Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/070223.cfm
Today’s Gospel is accurately described by C.S. Lewis, “Christ says, Give me All. I don’t want so much of your time & so much of your money & so much of your work: I want You…. I will give you a new self instead.
In fact, I will give you myself: my own will shall become yours.’ The more you obey your conscience, the more your conscience will demand of you.” [Give Me All, C. S. Lewis]
I was on retreat last week on Cardinal [SOO – pitch] Cupich told a story about being on an airplane, and he had difficulty putting his bag in the overhead compartment. After struggling for a few minutes, a man got up from his seat and said “Father let me help you, took his bag and easily put it in the overhead compartment. Then he turn and said, “ Father, will that get me into heaven?” The Cardinal responded, “I hope not on this flight.”
St. Augustine wrote, “God is always trying to give good things to us, but our hands are too full to receive them.” Our hands/meaning our hearts/wills are filled with this world’s goods, problems, things we want to do, and God often is left on the sidelines.
You and I know God should be the center of our lives!
We come to the altar with empty hands to receive what we believe, the Word made Flesh. “The rewards for accepting the Gospel are awesome, but the demands are hefty.” [Jaime L. Waters DePaul University]
Our Alleluia verse reminds us that we are called to “… announce the praises of Him who called [us] out of darkness into His wonderful light.” We are called to take up our cross, to give a cup of cold water to the little ones and aid those in need. Jesus said, whoever loses their life for My sake will find it. He wants us to center our lives on Him, He wants to center our lives on Him.
Paul Simon and his wife recently released a record “Seven Psalms”, a record of hope, fear and love. One of the psalms has this beautiful verse, “The sacred harp, That David played to make his song of praise.
We long to hear those strings That set our heart ablaze.”
In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus said, “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” [12:49]. Putting God 1st, Jesus’ 1st is difficult and demanding as well as fulfilling and edifying.
Many people ask why God does not speak today. A Rabbi was asked how it can be that in previous times God spoke people and today nobody ever hears God. The Rabbi replied, “Today nobody bows low enough.”
To hear God, we must bow low enough: bow our hearts, our wills, our lives. If we do that, we will know a deep abiding peace, we will recognize the prophets in our midst, and we will share Christ’s Gospel Message by our Actions.
We will “Give God are All.”
May God Be Praised.
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