By
Beth DeCristofaro
Thus says the LORD of hosts: There shall yet come peoples, the
inhabitants of many cities; and the inhabitants of one city shall approach
those of another, and say, “Come! let us go to implore the favor of the LORD”; and,
“I too will go to seek the LORD.” (Zechariah
8:20-21)
When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled, he
resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem … (when the people of a town
would not welcome Him, his disciples asked)
… “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they
journeyed to another village. (Luke 9:51, 56)
Piety
May today there be peace within. May you trust that
you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite
possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the
gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge
settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise
and love. It is there for each and every one of us." ...” Amen. (Attributed to St. Therese of
Liseux)
Study
It is said that as The Little Flower, St.
Therese, cleaned in the convent, when she came upon a feared and detested spider
she would gently pick it up and place it outside. And then she would wish the “little sister”
or “little brother” a happy life. She
did this out of love for Jesus, a desire to be kind and her overwhelming need
to reverence life – even arachnid life.
Being that I am terrified of spiders, as a
child this story fascinated me. My
science-teacher father would speak to spiders and point out their amazing
abilities and anatomies. My mother’s
approach seemed much more acceptable to me.
In our house, if spiders stayed far up in the corners of the room or out
of sight she would live and let live.
If, however, a spider made an audacious journey within arm’s reach, she
had the right to sweep it out of existence.
I still try to treat God’s creatures with respect but confess that I
follow my mother’s rule. It isn’t always
easy whether they have 8 hairy legs or are hard-to-get-along-with fellow
humans.
Zechariah points out how very special
humans were and are because we are offered a personal relationship with our
God. Indeed he is right to this day. The desire to “go and seek the Lord” is as imbedded
in us as our DNA. Indeed closer: Jesus is
God coming to seek us. How precious is
humanity to Jesus. He refuses to punish
those who reject him. He instead goes to
die for them, for us.
Action
Today, when tempted to “squash” someone,
call down fire from heaven on them or have the last word in order to set
somebody straight, bring to mind the gentle kindness of Therese. Picture Jesus offering Himself for that
person. Take this opportunity to seek
the Lord. Pray that the other person
will have a happy day.
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