Monday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Learning to take a shot in basketball, throw a ball in lacrosse, and hit a baseball all came with the same lesson. It was all about follow-through. No matter how well you started, if you failed on the follow through the rest fell apart. This is what I saw taking place in today’s readings.
First, Revelation speaks to the church in Ephesus. The church there very clearly started well. As we are all called to do in repentance, they turned from evil and falsehood. They were devoted to truth and holiness. But in turning from those things, they struggled to finish the follow through and turn toward love. We don’t turn from sin to just be away from it, but we turn toward goodness and love.
This same lack of follow-through is what we see in the response to Jesus’ followers in regard to the blind man. He wanted to know who was before him and all the people quickly responded. They were happy to associate themselves with Jesus of Nazareth. However, when the man started crying out to Jesus, Son of David, they sought to silence him. Maybe they didn’t want to overplay Jesus’ messianic identity. Or maybe they didn’t want to find themselves associating with this blind beggar. Or maybe they just didn’t know how to truly extend the invitation for the blind man to encounter Jesus. No matter the reason, they failed on the follow-through.
Where do we fail to follow-through? Where do we fail to love God and love neighbor? Where are we quick to identify as Christians but fail to invite others into this great adventure we are on?
- Spencer Hargadon