Saturday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
I am the kind of person that likes accomplishing a task and enjoying the final product. Whether it is tasting and enjoying a freshly baked loaf of bread or admiring the newly cut lawn, there is a sense of joy and satisfaction as I relish the fruits of my work. This is something that cannot be done when living out our lives as disciples. Jesus reminds his followers that we are called to “hear the word of God and observe it.” As a disciple of Christ, we listen and follow Christ, but our joy should not come in the results, but in the daily living of the gospel truths.
In today’s gospel reading, a woman disciple says, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” Jesus responds by drawing attention to those who hear the word of God and observe it. Jesus comments that it is the people who live out God’s word that are truly blessed. I do not believe that Jesus intends to belittle His Mother, but Jesus wants to draw attention to the act of living out a faith-filled life. Mary is blessed because of her great “Yes” to God and her great faith in God’s Word. Mary hears the word and responds with “I am the handmaid of the Lord.” It is Mary’s willingness to listen and observe God’s desire for her that makes Mary blessed. Jesus invites all of His followers to respond in the same way.
When Mary responds to God’s call, she follows with her Magnificat where she rejoices in the goodness and justice of the Lord. In today’s responsorial psalm, we are called to “Rejoice in the Lord” as we recognize his glory and proclaim his justice throughout the earth. God’s word becomes a light and a source of gladness. Once again it is in living the word of God that brings one joy.
As I reflect on the daily living out of our faith, it is challenging to find joy. We can listen and respond to God’s word, but many times it seems that we are met with belittlement, resentment and even anger. Are we even making a difference in this world through our actions? Recently I came across a writing from Thomas Merton that puts things into perspective. “Do not depend on the hope of results… concentrate not on the results but on the value, the truth of the work itself… The real hope, then, is not in something we think we can do, but in God who is making something good out of it in some way we cannot see.” Although Merton was giving this advice to a young peace activist, I think his advice can be applied to our lives as disciples. We should not focus our attention on our actions and the results we hope they might attain, but instead we should focus on allowing God to work through us to create the good work of God. If we spend our lives seeking the satisfaction of how our Christian lives might made a difference, we may spend our time frustrated and in despair. We are called to joyfully listen to God’s word through prayer, scripture and sacrament and then we are called to observe God’s will. When the focus is on the doing, not the results, then we will live a life that is “blessed,” since it will not be us but Christ who lives in us. As a Christian, this is where we find our joy!
Loving God, help us to listen and learn Your ways as we follow Your Son, Jesus. May we allow Your Spirit to work in and through us, so we can be conduits of Your love and mercy. We pray this in Christ’s name. AMEN
Marylynn Herchline