Gird up the loins of your mind…
Or, in modern parlance and rebelling against teenage
fashion: Pull up
your britches!
I still chuckle over one friar who
commanded us, with more enthusiasm than knowledge, to “Loin your girds!”
In any case no one said it should be easy to follow Jesus
Christ , though it’s actually easier and less stressful than following
any other way. Pull up your socks and
…live soberly, and set your hopes
completely on the grace to be brought to you….
In my service at the VA hospital I am often confronted by
the tragedy of veterans who cannot live soberly. Men and women my own age – and
I still feel pretty young at times – have grown suddenly old under the ravages
of a very hard life. They have abused alcohol, tobacco and sex; they have scorned
the pleasures of committed family life, hard work and religious worship. In the end they have become
pathetically dependent upon their so-called “girl friends” – women who surrendered their girlhood a long time ago.
I begin each day in prayer, asking God to help me greet
these men and women with God’s own gentleness and kindness. I want to believe
they are more to be pitied for the traumas they have suffered than blamed for
the traumas they have caused.
Meanwhile, the ministry has its own effect on me. I used to
enjoy the occasional pleasures of the pipe; it’s losing its allure. Inevitably I
set my hopes completely on the grace to be brought to me at the revelation of Jesus
Christ .
Be holy because I am holy.
It’s a tough job but somebody’s got to do it. The old model
for many Catholics seems to have been, “Stay out of trouble. Keep your head
down. Don’t make waves.”
That won’t do anymore. God demands and our world needs more
of us. Catholics and Christians must be holy if we are to make any difference
at all.
No comments:
Post a Comment
I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.