Catholic Faith Space
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This past weekend I worked a TEC retreat. Going into the weekend, it felt like a scramble to finish preparing in the days leading up to Thursday and to take care of things that I wanted to get done before being gone for the weekend. I also knew it would be a long weekend with little sleep and I was feeling a little distracted, thinking about the many other things I could be doing. However, it didn’t take long to be drawn out of this selfish mindset and back into reality. Thursday night, all of the team members arrived for the weekend and we had the team mass. When I heard the first line of the Gospel reading, it was a reminder of why I was there and what the purpose of the weekend was. This line that I was struck by in the moment was, “Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!’” (Luke 12:49). Being part of the team and serving was not about me or any of the team members, it was about helping to set the world on fire!
One of our jobs as Catholics is to help set the world on fire. This means to share our faith, to bring our fire to those around us so that they too would be filled with the love of Jesus and be filled with that same fire. Most of us probably want to see a world like this and so we must all play our part in helping to create this kind of world. What if we lived in a world where each and every single person was transformed by Christ’s love? The only way we can see this happen is if we live our faith. This means not keeping it hidden and not staying in our comfort zone, doing nothing. And to do this, we must be willing to show up, to serve and do whatever God has called us to do in the moment. Whether that means working on a retreat, teaching a faith formation class, or just taking time to sit down with someone and listen, we often need to put aside our own self-serving desires and interests and do whatever it takes to commit to helping others on the journey. Thursday night at that team mass, the scramble and hustle leading up to that evening all came to a standstill. As the gospel was being read and the rest of the mass went on, I was reminded not only why I was there but also that I truly did want to be there because I want to see a world that is on fire. To see the whole world on fire probably seems like an impossible reality. But we can start with the people around us. Jesus deeply desires for each and every person to be filled with the fire of His love and we probably have this desire too. So, we must ask ourselves, what am I doing to help the people around me, in my family, parish, and community to come to know Jesus and to deepen their relationship with Him? My prayer for all of us today is that we would do everything we can to help set the earth ablaze, just as Jesus wants!
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Today is the feast day of St. John Paul II. Throughout his life and time as pope, he shared countless profound and beautiful words that give us a lot to reflect on. One of my favorite quotes from him is, “The most beautiful and stirring adventure that can happen to you is the personal meeting with Jesus, who is the only one who gives real meaning to our lives.” Once you have had an encounter with Jesus, everything changes. You no longer allow your life to be defined by what the world tells us matters.
At the beginning of last year, the organization I work at went through a restructuring. Everyone changed roles to better align with the mission. The role I went from to the role I moved into was sort of a promotion. I remember telling someone about this transition as they asked me about my job. As soon as I explained about the change, the first thing this person asked was, “is there an opportunity for you to move up again?” She was immediately wondering about more promotion opportunities. I responded that maybe there was, but in my head I was thinking, “I just want to stay in this role and do the job well. I’m not interested in climbing the ladder.” I think this person’s question is indicative of the society we live in. So many people find meaning in advancing their careers and being at the top, so they can make as much money as possible. To be clear, there is nothing wrong with advancing in your job and being at the top of the organization. But the problem comes when this is what defines your life and where you find the meaning of your life. And this is just one example of many in our culture where people seek their meaning. Our relationship with Jesus should occupy more space in our minds and hearts than any other worldly pursuit. The sad reality is that there are countless people among us, including other Catholics/Christians who have not had an encounter with Jesus. They have not met Him in a way that has changed their lives. We must invite people to take part in various opportunities and continue to share with them how Jesus has impacted our lives. When we have had a personal encounter with Christ, it changes everything. It takes us down a path we would have not chosen to walk down otherwise. My prayer for each person reading this is that you would remember the meaning that your life has because of Jesus and that you would share that with the people around you who have not met Him yet. Yesterday, I read a book called Loved as I Am: An Invitation to Conversion, Healing, and Freedom through Jesus, by Sister Miriam James Heidland. While it was a quick and easy read, she shared so many profound statements to reflect on as she shared her story. In one of the statements I was struck by, she says, “When was the last time you were mistaken for Jesus? As our lives are redeemed and joined to the life of Jesus, the world around us changes because the face of Christ is made manifest” (Heidland 19). This is a powerful thought for us to all reflect on.
