Ordinary Time

Our lives are a day-to-day movement toward or away from God. Like a child learning, it's a function of baby steps. Consider this your homework for the summer. Take measure of where you are in your faith today and again at the end of the summer. Try not to be in a hurry; instead, be patient, open to God's grace, and attentive to His still, small voice every day.

We ought to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to carry out the will of God for each one of us as brothers and sisters of Christ. How do we do that? In the moments of our daily life which we seem to be pulling away with temptations and discouragement, while asking whose voice it is that we are hearing, we can call upon the Holy Spirit by saying: “Come, Holy Spirit, Come!”

God calls each one of us to love and to care for one another. Human beings are made to be in communion with each other in physical and embodied ways. When we bring care, love, and support to others, we help them to experience Christ’s compassion and healing touch.

Jesus knows suffering. He knows doubt. He knows abandonment. In fact, by his suffering, he expresses in the most profound way that he is I AM. He is with us. Let his name reverberate in your mind. May it help remind you that God does indeed care, and that, in both your darkest moments and your greatest triumphs, I AM is with you always.

We don’t need to go searching in all these other-worldly places – or even in the more usual worldly places – for meaning and purpose and empowerment. God has a plan for each of us, a purpose he’s held for us since before the world began. You begin discerning your life’s purpose by being faithful to the duty of the present moment.
The great Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky once wrote, “The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.” So, why not live for God?

“Come, follow me” is the call of Jesus for us to embrace our vocation as the beloved sons and daughters of God, to let go of what paralyzes us, and to cultivate a personal relationship with Jesus. Spend some time this week in prayer recalling your baptism into Christ and give thanks to God for His invitation to come follow Jesus, knowing everything else will follow.

We’d like to think that following Jesus, taking up the cross, just means “being good” and giving up things that are sinful. But there’s a bigger cross, a deeper invitation, to love your enemies and do good to those who annoy you. To love both those who deserve your love as well as those who don’t deserve it. Ask the Lord to show you the undeserving person in your life that you’ve been avoiding or who you’ve failed to love, and pray for the grace to do something concrete for them - to love them, do good for them, for the sake of Christ.

What are you thankful for? That’s the question Fr. Bill asks of our Thanksgiving Day Mass attendees. Consider what you are thankful for as you listen to their responses!