Thursday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
I am a procrastinator by nature. So when I read today's first reading I get a little bit of anxiety. So much of this reading is focused on one word - "today!" Fellow procrastinators all know that today is not really when we like to do things. We prefer tomorrow or next week or next month. But Paul makes it very clear to us that when it comes to heeding the word of God, we are not to wait until tomorrow, next week or next month. We must act now. We must act today. If we hear God's voice today, we should begin to act today.
Children are a great reminder of this. They perpetually live in the present. When my 3 year old thinks about the Boonshoft Museum, he suddenly wants to go there immediately. For him, there is no concept of getting excited to do that another day. He is excited about it now, so he wants to do it now. Yet as adults we think about all the practicalities involved. "We can't go to the Boonshoft now because it's too close to nap time, or they are closed, or we have other plans" We reason through all the factors that would impact whether or not we decide to go along with this whim.
And sadly I think that happens with following the Lord's call as well. It is easy to put off the things we are feeling called to do, until a later time, when it's more practical and the call makes more sense or seem easier. But that's not what we are being told. We are told that if we are hearing the call, we need to act - not tomorrow, not next week, not next month - today!
And so, while he seems to be admonished in the Gospel, I actually think the man in the Gospel, a leper who had been healed, is a good example for each of us. He was healed by Christ, and he could not keep silent. He was so filled with admiration, thanksgiving and hope that he publicized the whole matter. He did not wait - he went and told of God's goodness TODAY.
This is what I am choosing to reflect on from today's readings - how I am hearing God's voice TODAY? And how am I responding to God's voice TODAY? And how will I share my experience of God's goodness with the world, TODAY?
Amen.
- Amanda Grimm