reform your lives and believe in the good news!"

Direction
Let us abandon our old lives, seek God and His will. Change for the better.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, I offer You a sacrifice of praise as You give me the grace to abandon my old life and follow Jesus. Give the grace of transformation, so that I may be strong enough to abide by Him, in Whom I live and move and have my being. Amen.
[source: email]

Continue>>>

Today's Reflection: "Love God and everyone that God loves!"

"Love God and everyone that God loves!"

Reflection

"My love is fixed on God." This is a statement I often hear from Christians. A number of times in the past, I find it difficult to understand such claim as the way people react and relate with one another are quite different from what is being professed. If God were truly fixed in their hearts, things would have been different. What I see in my midst are quite far from the model Jesus gave all of us.

Jesus did not only keep His love for God's family in the secrecy of His heart but openly gave it to everyone. He was able to make everyone feel loved and accepted despite everyone's sinfulness and brokenness. One cannot trace any rigidity in His actions and motivations but only mercy and compassion. He served and taught the people at all cost and even decided to accept death on the Cross to save humanity.

When a brother is in need of help, hungry and with nothing to sustain himself, what do we do to alleviate the person's suffering? Do we just share God's Word with Him, console him and ask him to rejoice for we have a God Who provides and Who will never forsake him? Or do we go out of our way to stretch our hand, make him feel loved, feed him and try to find a way to resolve what has burdened him? Have we followed God's Word in meeting the need of a brother in need? Or have we been quite limited to pure talk and no action? Saying to a brother in need, "go in peace" is not good enough when we say that our love is fixed on God. Having this thought in our minds and hearts is not enough.

Indifference towards the plight of another and complacency from doing good and loving a neighbor are even worst than hating a brother. Indifference kills. Thus a believer who is not moved to love his brother and do good and godly acts cannot say that his love is fixed on God as God is love. Scripture is right in referring to him as a liar. He has not loved God if he has not loved his brother. If he has not loved God and his brother then the only one he could have loved was himself and no one else. Beware as too much love of self will in time empty our hearts of love of God.

In Luke 16:19-31, the rich man upon his death was condemned to suffer and was in torment because of his utter disregard for the poor, not because of his wealth. The kind of heart and disposition that he carried with him showed that he never believed in God and His ways. Since God was not in his heart, there was no way love could reside within him. If he had faith in our Lord, he would have some built-in mercy and compassion for the poor that begged for his leftovers. If He had love of God deep within him, he would not have lived in great luxury, comfort and ease while a poor beggar in Lazarus kept watch outside his house hoping that he will be blessed with some crumbs to fill his empty stomach.

The rich man was condemned for he has become so complacent with all his riches and such is a man who has become so self-centered and does not care for his neighbor. Such is the man who did not pass the test of faithfulness in stewardship, whose wealth was not able to bring him endless joy but total destruction. This is the tragic ending of anyone who believes on the great promise of wealth, power and influence which the world offers rather than the promise of eternal life and salvation in God's Word.

Let us always remember the commandment we have from Him: ”Whoever loves God must also love his brother.”

In today's gospel Jesus said: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord." We too have been anointed to do the same. Have we properly responded to such anointing?

Direction

Find a way not only to share God's Word with everyone but to share His love as well. One way we can do this is by helping the earthquake and tsunami victims of South Asia.

Prayer

Oh God of Wonder, even though I often feel like I am stumbling in the dark, I know you are there to guide me with the perfect light of your love.

I know you can heal me and I believe that you want to do just that.
I beg you now to look at me with your loving eyes and 'make me clean.'
Let my life reflect the balance of my faith in you and a love of those in my life. Help me to love more freely. Help me to love as you do. Heavenly Father, give me the grace to be compassionate and loving to those who come to me in need. In Jesus, I pray. Amen.
[via email]

Continue>>>

Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?

Today's Reflection:

Today’s gospel reading highlights to us that in every man, times of weakened faith can come. The very question, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?’ once more pops up? And to this Jesus responds: "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me."

Amidst some present day adversities, life reversals and difficulties, we could also be posing the same question to Jesus. ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?

