Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr
Have you ever wondered about the very first things that cross your mind when you wake up in the morning? It comes and goes in a flash! For me, often the first thoughts—just for an instant—are the questions, "Who have I become?" and "How am I refusing to become the person God created me to be?" These are heavy questions. And like a good (deeply flawed) human creature, I find myself forcing these thoughts away. I prefer thoughts that do not convict me--like my children and grandchild, the tasks of the day, and so forth. Why is it so very hard to face the ultimate and foundational question of my very existence? Why do I resist God's help in fully becoming who God created me to be?
In reading today's Scriptures, it struck me that Jesus never avoided facing anything. And, in Tobit's story, we witness the same. Tobit had been derided and shamed for living the way he did. What Tobit did was 'Christ-like' long before Christianity even existed. The Gospel passage (Mk 12:1-12) is the parable of the wicked tenants. The elders, scribes, and chief priests (already plotting to arrest and kill Jesus) realized Jesus was directly addressing them. Like the tenant farmers, the Jewish leaders had long forgotten who they were. They used the gifts entrusted to them to further their personal agendas resulting in the oppression of the very people they were called to serve. Yes, there are times when we have all found ourselves guilty of similar behavior. I may not openly oppress others or hoard all my material belongings, but even when I am passive towards societal structures and policies that do so, I am complicit. However unintentional, the little choices made over time place me in that position. If I do not struggle against injustice and inequality, no matter how seemingly insignificant, I become part of the problem; it happens one choice at a time. Christian discipleship as a full-time commitment includes every single choice I make and transforms it from a 'part time hobby' to a fulltime commitment. This type of living is possible only when I hold fast to the realization that everything I have and everything I am comes from God to be used for God's Kingdom.
If my enduring perspective in life is one of having received everything that I am and everything I have as gifts from a loving God, it is surely possible to become the Christian I am meant to become. This way of seeing the world gives my life an urgent purpose every day of my life, no matter how ordinary or mundane the circumstances may seem. God bestows more gifts and blessings than I need to accomplish this work. And God placed me in a vibrant Christian community to support and encourage me to work toward becoming more deeply Christian. Today I pray that I offer God no resistance. I pray that God grant me the grace to make every choice one that reflects what it means to be on the way to becoming fully Christian.
--Gail Lyman