Losing One's Life for the Sake of God

In today's Gospel, Mt. 10: 37-42, Jesus says to us "whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."  You may have seen the Special Olympic race in Seattle a few years back when, as the race started, a little boy lost his footing and another racer came back to help him. Seeing that, the other six racers returned to the starting line also to help!  It was not about winning for those children, it was about helping another little boy who had fallen and scraped his knee and elbow in the process. I also recall seeing, in another racing incident, an example of "losing" and thus finding.   A racer falls down during a race and a fellow racer stops to help him. Both lose the race but know what Jesus meant in today's Scripture!  The generosity of God to those who  put helping others ahead of material gains is beyond measurable now and in eternity!

We see God's generosity working through Elisha in today's first reading.  A wealthy woman built a room on the roof of her home and furnished it so that the prophet Elisha, when he visited again, would have a place to stay. Elisha, in turn, wants to do something for this woman and asks: "'Can something be done for her?' His servant Gehazi answered, 'Yes! she has no son, and her husband is getting on in years.' Elisha said, 'Call her.' When the woman had been called and stood at the door, Elisha promised, 'This time next year you will be fondling a baby son.'"

God is never outdone in generosity!  How generous am I, are you, in being there for others and giving a helping hand? Would I, would you, do what the one special Olympiad had done to help one of the racers who lost his footing and thus risk losing the race oneself? 

Lord, may I have my priorities straight! May I live for You and not for things this world promises when such would replace doing what the Spirit invites me to do.

Fasting by Responding to the Materially and Spiritually Poor

In today’s first reading, Isaiah 58: 1-9a, Isaiah makes clear to us what kind of fast the Lord wants of us; namely, setting the oppressed free, clothing the naked, sharing bread with the hungry and not turning our backs on the poor.  Concerning penitential practices, such as putting on sackcloth and ashes, bowing your heads like a reed and keeping a day of penance, the Lord asked: “Do you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?” when the poor are neglected, one’s neighbor’s needs are ignored, the oppressed’s oppression is not lifted, their homelessness not addressed?   What am I going to do to bring relief to those who are suffering, is the question I need to ask myself and the fast—giving of my time and devoting my energy to improve the lives of the unfortunate—God is asking o f me.

The naked might also be the spiritually naked, that is, those who need to be clothed with forgiveness,  love, compassion, understanding, affirmation; those whose oppressed spirit needs uplifting. The spiritually naked may be those not clothed in self-esteem, self-confidence, self- love and are thus unable to be loving and kind and understanding toward others.  What am I going to do today to shelter the spiritually naked person in my midst or who crosses my path today?