Memorial of Saint
Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious
Realize how far you have fallen. Repent, and do the
works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand
from its place, unless you repent. Revelation 2:5
The people walking in front rebuked him, telling him to
be silent, but he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on
me!” Luke 18:39
Piety
Prayer to Serve God Well
Father of Mercy, forgive
my failings, keep me in Your Grace, and lead me in the way of
salvation. Give me strength in serving You as a follower of
Christ. May the Eucharist bring me Your Forgiveness and
give me freedom to serve You all my life. May it help me to remain
faithful and give me the grace I need in Your service. May it teach me the way to eternal life. Amen.
Study
The blind man can see what
the sighted cannot. He "sees"
and recognizes that Jesus is the Messiah by alluding to a title we first heard
in the Canticle of Zechariah at the beginning of Luke’s Gospel. (“He has raised up a horn for our salvation
within the house of David his servant.”
Luke 1:69) Not only does the
blind man exhibit his faith, but also he admits to his sins and asks for Jesus
to have pity on him for his frailties.
The sighted crowd does not
get it. Crowds do not fare too well in
sacred history. This one is no
different. Maybe that is because Jesus
comes into the world to establish relationships one-on-one. He comes to relate to Mary and Joseph. His cousin John the Baptist. The disciples whom he calls one-by-one. The Roman centurion. The woman at the well. The blind beggar. The leper.
The woman whose daughter is hemorrhaging. The list goes on and on – but it is mostly
individuals who have a personal account with Jesus and are changed.
That does not ignore the
crowds who are there listening to the Sermon on the Mount or the Sermon on the
Plain. However, there are not individual
conversion stories that arise from those episodes. Mostly we see Jesus working to get the
personal relationship right while the crowds try to turn away the blind beggar,
the children and those who would try to save Jesus from the executioner’s
hammer and nails and sword.
Action
Good works reminds me of
some news stories and columns that advocate for national service. Recently, there has been significant coverage
of a movement for compulsory national service – either in the military or in
civilian programs like AmeriCorps. The
arguments of those in favor of national service are compelling. After college, I spent time in a service year
helping to relocate Indo-Chinese boat people who came to America after the
Vietnam War. However, although I support
the concept and the reality of a year of service, I stop short of making
voluntarism compulsory.
People should do the works
that they can do. However, with the free
will with which we have all been graced, let's do it from our hearts, not from
some compulsory law.
We all know the first line
of the Declaration of Independence. Here
is the last sentence -- an idea we often forget: “And for the support of this
Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we
mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our Sacred Honor.”
Rather than using this
line to require national service, let's use it to inspire all to mutually pledge to do voluntary national
and personal service. Do the works.
The Franklin Project
Stan McChrystal
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