There have been many times in the course of my life when I can remember either thinking or saying “it’s not fair.”
The hardest decision I have ever made in my life was made with that same thought in mind. Lord, this is not fair, how can I do this?
I opened a Bible to try to make some sense of this and this is what I read: “humbly regard others as more important than yourself each looking out not for his own interests, but also for those of others.”
Do you have the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus?
I didn’t understand God’s plan but I recognized that if I loved God like I said I did, I had to accept the cup in front of me.
Have in me the same attitude of Christ. What is Christ’s attitude?
We don’t have to look very deep in the scriptures to see the love that our Lord has for us, but, what about when I don’t want to do it? I mean, what about the times when I say, no, I don’t want to do that?
When I listened to the gospel this week at mass, I remembered very clearly saying “no” to Jesus.
“My plans are not the plans you have for me,” I’d say. “I don’t want to be active in this or that. I am scared Jesus, I can’t possibly do your work. Please pick someone else.”
The way God works is in such a way that you never see the whole picture. You just see what’s in front of you, and it’s all foggy.
The hardest part of being in love with Christ is getting past “my” hopes and dreams and fulfilling his.
The parable Jesus preached to the disciples that we heard Sunday is one that addresses the same issue.
The man who had two sons asks them both to do a job.
The first one decided that he would do the job that his father asked even though his initial response was “no”.
Have you ever said “no” and then gone and did what was asked of you?
I sure have. I think I may have grumbled while doing it, too. But I did do what was asked.
The story goes on to show that the second son said that he would do the father’s work, and then did not do it.
When we profess our love we say that we will, we say, “yes.”
Then why don’t we follow up with it? We may be scared that others will disapprove of our choice, and so perhaps fear is holding us back.
To become a full participant in the human family and more closely, the Gannon University family, we have to be willing to accept the job Christ has for us to do. We have work to do for Jesus right here on campus.
The everyday life of a student who is fully engaged requires much time and commitment, yet, there will be times when we are asked to do something we may not want to do, such as tutor someone, listen to a friend or stranger, or even spend time with a person we may not be so fond of.
Christ calls us to be faithful even in those moments when we do not understand why he is asking us to do it.
We often think that surely there is a more qualified person to respond.
That may be, but Christ placed you and I here and in the paths of each other for very real purposes that only he knows.
The person we choose to lift up, spend time with, or just be with is the exact one Christ wants us to be helping.
They placed others’ interest above their own and showed their support.
We now stand in the same place as they once did and pray we shall stand in the place they now do.
So, as you go through life, look for the moments when you can say “yes” and respond to the call of Christ. And be generous in your time and love of one another.
