Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
I have good kids. They are thoughtful, courteous, and helpful. They love each other and love Bess and me. And yet, like all parents, Bess and I find times that things are not going smoothly. One of the most common areas of tension revolves around listening quickly. As I'm sure many parents have found, kids and parents, don't always see eye to eye on when to stop one task to start the next; when to put down the legos to wash up for dinner; when to say by to friends to come home; or when to take a break from their dessert in order to make it to the potty in time. My children often have ready hearts but dally with their bodies.
Today's gospel asks us to look from our children to ourselves. Instead of being challenged to be patient with my kids, I'm being challenged to apply the same standard to myself. The readiness of obedience that I hope to see in my kids on a school day as we try to get out of the door is the readiness Peter, Andrew, James, and John show today. Jesus interrupts their pursuits and they pursue him instead. They encountered him clearly and did not delay.
In the opposite spirit of the apostles, I often seek clarity from God in furthering my discernment, not that discernment is bad. However, in the face of clarity from God, had discernment become Christian approved procrastination. I'm not advising imprudent, whimsical, impulsive behavior. But I am wondering if I would obey as quickly as the Apostles? Would I obey as readily as I hope my children would? Or would I just as easily get caught up in the things I wish to finish as my kids get stuck wanting to use one last color?
- Spencer Hargadon