"But I, O LORD, cry out to you;
with my morning prayer I wait upon you.
Why, O LORD, do you reject me;
why hide from me your face?" -Ps. 88:14-15
10/01/2014 Memorial of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church
Who hasn't felt this way? We wonder if God is there in our struggles. We wonder if we've been abandoned by our Heavenly Father. And if he has abandoned us, then why?
I wish that I could give a 100% perfect answer to this, but I can't, because I am just a man. This does, however, bring us to the first cliche that people use when bad things happen, "Only God knows what his plans are." I say it's a cliche only because it's been said very often. Being a cliche does not mean that it isn't true. I have had some fairly difficult times, not unlike everyone else mind you, but my family has been through some difficult times. During those times I have definitely struggled with my faith. But in the end, when I resolved myself to trust in God and submitted to whatever his plans were for us, things worked out better than I could have imagined. At this point, we have ended up achieving what I thought might be impossible and we get to have my wife stay home and homeschool our two girls. God doesn't always lead us down an easy road, but if we trust his guidance, we often find that he was listening to us all along and we had no reason to doubt him.
This brings us to another cliche, "God is testing your faith." The question at the root of that cliche is, why does God allow bad things to happen? And the answer to that leads us to free will. God, being all powerful, certainly could have created us to love and adore him endlessly, never disobeying him and feeling perfectly happy and content all the time. But he loves US too much for that. If we weren't truly free, then our love for God and each other would mean nothing. We would be like animals only acting on instinct, but we were given an intellect to discern, making our love an act of will so that when we say yes to loving God or each other, then it means something. How quickly do you think your dog would turn on you if you stopped feeding him? That would be the extent of our relationship with God if we were not given the gift of free will. So does God allow evil to happen to test us? No, evil exists because of our fall in the garden. But if you lose faith in God just because bad things are happening to you, how strong was your faith to begin with? That is where your faith is being tested. That's the whole point of the story of Job, which is today's Old Testament reading. Just because God is not the one testing our faith, that doesn't necessarily mean it isn't being tested.
Bad things happen. Sometimes they happen because evil exists and sometimes they just, well, they just happen. Either way, those times test our faith by asking which way we will turn. Because if we take the easy way and turn away from God, it will inevitably lead to more evil. If we turn to God, it may be a harder path, but it will lead to healing and peace.
Two roads diverge before us in these times, and I suggest we try to take the one less traveled by...
God Bless,
P.D.O.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Sunday Mass Readings 09/28/2014 or I Showed Up Late for Work, But at Least I Showed Up!
"A man had two sons.
He came to the first and said,
'Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.'
He said in reply, 'I will not, '
but afterwards changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, 'Yes, sir, ‘but did not go.
Which of the two did his father's will?" -Mt. 21:28-31
09/28/2014 Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
This gospel reading and the other readings for today have a streak of repentance running through them, which is not so unusual, of course. But one of the things that strikes me about this reading is that Jesus is talking to some of the priests and elders and he goes on to tell them that tax collectors and prostitutes would be entering the Kingdom of Heaven before them.
He doesn't say this because it is okay to do what tax collectors (notorious thieves of the time) and prostitutes were doing, but because they listened to the message of John the Baptist and repented. They turned away from their sins and oriented their lives towards God. Obviously, they are represented by the son who said no to the father, but ended up working in the vineyard after all.
What's left is the comparison of the priests and elders to the other son. They are the ones who said they would tend to God's vineyard, but never showed up. On the outside, they had the trappings of those who were trying to lead people to God, but in reality, their lives were all about this world. They used their positions to 'pull rank' and feel superior to others. And in the end, they even thought themselves superior to God, literally. They were not tending to the vineyard, they were not leading people to God.
This is still going on today. There are those who puff themselves up with righteousness only to feel superior to others, and they twist God's word to do it. I think of the Westboro Baptist Church types who go around professing that God hates this one or that one, or all of 'X' group are going to Hell. The question of who is going to Hell is above our pay grade as human beings and God does not hate anybody.
