Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
“Come closer to me,” he told his brothers. When they had done so, he said: “I am your brother Joseph, whom you once sold into
Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give. Matthew 10:8
PietyLet us pray. God, what will you set before us today? How will you seek for us to come closer to you? What lepers must we face? What demons must we drive out? Help us to recognize why you are sending us where we must go today. Open our eyes to be vigilant to the needs that surround us. Help us say “Yes!” to the people we meet along the way. Amen.
StudyConsider the benefits of modern living and life that you have received.
· A warm, dry place to call your home in the winter
· Air conditioning in your office, car and house to moderate summer heat
· An abundant supply of food and the choice of where and how you want to eat
· A closet full of clothes and countless places to buy new fashions
· The ability to safely travel long or short distances by car, plane, train, public transportation without the need to cross security checkpoints
· Advanced technology which helps protect you -- everything from seat belts and eye goggles to bike helmets and safety bumpers
· The love of your parents
· The support and esteem of your family, friends, co-workers and sisters and brothers in the Church
· The liberty guaranteed by our system of government
· The knowledge gained in your education
· The freedom to go anywhere including visiting parks, churches and beautiful sites throughout our country and our world
· The ability to speak out or write about any topic you want…even if it is critical of authority
· Appreciation of fine art, music and books created today as well as those that are preserved in museums, universities, libraries and schools
Think now of Joseph, sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. Even in the primitive culture of his day, any freedoms he had were stripped away by slavery in a foreign land.
Yet, despite his deprivation, Joseph never lost the ability to love his temporal masters as well as those who betrayed him. He saw the greater purpose God had in the life he led. Even to those who betrayed him, Joseph says, “Come closer.”
We experience a different kind of slavery that Joseph experienced in
If you are driving a decent car, GMTOYOTAFORDHONDA want us to trade it in and get something bigger, more comfortable, with heated leather seats.
If you have a nice suit or dress, JCPENNEYSEARSLORD&TAYLOR wants us to go buy something new out of the latest, softest fabrics.
If you like that book you bought, AMAZON.COMBUYITNOWEBAY want to suggest that other customers who bought X also bought Y…why don’t you put something else in your shopping cart, too?
If you have a house in the city, you need a vacation house at the beach…or in the mountains.
Never enough. But if we give in to all these commercial demons, then “things” will control our lives. Then, we find that there is not time to freely give.
Without cost you are to give. In clear and certain terms, Jesus calls us to a life of charity.
But if we are running to the dry cleaner to care for the latest fashions in the closet, or to the mechanic to tune up our new cars, boats and motorcycles, or to the Home Depot to fix that broken lamp or buy the latest item for your house or garden, when will you have time to freely give to others?
Many times, we focus on giving during Thanksgiving, the Christmas holidays, New Years Day and when we file our tax returns. Focus on giving this month…in July.
During this summer heat wave, why not bring a cold pitcher of drinks to a park where homeless women and men gather. Give them the drinks.
If you go out to buy a sandwich at lunchtime, pick up a second one and give it to the next person you see pan-handling on the street.
See someone who needs a ride, stop and pick them up if you have room in your car (who doesn’t drive around with 2 or three empty seats half the time?).
How about stopping to help someone whose car is broken down on the side of the road or who has a flat tire? Even if you are not mechanically inclined, you could call a tow service for them or drive them to a nearby service station.
God does not always ask us to do something. God just puts something along our path and expects that those who love him will, like the Good Samaritan, pick up what is left behind.
When God puts something in your path today, say “Yes.”
Not just a resigned “yes” but that that holy divine “Yes!”
The ark-building “Yes!” of Noah as storm clouds gathered overhead.
The knife-wielding “Yes!” of Abraham standing over his beloved Isaac.
The eye-opening “Yes!” of Zechariah naming his newborn son John.
The Baptist’s “Yes!” when his cousin needed His sandals tied.
The handmaiden’s “Yes!” of Mary, accepting the savior-son growing in her womb.
The carpenter’s “Yes!” of Joseph, building a family that was not of his hands.
The innkeeper’s “Yes!” to the plea of the census-taking couple about to give birth to a New Jerusalem.
The Savior’s “Yes!” even when he wished the cup would pass him by.
Don’t let your opportunity to say “Yes!” pass you by. In saying “Yes!” you will be coming closer to God.
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