Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Matthew18: 15-21

"I tell you solemnly, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven..."

We are disciples of Christ. We have committed ourselves to following Him, in order that we may become the person the Father created us to be and that we may share in the eternal banquet that the Father has for us. Oh, and we're supposed to share this with others on the journey. In short, we need to evangelize and catechize.

Neither should be treated as a hobby, but rather as a vocation, one's call to a life in God. And when we truly carry out our work, it will be blessed, as promised by Christ.

What we need to watch out for is letting pride and arrogance creep into our work. We are not better than those we evangelize or catechize. We are not spiritual Know-it-Alls or the blessed Mr. Fixit. If our pride overcomes us, we become the worst caricatures of evangelization and catechesis. Instead, we are humble vessels, allowing ourselves to be filled with the Lord and letting it flow over to others. Humility for the Lord is you second and everyone else first.

But if we don't succumb, if we truly are the compassionate, humble messenger, our work becomes Christ's work and is thus sacred and blessed.
Perhaps today is a good day to spend some time reflecting your own call in the missionary Church.

3 comments:

  1. I just read this today and have pondered it all day long: "Vocation does not come from willfulness. It comes from listening. I must listen to my life and try to understand what it is truly about---quite apart from what I would like it to be about---or my life will never represent anything real in the world, no matter how earnest my intentions.... Vocation does not mean a goal that I pursue. It means a calling that I hear." -Herbert Alphonso, SJ

    Reflecting on our call means silence and discernment; being rather than doing.

    Thanks for these wise words today my friend. And I prayed for you yesterday on the Feast of St. Lawrence, patron of deacons. I believe that I hear that same call, but how can I be sure? And even if it is what I hear, what can I do?

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  2. Oh I hit post and now I regret that. My cry is so self-absorbed! I need to go to the listening space that I write about but lack the ability to actually practice.

    I am sorry!

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  3. Thanks for remembering me and my brothers in the diaconate yesterday. I actually had written a post about St. Lawrence, but never got to posting during the day,,,which I now feel sorry about missing. But at least it's there for next year.

    Tomorrow, some words from Merton.

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