May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, our strength and our redeemer. Amen.
Before I entered this beautiful and wonderful community, I worked full-time at my local parish while going through discernment, whether for ordination or joining this blessed community. While working at the parish, I got myself quite busy.
As I continued my discernment, one day I was journaling and one line of what I was writing stood out to me. It was the following: I believe I’ve become so busy with the work of the Lord that I am afraid I am heading on a road where I will be forgetting the Lord of the work.
While meditating on that line I sat with the hymn, “Have Thine own way, Lord”.
In the gospel passage for today, we heard Jesus warning His disciples against the awful practises of the teachers of the Law. Now they (the teachers of the Law), in my opinion, also, I believe, got themselves so busy with the work of the Lord that they forgot about the Lord of the work.
For the Law was never given so that people might suffer, but that everyone could have a closer relationship with Almighty God.
We, too, in our daily lives can get so caught up with the work of the Lord that sometimes we, too, so burden others that they suffocate while trying to serve the Lord.
We become so moulded in our ways, not allowing the Potter to reshape us according to His will. We ourselves become barriers for God’s Spirit to move in and through us.
The passage continues with the teaching of the poor widow, and here we find someone who allows this Potter to reshape and mould her according to His way. For she gave her everything, a sign of emptying of the self and fully trusting the Potter to redirect everything according to His will.
For she didn’t know where her next meal might come from. She didn’t know if she might still have a house after this, as Jesus just explained this bad practise of the teachers of the Law, taking the houses of the poor and widows.
Now I am not saying you should go and give up your car or house, what I am saying is, to have that same faith that this woman had, that after everything the Potter will take charge. And to empty ourselves of our own will.
The person who chose the entrance hymn must have known what I was going to say, because the words speak right into this trusting. As the hymn writer says and as we sang: “All my hope on God is founded, He doth still my trust renew.”
My dear brothers and sisters, in our daily lives, working for the Lord and being of service to and for Him, am I burdening others and suffocating them? Am I still attentive to the voice of God and is He still the Potter that I allow to reshape my life according to His will? Am I emptying myself as necessary for the God of the work to work in and through me?
As we continue on our journey with the Lord this week, may it be a reflective one where we can ponder on these questions.
Remember that Jesus loves you, and remember to share that love with others.