God is in His word through the prophet Isaiah has responded to this question: He said: “I am the LORD, there is no other; I form the light, and create the darkness. …I make well-being and create woe; I, the LORD, do all these things… Turn to me and be safe, all you ends of the earth, for I am God; there is no other!” God wants us to totally trust Him in faith. God will never forsake us nor leave us. He will be with us until the end of time.

Let us surrender our all to God as He will never abandon. “The LORD himself will give his benefits; our land shall yield its increase. Justice shall walk before him, and salvation, along the way of his steps.”

Direction
Trust is the foundation of any relationship. Trust God completely without reserve.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we believe that Jesus is the great Messiah through whom all your benefits flow and to whom we entrust our lives. In Him, we live, hope and pray. Amen.

Continue>>>

But how do we properly receive God's Word?

Today's Reflections:

But how do we properly receive God's Word? We can only receive God's Word if we get rid of sin and humbly open our hearts to His grace. We have to remove the filthiness of our old life by repenting of our sins and firmly resolving to nurture and nourish our hearts with what is of our Lord. We can have God's Word permanently domiciled and active in our hearts if we seriously seek spiritual growth and welcome God's Word even though it may mean being pruned and purified in fire.

Receiving God's Word and heeding it means we have to reflect on it and apply it to our lives. To hear God's Word and not do anything about it is to regress spiritually, which is the exact opposite of what our Lord wants from us. Receiving God's Word does not only mean storing it in our memory bank but implies we have to respond to it and follow what it says.

God's Word has to be lived if we claim our oneness with Him. But quite a number have their minds all made up about certain things. How open are we to the truth that can set us free?

We have to claim God's Word seriously and make it a distinct and integral part of our existence, until the truth our Lord wishes to bring us is deeply imbedded in our hearts. It is only at this point when we can claim God's mighty promises to His people. It is only then that we can experience the transforming power of our Lord, live according to His will and move forward to becoming truly like Christ and being more like the child of the Father that we all have hoped to be. It is the only way we can be gracious, thankful and fruitful, the only way we can rid ourselves of negativity and make our hearts grateful for what all that may come our way.

"Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life. He is like a tree planted near running water that yields its fruit in due season and whose leaves never fade. Whatever he does, prospers."

Direction

God's Word should be applied to our lives. We should delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on His law day and night.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, give me the grace to be truly obedient to your Word no matter how difficult it may be. In Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Continue>>>

Is our relationship with our Lord founded on signs and wonders?

Today's Reflection

“Let it be done for you according to your faith.”

Is our relationship with our Lord founded on signs and wonders? Do we remain indifferent and unmoved unless we see something unusual which strikes our senses?

It is almost next to impossible to walk in the way of God's will without faith in our hearts. True faith is not based on what we see and touch but on the authority of God. God has revealed Himself to us and He can neither deceive nor be deceived. Authentic faith demands that we believe firmly in His Word under any circumstance. To believe God and His Word, despite life's difficulties, is pure faith which is pleasing to God and which can only be ours as a gift from Him if we have hearts that are truly open.

God sees into our souls and knows how strong and pure our faith has been even more clearly than we do. But God does not require more than each one can give Him. When He sees our deepest motivations and sincere efforts to follow Him, believe in Him and depend on Him, He necessarily takes it upon Himself to perfect our faith. Thus with God's grace our imperfect and still human faith becomes pure and supernatural.

In this life, we can only walk towards God not by sight but by faith. The more authentic our faith is, the more pleasing it is to God and the more it will allow us to know His holy will and to accomplish it in our lives.

Today let us pursue God in total faith. Let us rejoice as Jesus assures all of us who come to Him with pure faith that we "shall see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living" and that "it shall be done to you."

Direction

Let us open our hearts to God and His grace so that He may be able to perfect our faith.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, perfect my faith that wavers in difficult times and bitter moments, so that I may know Your true will for me. In Jesus, I pray. Amen.

[via email]

Continue>>>

What will make us a faithful follower of Christ?

Today's Reflection:

What will make us a faithful follower of Christ? It is not verbal commitment to our Lord that counts but doing His will. Being one with our Lord in thought, word and deed, in our deepest desires and motivations, is one adequate expression of our love relationship with our God and our commitment to His cause. Doing His will with a cheerful heart despite the difficulties and trials that may have cramped our lives is a sign of an authentic follower of Christ.

