Week of August 7, 2016

Week of August 7, 2016

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Fr.MikeIIDear brothers and sisters,

Jesus tells us in our Gospel, “be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.” (Lk 12:36-37) How can we live always ready? If we wait for the great occasions to love, we’ll be waiting forever. However, we all have countless opportunities to prepare our hearts for our definitive meeting with the merciful heart of Christ. The key is to learn to do ordinary things with extraordinary love. That is exactly what Mother Teresa used to teach, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” With that in mind, what sacrifices can I make so that others don’t have to sacrifice? Maybe it’s cooking a meal for someone else, like a neighbor who lives alone. Maybe it’s turning off ESPN so I can spend some time with my family. Pick something simple, and stick to it.

Being vigilant means that we live our Christian lives with a purpose; that is to allow God’s grace to strengthen us and help us to be as holy as we can in this life. Our Father has a plan for each of us, and may we live and love to the fullest while praising God and serving Him in others. I would like to close with a beautiful quote from Mother Teresa, “Life is an opportunity, benefit from it. Life is beauty, admire it. Life is a dream, realize it. Life is a challenge, meet it. Life is a duty, complete it. Life is a game, play it. Life is a promise, fulfill it. Life is sorrow, overcome it. Life is a song, sing it. Life is a struggle, accept it. Life is a tragedy, confront it. Life is an adventure, dare it. Life is luck, make it. Life is too precious, do not destroy it. Life is life, fight for it.”

Peace,

Fr. Mike