"From everyone who has been given much, much
will be demanded; and from the one who has been
entrusted with much, much more will be asked."
Luke 12:48
I thought of this quote from the Gospel as I was pulling into work yesterday morning. I'd just finished saying the Rosary and usually I finish with about 8-10 min. left before I get to work. At 5:00am there's not much traffic on the road so I use the beads. Most mornings I'm fairly focused and I'm able to pray and contemplate the decades as best as can be while driving a car. Some mornings though, other thoughts filter in, work, the night day before, whatever. Yesterday was one of those days; I don't even remember what was on my mind. But during those last few minutes I give to Our Blessed Mother, St, Francis and all the Saints, Our Lord and his Heavenly Father my intentions for the day. I didn't get a chance to do any, and that always bothers me. Then, for some reason (HA!) that scripture quote popped into my head, and it made so much sense to me. I think, even in my humbleness, I'm one of those whom Our Lord is demanding more from. It is not my lot to take the easy way out, not any more. Maybe when I took my Franciscan vows, something changed between me and God. I don't really know. Probably this, the more demands, are a loving consequence to that. All those people I offer my first Rosary of the day to, every one of them needs my prayers. And I from them. And if God uses my prayers for something else, so be it. It's not mine to decide. In my own way I'm trying to figure these things out. This is where the mystery of it all nearly overwhelms me. How can He love all of us, together and equally? How can any of us do Him homage? My Rosary intentions seem almost meaningless. This thought has bothered me since that morning. Tonight, though, the Reading, James 1:2-8, during Evening Prayer, helped to bring it all back to me. If any of you is without wisdom, let him ask it from the God who gives generously and ungrudgingly to all, and it will be given him. We are told over and over that God loves us. We are asked to love Him in return, with all our hearts, with all our soul and with all our mind. When will I ever learn to do just that?
Lord,
continue to guide me
even when I know not,
as I ignore the signs and wonders
You rain down upon me,
your worthless servant,
your humble wretched creature.
3 comments:
"How can He love us all, together and equally"...Those lines cause us to wonder, and yet we TRUST that He does because His Passion was for us all, together and equally...even the most hardened sinner.
I always believe that when a scripture passage comes to mind while either reading or contemplating that it is enlightenment from the Lord. I think that the pasage from James 1:2-8 was just that.
Wonderful post and I love your prayer.
Peace
"If he is without wisdom, let him ask for it." I read the words of the Psalms each day and they often are asking God for wisdom, but so often as I read them, and sincerely pray them, I feel empty. In my mind, I think I am praying for MORE wisdom, but in my heart I often feel that I pray for ANY wisdom; I feel as James says, without wisdom.
How can I both believe I have and do not have wisdom? Perhaps what I need to pray for is to replace MY wisdom with YOURS, O Lord. So often I find that my wisdom does not amount to much, for myself or for others.
Thank you both for your comments...
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