Authored to do God's Will

Today’s Scripture readings, Proverbs 30: 5-9 and Luke 9:1-6, both speak of trusting the Lord. The author of Proverbs asks the Lord to “give me neither poverty nor riches; provide me only with the food I need; lest, being full, I deny you, saying, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or, being in want, I steal, and profane the name of my God.” In the Gospel Jesus sends His apostles out to preach the Good News, giving “them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, …to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” He then says to them: “Take nothing”  [with you]…neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic.”

Wow! Trust, trust, trust that God will provide.  I have a tendency to over prepare for everything, leaving nothing to chance, nothing to God’s power, really. I want no surprises, yet God is full of surprises and full of power. His grace is abundant and He always goes ahead of us to prepare the way. Where is my faith when I over prepare, when I hold back because “I’m not ready,” “I have not done enough research,” “I do not have this degree or that degree; I’m too limited.”

Jesus sent the 12 apostles forth to proclaim the Kingdom, to heal diseases, to cast out demons. Jesus gave them power and authority. Jesus also gives you and me power and authority whenever we are invited to go forth out of our comfort zones. Do I believe this? Do I act on faith when the Spirit beckons? Or, when the pastor of my parish or a parishioner asks me to get involved, do I say, “No, I’m not ready for that.”  When someone out the blue calls me up and says: Will you do such and such, do I say, “No, I don’t think I can do that,” when the disbelief is a hidden fear that God will not provide me with “the food I need”  to do that task?

Does Jesus walk away saddened by my refusal to trust, to believe?

Walking with "Lady Wisdom"

Wisdom, Sirach tells us in the first reading of today’s liturgy, “walks with…[us] as a stranger and at first …puts …[us] to the test. Fear and dread she brings upon…[us] and tries…[us] with her discipline” (Sirach 4: 11-19).

The choices that take us into Wisdom’s abode are challenging ones.  One of the reflections I pondered during my morning’s meditation made the comment that “Sirach compares ‘Lady Wisdom’ to a teacher who is more concerned about teaching us valuable lessons and less concerned about being our friend. She teaches us that the way of wisdom is not always an easy road. Sometimes, in fact, it’s a narrow, rocky, even dangerous path (Mt. 7:14),” as it was for Jesus (The Word Among Us, I May 2013, p. 41).

The ever-present temptation is to choose being popular or being another person’s friend or to blend in with the crowd at the expense of embracing Wisdom,  disciplining ourselves in her ways, embracing opportunities to teach valuable lessons that lead to oneness with our Savior Jesus Christ.  Jesus teaches us the Way. His mission was to be obedient to the Father’s will by teaching wisdom to all who would listen.  He will teach you and me to do the same.  And if we ask for the grace to choose Wisdom’s way, He will give it to us, as He promises in Jn 14:13:  “…ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”

May we have the courage to 1) ask and 2) to follow through, disciplining ourselves to follow in obedience to God’s holy will.