There are those on the other extreme as well, who will twist God's word to fit their agenda. They will tell you that the bible doesn't mention what marriage is. I've even found groups that say Jesus would be in favor of abortion. They use pieces of God's word without any context or any historical perspective to fit it to what they want it to say. I almost truly expect the day to come when a theological scholar such as Bill Maher or Ricky Gervais tell us that Jesus was an Atheist.
The bottom line is this. If you say you are going to follow God's word, do it honestly. Get to know it, read it. (here's a tip. If you read the readings for Catholic Daily Mass every day, then in three years you will have read virtually the entirety of the bible, in bit size pieces, a little bit to meditate upon every day.) If you're familiar with His word, then you will know what His plan is for all of us and no one will be able to mislead you about what that plan is. Once you grab hold of it, orient your life toward it and don't let go. I will tell you, however, this is pursuit of perfection, and like any pursuit of perfection, it's really just a journey to better yourself every day and get as close as you can by the end.
Speaking for myself, I have a long way to go...
God Bless,
P.D.O.
He came to the first and said,
'Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.'
He said in reply, 'I will not, '
but afterwards changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, 'Yes, sir, ‘but did not go.
Which of the two did his father's will?" -Mt. 21:28-31
09/28/2014 Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
This gospel reading and the other readings for today have a streak of repentance running through them, which is not so unusual, of course. But one of the things that strikes me about this reading is that Jesus is talking to some of the priests and elders and he goes on to tell them that tax collectors and prostitutes would be entering the Kingdom of Heaven before them.
He doesn't say this because it is okay to do what tax collectors (notorious thieves of the time) and prostitutes were doing, but because they listened to the message of John the Baptist and repented. They turned away from their sins and oriented their lives towards God. Obviously, they are represented by the son who said no to the father, but ended up working in the vineyard after all.
What's left is the comparison of the priests and elders to the other son. They are the ones who said they would tend to God's vineyard, but never showed up. On the outside, they had the trappings of those who were trying to lead people to God, but in reality, their lives were all about this world. They used their positions to 'pull rank' and feel superior to others. And in the end, they even thought themselves superior to God, literally. They were not tending to the vineyard, they were not leading people to God.
This is still going on today. There are those who puff themselves up with righteousness only to feel superior to others, and they twist God's word to do it. I think of the Westboro Baptist Church types who go around professing that God hates this one or that one, or all of 'X' group are going to Hell. The question of who is going to Hell is above our pay grade as human beings and God does not hate anybody.
There are those on the other extreme as well, who will twist God's word to fit their agenda. They will tell you that the bible doesn't mention what marriage is. I've even found groups that say Jesus would be in favor of abortion. They use pieces of God's word without any context or any historical perspective to fit it to what they want it to say. I almost truly expect the day to come when a theological scholar such as Bill Maher or Ricky Gervais tell us that Jesus was an Atheist.
The bottom line is this. If you say you are going to follow God's word, do it honestly. Get to know it, read it. (here's a tip. If you read the readings for Catholic Daily Mass every day, then in three years you will have read virtually the entirety of the bible, in bit size pieces, a little bit to meditate upon every day.) If you're familiar with His word, then you will know what His plan is for all of us and no one will be able to mislead you about what that plan is. Once you grab hold of it, orient your life toward it and don't let go. I will tell you, however, this is pursuit of perfection, and like any pursuit of perfection, it's really just a journey to better yourself every day and get as close as you can by the end.
Speaking for myself, I have a long way to go...
God Bless,
P.D.O.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Daily Mass Readings 09/26/2014 or My First, My Last, My Everything!
"Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
my mercy and my fortress,
my stronghold, my deliverer,
My shield, in whom I trust." -Ps. 144:1-2
09/26/2014 Friday of the Twenty-fifth Week of Ordinary Time
"Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.” -Lk. 9:20-21
Who do you say Jesus is? Is he some historic figure that walked the Earth 2000 years ago? Was he a great prophet? It's always nice when people say that like they're conceding something. "Well, Jesus was a great teacher. He was a great prophet." Oh, thanks for throwing us a bone. But the thing is, Jesus is God made flesh. He said so. So if you say that he was a great teacher and prophet as some sort of conciliatory statement to Christians, then you are saying either he was a liar or he was a crazy man. That's really not that kind, is it?
