O MY GOD and MY ALL, in Thy goodness and mercy, grant
that before I die I may regain all the graces which I have lost through my
carelessness and folly. Permit me to attain the degree of merit and perfection
to which Thou didst desire to lead me, and which I failed by my unfaithfulness
to reach. Mercifully grant also that others regain the graces which they have
lost through my fault. This I humbly beg through the merits of the Sacred Heart
of Jesus and Immaculate Virgin Mary. Amen.
Yesterday, I spent the day with a co-worker as he
performed his duties. A lot of driving
was involved, so we had the time to get to know one another. As I
was “hitting the highlights” of my life during our discussion, I found myself
frequently getting reminded how God has been there for me and my family through
it all. While I was relating some of the
negative experiences in my life, like deaths of loved ones, job changes, and
the stresses of everyday life I saw, in hindsight, how these events had all played
a part in my heavenly Father’s plan to bring me closer to Him. I have
no idea what I have done to warrant all the blessings He has given me, but I
pray that He continues to bless me and my family and that He continues to
shower the graces upon me to recognize His involvement in my daily life. Praise God!
If you haven’t yet done so, take a few moments to read Nehemiah
2:1-8,Psalm 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6 and Luke 9:57-62. Read them aloud. They are truly beautiful, poetic readings
with rich and interesting messages for us.
The first reading tells us the story of Nehemiah choosing to leave his
comfortable position to return to his ruined ancestral city of Jerusalem to
help rebuild it - a task that would involve hardship and many risks. He has to take a chance in even asking for
permission to do this. Nehemiah throughout the passage, prays to God, and then
voices his faith that it was God’s favorable hand that led the king and queen
to say yes to his request. What a
reminder to us to pray for God’s help and then to recognize God’s favorable
hand! And then the psalm reminds us that
we, like the psalmist, are to always remember Zion - the kingdom of God.
The Gospel at first reading seems to tell us not to care
about or take care of the needs of our family.
Of course, Jesus is not really telling us to disregard family! There are many other scripture passages that
speak of our roles and obligations as family members, and we know that we are
called to fulfill these obligations.
I think the best way of looking at these readings is to
see them as reflecting the radical nature of being true to God’s call. All of
us at some time have to make a decision about following God. Sometimes it is going to cost us
dearly. We will have to give up things
that we may value deeply. We have to ask
ourselves if this cost is more than I am willing to pay. The enthusiasm for
beginning is there, but what are we willing to give up in order to “stay the
course”? We often forget that it is a
radical move when we follow Jesus. It’s
not the way of the world; it’s not the easy path.
The Gospel shows us that Jesus is calling us to put
following Him as our top priority.
Nothing else, not burying our dead, tending to our crops, or any other
task can ever be more important than following Christ. As true disciples we must accept that
following Christ requires a commitment that is always our highest priority, and
we must be willing to pay the cost.
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