Friday of the Third Week of Lent - March 12, 2021

-

Hosea 14:2-10 Mark 12:28-34

As a senior in high school, I am currently navigating the exciting but stressful process of college admissions. I write this letter in a time of complete uncertainty about where I’ll end up next fall, even though at this time last year I had envisioned myself having already been accepted to and enrolled at my top choice. I realized after being deferred from my top college that there is so much more to who I am than what I am as a student. College had become an idol for me, and I placed so much of my self-worth upon the results of my applications. In scripture, I am reminded of the triviality of my academic accomplishments, the “works of my hands.”

“We shall say no more, ‘Our God,’
to the work of our hands;
for in you the orphan finds compassion.
|I will heal their defection, says the LORD,
I will love them freely.”

God’s love is free; unlike the college admissions process that made me feel like I had to earn my value through my resumé and life’s works. There’s no selective process about who is worthy of God. God is available to all of us, not because of our virtue or our goodness, but because of our humanity and the divine grace He so generously gives to us through Christ.

Though initially disappointing, my college process has given me an ironic sense of gratitude because it has shifted my focus away from my idols. I’ve looked closer into my relationship with God and the ultimate impact that my life will have on others and the world. Though our worldly accomplishments can take us to great heights during this lifetime, the ultimate achievement of our lives is unity with God.

Q: What am I doing to work toward my eternal goal?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Monday of the First Week of Lent - March 11, 2019

-
Leviticus19:1-2, 11-18  Matthew 25:31-46 As I read my assignment for today, I felt relief. I knew these readings; I could relate to them. I had heard them multiple times and thought that I understood them well. The first reading from Leviticus tells me to love my neighbor as myself and to judge my neighbor justly. I know this! I believe this in my head! I often find it difficult to carry out, but I do believe it. Today’s gospel, Matthew 25, many of us know well through readings, songs, and social concerns committees, "Whatever you do for one of the least of …mine, you do to me." Feed the hungry; give drink to the thirsty; welcome the stranger; clothe the naked; comfort the sick; visit the prisoner. We try to do these things in our life. I decided to read our parish book, Stranger God by Richard Beck, to see how it could expand my understanding of Matthew 25 – and expand it did! After I read the book, I realized that I had been reading Matthew 25 literally. ...
Read more

Fifth Sunday of Lent - March 26, 2023

-
Isaiah 43:16-21 Philippians 3:8-14 John 8:1-11 Unfortunately, I am able to easily say that death is the most significant image that is present in my life at this time. My wife of 50+ years died approximately 2½ years ago. My wife was a seriously  committed Catholic and she was able to accept her death after an illness of less than 2 years. She said, “Jim, I am ready.” I think a lot about what “ready” means and what it meant to Kathy! Clearly, Kathy thought that she had accomplished a full life of being a mother to our children, being a loving and faithful wife to me, and being an active and meaningful friend to the people she met and the organizations she assisted and contributed to. She was at her best when assisting “others.” Probably the biggest contribution Kathy made to me and our children was that she has made it easy for us to face our own deaths because she was “at peace” with her imminent death; and yet she showed us a graceful way to handle the process and demonstrate tha...
Read more

Annunciation of the Lord - March 25, 2021

-
Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10 Psalm 40:7-8a,8b-9,10,11 Hebrews 10:4-10 Luke 1:26-38 In the Responsorial Psalm, I hear these words, “Here I am Lord, I come to do your will,” and I immediately begin to hum the song we hear so often during mass: “Here I am Lord, here I am, I come to do your will.“ As I begin each day at my kitchen table reading the daily scriptures, a reflective app on my phone, and the daily devotional Jesus Calling, I sit in joyful hope, waiting to hear what God has to say to me. Although I don’t believe I will ever hear the enormous call that our mother Mary heard in the Annunciation of our Lord, I do try every day to listen and hear what God is calling me to do as a humble daughter, sister, wife, mother, and friend. I feel all are called according to God’s plan in small and large ways; the trick is recognizing the signs when God is calling us. It is easy to get lost in all the “have to-dos of the day” in our crazy busy world. Today, let us start by asking Him to guide us to re...
Read more