Who will enter the heavenly kingdom of our Father? Jesus Himself said: "only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven."

To do the will of the Father is to be like Jesus and live as He lived. To be like Jesus, we have to walk the talk just as Jesus did. We should be totally dependent upon God and our lives and all that relate to our being should reflect God's character, His will and plan for us.

In John 4:34, Jesus said: "doing the will of Him who sent me and bringing his work to completion is my food." Doing God's will was so satisfying to Jesus as a good meal is to most of us. Doing God's will should be our food if we have to experience satisfaction. When we include God in our lives and make Him part of us, we are only bound to experience fulfilled lives which can nourish and refresh us and bring us the peace and serenity that we always long for. God's will is good, totally acceptable and perfect and can only bring us joy and contentment even in our most bitter and difficult situations.

God wants us to have the opportunity to be one with us and He is waiting for us to respond to his call. God may bring with Him "somethings" which we never planned for in the past but we have to receive them as our own and carry them. When we respond to God in this manner, we give Him the right to work out His will in our lives and be God for all of us. But if we fail to be one with our Lord and set Him aside in our lives, we get stuck in being god of our lives.

Doing God's will is picking up our cross and carrying it in His Name. Doing God's will is dying to self, our pride and arrogance and always asking God for the grace to submit to Him, "yet not what I will but what thou has willed."

Direction
God’s will for us is an expression of His infinitely perfect plan and it certainly demands our obedience.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, give me the grace to be fully committed to your Word, your will and perfect plan for me. In Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Continue>>>

Today's reflections: They questioned Jesus' wisdom and mighty deeds

They said: "Where did this man get this wisdom and mighty deeds? Is he not the carpenter's son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Are not his sisters all with us? Were did this man get all this?"And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his native place.” They found him too much for them.

This was how the people of authority looked at Jesus. He was treated with great reproach and He did not get the respect He deserved. They could not accept Jesus and all the good works that He has shared with everyone. The truth and the wisdom that He brought upon them were met with great question and sarcasm for they could not believe that such a lowly and poor man could ever be endowed with such gifts. Their hearts were breaking with disgust for how can Jesus teach with great wisdom and authority when He did not even come from the elite class of learned people neither was He brought up among the wealthy and the rich as the best that He could have was a manger for His birthplace. They said Jesus was a mere carpenter and what good can come out of Him. That was how people treated Jesus during His time.

Today and thousands of years later, it is very discouraging to note that man has not changed. We still hear similar comments from people about their neighbor. As such God comes to us with His exhortation that when dealing with our fellow worker in His vineyard, we should look into the goodness that is in him rather than on his faults. We should not look on how one started in life but how one has led his life in pursuit of God and His ways. We should not be concerned if one came into the world with a silver spoon or if one came from a family that has been destitute for generations. All we should consider is the goodness of a man and how he has glorified God in his life.

Because all of us are broken and sinful, we are so susceptible not only to judge others based on our opinion of their faults and their shortcomings, especially those who wound our feelings or those who conflict with our own way of thinking and acting. While we give little or no consideration to their good points we may judge them based on what we perceive them to be and their social standing: who they are in society, what their achievements are, how great their influence is, but most importantly, how thick their pocketbook is. In other words, the more a man exudes with the elements of the world, the more, people are likely to accept him and give him credence as a son of God.

Is this how Jesus wants us to treat each other? Given some degree of authority within God's family, is this how we will address our other co-workers and those who shall endeavor to work for Him?

Jesus was looked down upon by the church elders and this hampered his fruitfulness as Scripture says," He could work no miracle there, apart from curing a few who were sick by laying hands on them, so much did their lack of faith distress him." If we discriminate a fellow worker in Christ we hamper not only His ministry but also his spiritual growth and we are therefore answerable to God.

If ever we will be set aside and be treated the way they treated Jesus, let us not fight back but humbly receive the insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when we are weak, that is when we are strong. That is when Christ dwells in us, the time when His grace is more than sufficient for us, when we are able to do what others may consider as impossible and beyond us!

