Who is the Lord? September 27

Memorial of St. Vincent de Paul, priest

“Add nothing to his words.” Proverbs 30:6

“Take nothing for the journey.” Luke 9:3

Piety

With the Lord as my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want. God, your servant Vincent showed us how to care for the poor and those in prisons and those ill in hospitals. His “zeal and charity knew no limits.” He recognized the Lord in the faces and lives of the poor. Give us that zeal and commitment so that we can rely on nothing else but your words and turn these words into action. Amen.

Study
http://www.usccb.org/nab/092706.shtml

Close your eyes and sit in your quiet place. Listen to the sounds of the room. Inside and outside. Inside. Perhaps the heat or air conditioner is blowing on you. Maybe a ceiling fan circles overhead. The chair creaks as you move and breathe. A solitary light illuminates the page of your Bible or a book you have chosen for study. Outside. The light autumn breeze pushes against the window. The sun sets or rises depending on the time of day for your prayers. The falling leaves and seeds scattered across the roof, rolling down from the branches of the oak tree or the paws of the grey squirrel. Pets roam across the yard with an occasional bark or purr.

Inside. Outside.

Notice all the possessions around you. The comfortable chair. The lamp. Is there an end table or coffee table? Probably some bookshelves line one wall or more.

Outside. The patio or deck furniture. The barbeque grill. Tools. Lawn mowers. Things we have deemed necessary for suburban life.

Think…Contemplate…Answer. Today, the author or Proverbs asks us, “Who is the Lord?”

Who…is…the Lord?

Just as the author in Proverbs asks, so does Herod ask in just a few sentences after today’s readings in St. Luke’s Good News. “Who then is this about whom I hear such things?”

Jesus himself asks his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?”

What answer is revealed to us today? The Lord is the One who delivers the perfect message. The Lord’s words and prayers and deeds need no amplification. (A warning to this blogger?) “Add nothing to His words.” We can not do any better than his words lest we deceive ourselves.

Who is the Lord? The Lord is the provider of all that you need. What he provides is all you need. His Words. His deeds. He is the Model. Nothing else.

You don’t need an extra pair of Gap jeans or a fancy suit or dress. You don’t need those Berkenstocks. You don’t need a walking stick nor a 401-K account. You don’t need an I-Pod nor a CD collection. You don’t need a gas-guzzling SUV or even that fuel-saving Prius. And you certainly don’t need the patio furniture.

What we do is insignificant when compared to God what God does and what God commands us to do.

Yesterday, we learned the disciple has to listen. Today, we learn that the disciple also has to have absolute detachment from earthly possession. Without such encumbrances, we will be led to complete and full reliance on God.

Not only should you separate from earthly possessions but also separate yourself from those who do not believe by “shaking the dust off your feet” when you leave their village.
"Take nothing for the journey…"

Action

What does it mean to be fully reliant on God?

It means the sins of Darfur would not be happening. It means that 37 million Americans would not live below the poverty line today, including many children. It means we would be making progress to end hunger. The personal sins we commit would not be happening because we would be too busy speaking out on behalf of those who are truly poor and can not speak for themselves. There is still time to change the future. It is in our hands.

Who is the Lord? Our sisters and brothers in need.

Speak up for the people of Darfur.
Bring hope to 37 million Americans living below the poverty line.
Take action to End World Poverty.