Daily Reflection for Tuesday, August 10, 2021
Peace and Blessings Friends and Parishioners,
We encourage you to reflect on Tuesday's readings at this link:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/081021.cfm
If you prefer to use your own Bible, the readings are:
First Reading: 2 Corinthians 9:6-10
Responsorial: Psalm 112:1-2, 5-6, 7-8, 9
Gospel: John 12:24-26
Our reflection on Tuesday's readings:
"Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be." (John 12:26)
The Great Judgment in Matthew 25:31-46 tells us where we must go to find Jesus: The Son of Man is found among the hungry, the thirsty, the strangers, the naked, the sick and the prisoners. And like the life in a grain of wheat (John 12), the life of a disciple requires dedication of our whole selves.
Through the years, I've been moved by missionaries who have visited our parish. They shared memories of their work in Haiti, Jamaica, Africa, Palestine, Central and South America, Appalachia and our own inner cities. They opened my eyes to the very real suffering of others, and the joy in service. They challenged me to do more myself.
It can feel unsettling to receive a call to serve a role as a disciple. The first people to accept that invitation were companions of Jesus. I wonder how that felt. A friend once described the experience of discerning a possible vocation to religious life, of feeling overwhelmed by such a commitment, and then to perceive the "answer" was that God wouldn't ask a person to do something that could not be done by that individual. God even gave Mary the option to accept or reject his invitation to be the mother of Jesus. Was she the only woman the angel asked? God believes in us first that we might believe in ourselves.
Personally, it's unsettling to find myself at 83, and at a point where my heart is willing but the flesh is weak. The list of things I cannot do is getting too long! I still desire to serve, to give bountifully of my time and talent, but my ability to do so is fading. My steps are slower. My hearing (Margot tells me) isn't as good, and my hands are less reliable. I am humbled by the changes, but the desire still burns to live out my discipleship. How can I be of help now?
I focus on remembering that every challenge in life is paired with blessings. I’m guided by the words of the late Sr. Norma Rockledge OSF, who said that “we all need God with skin from time to time." I can be more aware of others . . . to listen to them carefully . . . to see a clever tee-shirt message and endorse it with a thumbs up . . . to lift another person with an encouraging word . . . to remember that my smile might be the only smile a person sees today . . . to be warm and kind in all my interactions. God loves us just as we are . . . and He has work for all of us . . . with no exceptions.
May we continue to listen for His invitation, my friends,
Bill Bradbury