Today we honor St. Francis of Assisi, one of my favorite saints. The picture at the beginning of this reflection is of the St. Francis statue that we have placed in both of our previous gardens. I appreciate that he is said to have practiced sermons in front of the animals, and that he put his faith in action over and over again.
The readings of today really split into three themes for me, but all lead me to think about working toward being a better Catholic and Christian.
Guide Me Along the Everlasting Way
We started Confirmation Class last week, and it gave me an opportunity to give some reason and logic as to why you would want to invest your time and talent to become a Catholic. The Church has had difficulties but has been around for about 2000 years. If something has lasted 2000 years, it’s probably pretty good, pretty right, and pretty rock solid. If you assume that a generation is 25 years, that is about 80 generations. The kids in my class could be generation 81 if we play our cards right. I want to be on that steady, righteous, and everlasting path, and I hope the kids can figure that out, too.
Blessed Are Those Who Hear the Word of God.. And Observe It
Back to the Confirmation kids, our goal is always to make sure that the kids know the word of God, the rules, the history, the benefits, and the glory of such a great God, and that Jesus is there to make it all work. We want them to hear these things, but also see them reflected in the Confirmation teachers, and hopefully in the adults in their lives. Beyond just knowing the words, we want them to start to live them. As we study the basic Catholic prayers and the Creed, we will take time to go through, line by line, so they know what they are “sayin’ and prayin’”.
Martha and Mary
Last but not least, we have the well-known story of Martha and Mary. As Jesus visits their house, with his crew and followers, Martha springs into action to get the food and drinks prepped, keep people organized, and run the event. Her sister Mary ignores the work and goes to hear Jesus’ words up close and personal. Martha complains to Jesus but is reminded by Him that Mary is doing the important part. Or some say, the Better Part. I tend to be wired more like Martha; always have been. Doing things, action, keeping things going, serving others, etc. I have committed to try to get Mary Time every day, generally around 6am. The GVM reflection of the day, and Father Maurice’s mini homily post at about 6am. I use this as a reminder to spend some time on the Better Part. And work on my prayer life a bit.
See if you can create 15 to 30 minutes of Mary Time in your life every day!
