Daily Gospel Reflection for September 16, 2015

Today's Gospel: Luke 7:31-35

Memorial of Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs

Today's Gospel passage comes around every year about the time school is starting, and every school year I desperately need it. After the relative quiet of summer, in which I had a little more time to think and pray and reflect, suddenly I'm thrown into the busyness of children's activities and carpools and homework. It's all “Martha” all the time. I simply don't have the leisure to be the quiet, reflective, prayerful “Mary” I'd rather be.

Our Lord points out: You can't fast and feast at the same time, and there's a time and place for all of it. People complained John the Baptist was “too holy.” Then they turned around and complained Jesus wasn't off doing that “holy stuff” enough. That's the enemy, also called the Accuser, talking to us.

Do we beat ourselves up because we aren't Everything Christians? If my life is primarily contemplative, am I nagged by a sense I should be doing more corporal works of mercy? If my vocation calls me primarily into one aspect of Christian service, am I bothered that I neglect all the others?

Don't let that nagging voice drag you down. By all means, examine your life. Ask yourself, “How am I doing at living out the vocation Our Lord has given me today?”

But you can't be the Everything Christian. You can only be you, the one little person whose job isn't to be the whole body of Christ, but just a tiny part of a great Christian community.

Ponder:

What is my vocation? Today, right now, what is God calling me to do? In looking around at my life, what nagging Christian activities can I cross off my list with confidence, knowing that they are the calling of some other member of the body of Christ?

Pray:

Lord, give me wisdom. Help me to know what you are calling me to do for You today. Help me to live out my vocation to the best of my ability and not let myself drown in worry about the mission you have for others. Thank you so much for the peace and rest that Your Wisdom brings. Amen.

We thank our friends at The Word Among Us for providing our gospel reflection team with copies of Abide In My Word 2015: Mass Readings at Your Fingertips. To pray the daily gospels with this wonderful resource, visit The Word Among Us.

Copyright 2015 Jennifer Fitz