The Psalm above says what God should be in our lives. He is to be, in essence, our everything. Our love, our protection, our savior and a heavenly father in whose providence we can trust. It is amazing that He even considers our existence, let alone has gone to such great lengths to love us, but he does. As our protection, he can shield us from evil. As our fortress, he can be our safe retreat when we need to find trust in a weary world. And when we have failed, he is our mercy, welcoming us back into his protection with the loving arms of a father.
He loves us. He waits for us, and he is patient. For he knows that all things have their appointed time.
God Bless,
P.D.O.
my mercy and my fortress,
my stronghold, my deliverer,
My shield, in whom I trust." -Ps. 144:1-2
09/26/2014 Friday of the Twenty-fifth Week of Ordinary Time
"Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.” -Lk. 9:20-21
Who do you say Jesus is? Is he some historic figure that walked the Earth 2000 years ago? Was he a great prophet? It's always nice when people say that like they're conceding something. "Well, Jesus was a great teacher. He was a great prophet." Oh, thanks for throwing us a bone. But the thing is, Jesus is God made flesh. He said so. So if you say that he was a great teacher and prophet as some sort of conciliatory statement to Christians, then you are saying either he was a liar or he was a crazy man. That's really not that kind, is it?
The Psalm above says what God should be in our lives. He is to be, in essence, our everything. Our love, our protection, our savior and a heavenly father in whose providence we can trust. It is amazing that He even considers our existence, let alone has gone to such great lengths to love us, but he does. As our protection, he can shield us from evil. As our fortress, he can be our safe retreat when we need to find trust in a weary world. And when we have failed, he is our mercy, welcoming us back into his protection with the loving arms of a father.
He loves us. He waits for us, and he is patient. For he knows that all things have their appointed time.
God Bless,
P.D.O.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Daily Mass Readings 09/25/2014 or When it's Fourth and Long are You Going for the End Zone or are You Just Gonna Punt?
"Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth,
vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!
What profit has man from all the labor
which he toils at under the sun?
One generation passes and another comes,
but the world forever stays." -Eccl. 1:2-4
09/25/2014 Thursday of the Twenty-fifth Week of Ordinary Time
Guess what. Someday, you are going to die. Not exactly an uplifting message is it? But it's true. You are going to die and I am going to die, someday. As Catholics, we are reminded of it every year on Ash Wednesday. As the priest, deacon or extraordinary minister traces the cross on our heads they remind us, "Remember you are dust and to dust you will return."
This message should not surprise us. However, we don't often think of it. As we are driving into work or sitting through that boring meeting or watching the clock until it's time to leave, or sitting in front of the television, we are preoccupied with the minutia of our lives. But all of those things won't amount to anything on the day after we're gone. You can't take money with you. Someone else will replace you at work. The world will go on, almost without missing a beat.
But for as much as we are replaceable at work, there are people who would always have a hole where you were in their heart. For them, we are irreplaceable. But how often do we take them for granted? How many times do we talk to them without the courtesy we would even give a stranger on the street? We have so few days to just love and cherish them, we need to be mindful and do that.
And for all the money you can't take with you, you will take your eternal soul. But how often do we think of what will become of that? As sure as you will die, you will also be judged. "Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return." What would become of your soul if that was today? Isn't your landing place for eternity more important than what's for dinner? Isn't it a bit more crucial than why the Patriots aren't scoring more points this year? But how much more time do we devote to those questions than what our relationship with Christ is like or what will happen when we stand before the throne of judgement?
Someday, every one of us is going to die, and to paraphrase Fr. Larry Richards, you can be a saint or you can go to Hell.
Now get out there and have a great day!
God Bless,
P.D.O.
vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!
What profit has man from all the labor
which he toils at under the sun?
One generation passes and another comes,
but the world forever stays." -Eccl. 1:2-4
09/25/2014 Thursday of the Twenty-fifth Week of Ordinary Time
Guess what. Someday, you are going to die. Not exactly an uplifting message is it? But it's true. You are going to die and I am going to die, someday. As Catholics, we are reminded of it every year on Ash Wednesday. As the priest, deacon or extraordinary minister traces the cross on our heads they remind us, "Remember you are dust and to dust you will return."