“When was the last time you were mistaken for Jesus?” Obviously, this is not meant in a literal sense, but what if we lived our lives each day in a way that was Christ-like enough that others could see Him in us? What if our friends, family members, co-workers, and neighbors were inspired by us because of our words and actions? What if people who’ve left the church returned to the faith because of the way we lived? What if people who did not know Christ had a desire to learn who He is because of the way we made Him present by our personal witness? When people see us or interact with us, do they see Jesus in us? One of the best ways to become more like Him is to seek out the sacraments, receiving the Eucharist as often as possible and going to confession. Another way is to read scripture regularly, letting His word permeate our hearts and minds. When we fail to present Jesus to the world around us, which we will often do, we can begin again, asking Jesus to help us become more like Him. Today, the Church celebrates the feast day of St. Teresa of Avila. She is known for saying, “Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.” These beautiful words she is attributed with are fitting with this question from Sr. Miriam, “When was the last time you were mistaken for Jesus?” As St. Teresa of Avila says, we are called to be Christ in the world. Can people see Him through us? As we go throughout our week, may we let Jesus work in and through us, showing and reminding others who He is. We will fail often, but we can always begin again. My prayer is that we would be able to change our corner of the world around us, letting Christ be known and helping people see Him in us. In today’s (10/8) gospel, we read the story of Martha and Mary. Martha is busy serving and completing tasks while her sister Mary sits at the feet of Jesus and listens. When we hear this gospel passage, we are often asked to reflect on who we are in the story: are we more of a Martha or Mary? And oftentimes, Martha gets criticized in this story. But I think we are called to be both Martha and Mary.
In the passage, Jesus says, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part…” (Luke 10:41-42). When we read this line we often believe that it must be true that Mary is doing what is more important and Martha’s worried about doing the wrong things and too busy serving. But I don’t think Jesus is condemning her actions. At the beginning of the passage, it says, “he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him” (Luke 10:38). He was welcomed by her and surely must have appreciated her hospitality and service. And Jesus calls her by name, gently drawing her attention to Him. There is a right time and place for both Mary and Martha. We need to work and serve, but if our service is not done with a focus on Jesus, it is in vain. Jesus gently calls Martha back to Him, reminding her of what is important, and He does the same for us. To sit in prayer with Jesus is what gives us the love, peace, and joy that we need in our work and in order to make our faith a way of life, to serve and work for Him. Today, instead of asking yourself if you’re a Mary or Martha, ask yourself if your priorities are properly ordered. Ask yourself, are you taking time to be Mary, sitting with Jesus and being filled by His presence, so that you can go out and serve with love and joy, glorifying Him in your tasks? Yesterday night as I was packing to go on vacation this week, I thought for a moment about how I am a fairly light packer. There are two types of people in the world- those who pack light and those who overpack. Neither method is necessarily better than the other. In our lives, we can easily tend to overpack, carrying extra stuff that we don’t need to carry. And when it comes to how we pack our luggage, thankfully, whichever camp we find ourselves in, overpacker or under packer, is not an indication of our ability to trust Jesus and let go of the things we don’t need to carry.
Overpacking leads us to have a heavier load to carry because we have more than we need. And in the spiritual life, it is easy to find ourselves weighed down with a heavy load to carry. We often try to either carry things on our own or carry things that we need to hand over, to let go of. Maybe we allow the lies of the world and Satan to fill our hearts and minds. Maybe we let sin build up and weigh us down, instead of seeking out confession right away. Maybe we try to carry our crosses on our own, not seeking help from others and from Jesus. All of these things we carry on our own or unnecessarily with us on the journey are the things that hinder us from a stronger relationship with God. They drag us down, slowing our progress in our spiritual lives, and ultimately weaken our trust in God. But he wants us to hand everything to Him and put our complete trust in Him, knowing that He walks with us every step of the way, helping us carry only what we need and handing Him the rest. Is anything weighing you down lately? Take time to reflect on what you need to release completely or what you need to give to Jesus. May you open up your suitcase and remove those things you don’t need, lightening your load and letting Jesus take it from you. |
AuthorStriving to share hope, joy, God's love, and all of the good stuff, one blog post at a time. Categories |
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