After 7 weeks of non-stop Easter … welcome back to work!
We are now firmly into the first week back in Ordinary time — ordinary, not like ho-hum, but rather “ordinal” or counted time to the next season.
Some Catholics, myself included, find it hard to be in full-blown celebration mode for 7 weeks.
It’s time for some sorrowful mysteries, for penance, for the humility that comes with self-examination and somber moments of deep reflection.
Not that we need to forego our sense of Easter joy. We have that every Sunday.
But it’s nice to change things up a bit … a “seasonal change” to embrace.
And, frankly, it’s nice to grab our time cards, punch our spiritual clocks and get back to work.
Our Gospel today (for the Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua) guides us in this direction.
The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way;
First, we labor on ourselves. Always. We can’t go out into the world and evangelize, preach the Good News, without first focusing on our own sinfulness and need for God’s love and forgiveness.
Behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you.
There is no time to waste. Time is not to be taken for granted. The Lord could come calling for you today. Don’t wait … get going now.
Jesus tells us time after time to get rid of the baggage that keeps us away from doing his work here on earth. Stop clinging to earthly things.
Are we to sell everything we have? Well, that depends on how we use our things. Money, possessions, “stuff” are not sinful by themselves, rather, it is the nature of how we treat these things in our own lives that can lead us away from God.
If you are skipping Mass because of work … then you are working too hard.
If you are too busy to pray … then you are too busy.
If you are not recognizing the poor and the needy in your community … then you are not opening your eyes.
If you are not giving alms to those in need … then you are not opening your heart.
And if you are not sharing God’s eternal love … then you are not being.
The message today is quite clear. Examine your conscience, take stock of how your time is spent. Where does your heart lie?
Don’t waste another minute chasing after things that mean nothing. Chase after our Lord. He wants you to catch him!
Punch that clock and go … now!