This message should not surprise us. However, we don't often think of it. As we are driving into work or sitting through that boring meeting or watching the clock until it's time to leave, or sitting in front of the television, we are preoccupied with the minutia of our lives. But all of those things won't amount to anything on the day after we're gone. You can't take money with you. Someone else will replace you at work. The world will go on, almost without missing a beat.
But for as much as we are replaceable at work, there are people who would always have a hole where you were in their heart. For them, we are irreplaceable. But how often do we take them for granted? How many times do we talk to them without the courtesy we would even give a stranger on the street? We have so few days to just love and cherish them, we need to be mindful and do that.
And for all the money you can't take with you, you will take your eternal soul. But how often do we think of what will become of that? As sure as you will die, you will also be judged. "Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return." What would become of your soul if that was today? Isn't your landing place for eternity more important than what's for dinner? Isn't it a bit more crucial than why the Patriots aren't scoring more points this year? But how much more time do we devote to those questions than what our relationship with Christ is like or what will happen when we stand before the throne of judgement?
Someday, every one of us is going to die, and to paraphrase Fr. Larry Richards, you can be a saint or you can go to Hell.
Now get out there and have a great day!
God Bless,
P.D.O.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Daily Mass Readings 09/23/2014 or Learn to Go With the Flow, But Watch Out Whose River You're On
"Like a stream is the king’s heart in the hand of the LORD;
wherever it pleases him, he directs it.
All the ways of a man may be right in his own eyes,
but it is the LORD who proves hearts." Prv. 21:1-2
09/23/2014 Memorial of St. Pius of Pietrelcina
So often we pray and we ask the Lord for what we want. We ask for the outcome that we think is best for us. But in our own eyes we can justify sin as virtue if it pleases us. We could be praying for the absolute worst thing for us. I may be praying for wealth and power, hoping that the security will lead to happiness for my family and all the while I could be neglecting my children and they could fall into destructive behaviors. Where would my money and power get me then if I had abdicated my primary responsibility as a parent; getting my kids to Heaven?
If we let go of our expectations and what we think we need and instead ask for the Lord to help us work as His instruments and be the people He knows we can be, we are likely to be very surprised with the amazing things He has in store for us and the incredible joy and peace that He can bring. Only He can search our hearts and only He knows where the path may lead for us. I am in the midst right now of wondering if he pulled me into something that's a bit over my head, but I keep asking and He keeps leading, so onward I go. I figure if God's leading me there, what do I need to fear?
I strive to have a heart like the King's in the hand of the Lord, flowing like a river towards the person only God knows I am capable of being.
God Bless,
P.D.O.
wherever it pleases him, he directs it.
All the ways of a man may be right in his own eyes,
but it is the LORD who proves hearts." Prv. 21:1-2
09/23/2014 Memorial of St. Pius of Pietrelcina
So often we pray and we ask the Lord for what we want. We ask for the outcome that we think is best for us. But in our own eyes we can justify sin as virtue if it pleases us. We could be praying for the absolute worst thing for us. I may be praying for wealth and power, hoping that the security will lead to happiness for my family and all the while I could be neglecting my children and they could fall into destructive behaviors. Where would my money and power get me then if I had abdicated my primary responsibility as a parent; getting my kids to Heaven?
If we let go of our expectations and what we think we need and instead ask for the Lord to help us work as His instruments and be the people He knows we can be, we are likely to be very surprised with the amazing things He has in store for us and the incredible joy and peace that He can bring. Only He can search our hearts and only He knows where the path may lead for us. I am in the midst right now of wondering if he pulled me into something that's a bit over my head, but I keep asking and He keeps leading, so onward I go. I figure if God's leading me there, what do I need to fear?
I strive to have a heart like the King's in the hand of the Lord, flowing like a river towards the person only God knows I am capable of being.
God Bless,
P.D.O.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Daily Mass Readings 09/18/2014 or Heckling Muppets and Waiting in the Line for Eternal Relief
"For I am the least of the Apostles,
not fit to be called an Apostle,
because I persecuted the Church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am,
and his grace to me has not been ineffective.
Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them;
not I, however, but the grace of God that is with me." -1Cor. 15:9-10
“Two people were in debt to a certain creditor;
one owed five hundred days’ wages and the other owed fifty.
Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both.
Which of them will love him more?”
Simon said in reply,
“The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.”
He said to him, “You have judged rightly.” -Lk.7:41-43
09/18/2014 Wednesday of the Twenty-fourth Week of Ordinary Time
We are all sinners. No one of us sins better or worse than any other of us. We all do things in our lives that go against what God wishes for us. God's mercy is there and waiting for us any time we decide to accept it. Jesus is dying to forgive our sins, literally! All we have to do is reach out, take his hand, accept his mercy and move on. Aye, there's the rub. We love our sins. We don't want to give them up. We're okay with them. 'Well, it's not that bad' we tell ourselves, 'it's not like I'm an ax-murderer or anything'. Well, sure it's easy to soar over a bar that's so low, isn't it?
But what Jesus is saying is not that he loves one or another more or even that his forgiveness is better for some than it is for others. He is saying, whatever it is that weighs on your soul, whatever you've done to harm God or his creation, he can and will forgive if you ask with a contrite heart and a sincere desire to put sin behind you.
Remember the "Muppet Christmas Carol', when Statler and Waldorff show up as the Marley brothers wearing those chains? Think of sin as those chains and the more we sin, the more links we put on the chain. Now imagine you were in a line and at the front, they were taking the chains off of everybody. They weren't making you melt it down yourself or cut each link and padlock with bolt cutters. You get to the head of the line and there's Jesus waiting with open arms. You look at him sincerely, tell him your sorry and that you love him and he wraps his arms around you. In his embrace you feel the utmost love and peace and when he lets you go, you feel strangely lighter. Whether the chain of sin that imprisoned you was five pounds or five thousand pounds, it's gone and you are calm and grateful. But the guy with the five thousand pound chain feels a heck of a lot lighter, doesn't he?
We need to see where we have added links to the chain and get rid of it. The great part is, we don't need to wait until it weighs five thousand pounds to go to God and have it removed. We can do it anytime. I wrote about the sacrament of reconciliation once here and the sacrament is still as beautiful and life-changing as ever. Which reminds me, I need to go soon.
God bless,
P.D.O.
p.s.- Since we're talking about returning to God no matter how heavy your chain is, it's a good time for a plug! I am part of a ministry at my parish called Coming Home to Catholicism and we have a session coming up soon. Starting on October 9th 2014, for seven weeks, our team will be getting together from 7:00 to 8:30 at St. Kathryn's Parish in Hudson, NH. If you've been away from the church for a while and have thought of returning, come and hang out with a group of people who all left the church at one time and then returned and explore whether it is time for you to do the same.
not fit to be called an Apostle,
because I persecuted the Church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am,
and his grace to me has not been ineffective.
Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them;
not I, however, but the grace of God that is with me." -1Cor. 15:9-10
“Two people were in debt to a certain creditor;
one owed five hundred days’ wages and the other owed fifty.
Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both.
Which of them will love him more?”
Simon said in reply,
“The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.”
He said to him, “You have judged rightly.” -Lk.7:41-43
09/18/2014 Wednesday of the Twenty-fourth Week of Ordinary Time
We are all sinners. No one of us sins better or worse than any other of us. We all do things in our lives that go against what God wishes for us. God's mercy is there and waiting for us any time we decide to accept it. Jesus is dying to forgive our sins, literally! All we have to do is reach out, take his hand, accept his mercy and move on. Aye, there's the rub. We love our sins. We don't want to give them up. We're okay with them. 'Well, it's not that bad' we tell ourselves, 'it's not like I'm an ax-murderer or anything'. Well, sure it's easy to soar over a bar that's so low, isn't it?
But what Jesus is saying is not that he loves one or another more or even that his forgiveness is better for some than it is for others. He is saying, whatever it is that weighs on your soul, whatever you've done to harm God or his creation, he can and will forgive if you ask with a contrite heart and a sincere desire to put sin behind you.