Our conduct may meet opposition from those who openly oppose Christian morality and those who practice a water-down version of the Faith. We should set aside any fears of ‘rocking the boat’ (speaking and standing for the TRUTH) should our upright conduct provoke criticism or rejection. We should not hide our Christian identity and even desire to be politically aligned with those who have power and influence. Amidst the material world, we ought to SPEAK for Jesus as He said: Whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. Our Lord teaches us that confessing our faith is a requirement for being His follower, no matter what the consequences may be. With God’s grace, we will be able to stand firm with our faith and do His Will. Everything we have belongs to the Lord.

Direction

Every man who endeavors to work for the Lord has been blessed with God's goodness and love. Always decide based on the goodness of the heart of a man rather than his sins and faults.


Prayer

Heavenly Father, when I chance to see a co-worker do something seemingly imperfect, give me the grace to see the goodness in the person and to credit him with the good intentions he no doubt possesses because He is one of your children whom You love so well. In Jesus, I hope and pray. Amen.
[source:via email]

Continue>>>

Today's reflection: How do we know if we really know who Jesus is?

Do we really know who Jesus is and what He is about? Do we really have faith in Him as the true Christ, our Savior and Redeemer? To respond to such questions we ought to ask ourselves: Have I spent serious time with the Lord to really know His mind, His heart and His character? Have I kept His Word in my heart and applied it to my life to see my circumstances through His eyes, to see my life through His eyes? Have I trusted Jesus that I have given Him the chance to rearrange my life on the basis of what He wants for me? Am I the person He wanted me to be because my heart is bonded to Him? Do I believe I know Jesus because with His grace I have tried my very best to live my life for Him despite my shortcomings, my brokenness and imperfections?

A man whose circumstances may not exactly reflect the best can be capable of showing great faith in our Lord. Martha was that such example. Even without fully comprehending Jesus, she rose up in faith and believed in what Jesus had to say. Her witness showed that because she believed, she was able to understand the supernatural.

In the same light, a man who may have just frequented the church and the sacraments only in the recent past may also know God intimately and have the kind of faith that is firmly founded in Jesus. The only pre-requisite to knowing our Lord is to have a heart that is open to His Spirit, a heart that hears and abides in His Word and is obedient to it.

When a man seeks God and comes to know Him, He perfects his faith and he is able to transcend what one may believe as impossible. With God everything else is possible. Faith enables and empowers. With God’s grace and the power of the Spirit, man is able to see through God’s eyes and do things according to His wisdom and strength.

Today, through Martha’s witness, Jesus is making us realize that what we need is faith. He is telling us: "Our Father is with you. He knows exactly what you need, and He wants to give it to you. Trust him. Open your heart to him. Walk with Him and be not afraid, for all the world is His, and you are His very own special children.

She said to him, "Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world."

Direction
Have faith in Jesus and obey His Word!

Prayer
Heavenly Father, let me live my life in complete trust to your goodness. In Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Other Notes
Martha was a person who really loved people and wanted them to enjoy life. She was blessed with that kind of magnanimous, enthusiastic personality. When she heard Jesus was coming for a visit, she began the preparations for a banquet to end all banquets. It’s the way important people are meant to be treated. Notice: that is what Martha wanted to do. What she should have tried to find out was what Jesus expected or needed. Martha’s over exuberance was her first miscue.

Her mistake was the one often made by people overly anxious to please. They think of their service in terms of what they know that they can provide for the ones they hope to impress. But the charitable approach of successful people is to provide what would most satisfy their loved ones. But as soon as Martha realized time was running out and she would not be able to take care of all the chores she went to Jesus and asked: “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” Jesus responded: “Mary has chosen the better part.” Martha should have gotten the picture immediately. Leave the kitchen, forget the banquet and join with Mary at the feet of Christ. However, everyone finds it difficult to give up personal plans and cooperate with another’s.

Many times we become so comfortable with our ministries and find so much success in what we are doing that it’s impossible to give up even when we become incapacitated or too infirmed to continue. There is always the suspicion no one is qualified to replace us. Too often we stay so long that we begin to lose our effectiveness and even become a detriment to the entire enterprise. Have you ever noticed how often this happens with volunteers, even in parish settings?

It’s a blessing to have magnanimous and enthusiastic volunteers on your roster. And you pray that they’ll continue to be interested and cooperative in the communal expectations and needs. Then too, what a blessing it is when those people become aware they no longer have the energy or competence to continue and graciously bow out letting others take over.
[via email]

Continue>>>