POOR Mary and Joseph! Imagine how
they felt when they could not find 12 year old Jesus at the end of an exhausting trip to
celebrate Passover in Jerusalem. Because they
had traveled with a host of relatives and friends they didnt miss Jesus until they
were one day into their way home to Nazareth after the holy holiday. And travel at this time in history was a slow and
tedious process. They had to retrace their
steps back to Jerusalem only to spend three more days looking for Jesus within that city. Frantically searching they found Him in a temple
sitting among the teachers of Jewish law both listening and asking them questions that
astounded these learned scholars.
AND so Mary said to Jesus, Son, why have
you done this to us! Your father and I have
looked for you anxiously. And He said
to them, Why is it that you sought me? Did
you not know that I must be about My Fathers business? (Luke2: 49)
TODAY, over two thousand years later, it is our
turn to carry out this mission, our turn to be about the Fathers
business. If we have dedicated our
lives to being a Christian, we also have the responsibility as co-heirs to take up our
mantles of discipleship and spread the word in the corner of our world. We cannot shrink back and hide and expect to reap
the fruits of suffering and martyrdom of early believers.
We, too, must take responsibility in the Fathers business.
HOW can
we do this as sons and daughters of the living God? We
can spread His word to all who are willing to listen.
If we can expect to enjoy what early Christians gave we must be willing to
sow the seeds of faith wherever we are and keep the family business alive and well. Jesus told us in Matt 28:19-20) Go therefore
and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded
you. This is the legacy given to us as
God's children.
WE offer ourselves in total supplication to God, begging Him to mold
us in the way we need to be; changing our hearts and filling them with love for the
brothers and sisters we see on our paths to eternal glory, loving those who are unlovable
just a little bit more, helping them dream the dream that Jesus loves them and wants them
to share in His kingdom as equal heirs. There
will be many surprises when we reach Gods heavenly home for there will be those we
thought would not make it, those who seemed undesirable in this life but God Who knows
all, can see what men cannot see for He is able to read the hearts of us all.
GOD'S early Christians fearlessly paid a high price in spreading the gospel. Most of us are not required to pay this charge. And yet we cringe or are ashamed of our beliefs
and serve in secret the faith those before us gave their lives to perpetuate. How easy it is today, so easy in fact that some
are inclined to pass up Gods offer to believe in His Son and receive His salvation. We must remember we are riding on the foundation
of all the prophets, with the Bible backing us up. If
today as Christians, we are laughed at and ridiculed for our beliefs this is okay for if
people did such cruelty to Jesus, the Son of God, shouldnt we expect to pay some
small price also?
This life is short, therefore we do not have time to squander and waste on
frivolities. We cannot spend the precious
moments of this brief journey on things that take us away from our Fathers business. Sometimes it is hard to see beyond the refuse life
lays in our paths. As Christians we accept such things as temporary roadblocks, knowing
that the Father has his own plans for us. We
place our trust in Him. We must do what we
can while there is still time, while there is still breath in us, sharing what God gave to
us, knowing that the Father will bless us with His special grace to see us through.
THE mission Christ commanded is not for clergy only; it is for all who
believe in Him. As modern day disciples
of our Lord, Jesus Christ, we Catholic Christians must be about our Fathers
business saying, Here I am, Lord. Use me for your glorification. Let those who see us find within our characters a
peace that can only come from you and jealously seek it for themselves.
NO one said it would be easy to be a Christian. Many of us have stood on the bridge of uncertainty
and doubt. We have been torn between the now
of this earth and the forever promised. Sometimes
we get weary and many times do not understand why so many bad things come our way
especially when we are striving to be like Jesus. It
shakes our faith somehow. We feel it is an
impossible climb to reach the level of obedience God requires of us and we think we cannot
reach that pinnacle of perfection. Well, God
understands and that is why he forgives and climbs that mountain with us. Sometimes we get tired and discouraged when we
pray and there doesnt seem to be an answer. We
feel abandoned and afraid; adrift on the waves of sin that plagues the world. And yes, we are sometimes tempted to forego our
charge to keep the word of God and go our own way. But
because we know what we know about the Father we cannot be entirely happy moving away from
the safety of His wings. We cannot have peace
in our souls without Him in our lives, and so we come back with humble and contrite
spirits when we realize that the only good that is good has to come from our Fathers
Hands. It becomes clear to us when we realize
that God is our stronghold and therefore things can only come out right if He is in
control.
WITHOUT God, there is a void that nothing and nobody can do anything about. Only the Father can pour the oil of content on our
discontent. Only God can put out the fire of
rage and anger we sometimes feel by giving us the living water that quenches all fire and
thirst. Only God can fill us when we
are hungry by giving to us His everlasting food called grace. Only the faith in Jesus Christ our Savior
can give us the hope that we will rise again and live forever in glory, just as He did
over two thousand years ago, never again to suffer the ills and pains of this imperfect
life, never to grow old and infirm, and never again to shed an impotent tear. We shall then be privileged to see the face of God
in awesome splendor and never tire of its wonder. And
so, Catholic Christians, we have hope. The
Father sent His Son Jesus Christ our Lord to shed his blood for us, to die for us, in
order to make us eternal heirs to His eternal Kingdom.
And to heed the command of the Son as He rose to be with our Father to
keep our Fathers business alive and flourishing by spreading His Word.
THERE will be those who will not understand.
There will be those who will not want to know the means to salvation. There are those who will be blind to truth. Those souls we will pray for, asking Gods
mercy, knowing we are using the greatest and most powerful tool ever given to man. And if we encounter those who ask why we are so
strong in our faith when we talk about God and Eternity, we can truly say as Jesus said
when He was only 12 years old I must be
about my Fathers business.
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