Remember the "Muppet Christmas Carol', when Statler and Waldorff show up as the Marley brothers wearing those chains? Think of sin as those chains and the more we sin, the more links we put on the chain. Now imagine you were in a line and at the front, they were taking the chains off of everybody. They weren't making you melt it down yourself or cut each link and padlock with bolt cutters. You get to the head of the line and there's Jesus waiting with open arms. You look at him sincerely, tell him your sorry and that you love him and he wraps his arms around you. In his embrace you feel the utmost love and peace and when he lets you go, you feel strangely lighter. Whether the chain of sin that imprisoned you was five pounds or five thousand pounds, it's gone and you are calm and grateful. But the guy with the five thousand pound chain feels a heck of a lot lighter, doesn't he?
We need to see where we have added links to the chain and get rid of it. The great part is, we don't need to wait until it weighs five thousand pounds to go to God and have it removed. We can do it anytime. I wrote about the sacrament of reconciliation once here and the sacrament is still as beautiful and life-changing as ever. Which reminds me, I need to go soon.
God bless,
P.D.O.
p.s.- Since we're talking about returning to God no matter how heavy your chain is, it's a good time for a plug! I am part of a ministry at my parish called Coming Home to Catholicism and we have a session coming up soon. Starting on October 9th 2014, for seven weeks, our team will be getting together from 7:00 to 8:30 at St. Kathryn's Parish in Hudson, NH. If you've been away from the church for a while and have thought of returning, come and hang out with a group of people who all left the church at one time and then returned and explore whether it is time for you to do the same.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Daily Mass Readings 09/17/2014 or That's a Bit Too Much, no no, That's Not Quite Enough...
"For John the Baptist came neither eating food nor drinking wine,
and you said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’
The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you said,
‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’
But wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” -Lk. 7:33-35
09/17/2014 Wednesday of the twenty-fourth Week of Ordinary Time
You can't please everybody. Sometimes you can't please anybody.
Jesus is asking the crowds, "Look, what do you want?" John the Baptist came, eating locusts and honey and you thought he was crazy. Here I am, I hang out, eat and drink, and you say I'm a drunkard.
And so it goes now. We sometimes get caught up thinking about how others need to prove their holiness to us. I didn't see HIM at the Rosary group this week. Did you see her at the church picnic, making a fool of herself and playing the kids' games all afternoon?
Oh, we judge holiness, don't we. When we do that, the danger is that we will treat people differently based on our petty judgments and what we think they should be doing. But let's think about yesterday's letter from St. Paul where he talked about all of us having different gifts and different roles to play in bringing others to Jesus. Some people witness best by fasting and offering up suffering. Others are more pastoral and serve God best by mingling in with more people and being a witness that way. As St. Paul's letter today tells us, if it is done with love, for others and our Lord, then that is what matters.
Jesus ends by saying "Wisdom is vindicated by all her children."
If wisdom and love guide the way you use your spiritual gifts, then you are truly doing God's work.
God bless,
P.D.O.
and you said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’
The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you said,
‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’
But wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” -Lk. 7:33-35
09/17/2014 Wednesday of the twenty-fourth Week of Ordinary Time
You can't please everybody. Sometimes you can't please anybody.
Jesus is asking the crowds, "Look, what do you want?" John the Baptist came, eating locusts and honey and you thought he was crazy. Here I am, I hang out, eat and drink, and you say I'm a drunkard.
And so it goes now. We sometimes get caught up thinking about how others need to prove their holiness to us. I didn't see HIM at the Rosary group this week. Did you see her at the church picnic, making a fool of herself and playing the kids' games all afternoon?
Oh, we judge holiness, don't we. When we do that, the danger is that we will treat people differently based on our petty judgments and what we think they should be doing. But let's think about yesterday's letter from St. Paul where he talked about all of us having different gifts and different roles to play in bringing others to Jesus. Some people witness best by fasting and offering up suffering. Others are more pastoral and serve God best by mingling in with more people and being a witness that way. As St. Paul's letter today tells us, if it is done with love, for others and our Lord, then that is what matters.
Jesus ends by saying "Wisdom is vindicated by all her children."
If wisdom and love guide the way you use your spiritual gifts, then you are truly doing God's work.
God bless,
P.D.O.
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