Serve the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful song. Psalm 100:2
And some seed fell on good soil, and when it grew, it produced fruit a hundredfold." After saying this, he called out, "Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear." Luke 8:8
Piety
Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.
(Responsorial Psalm for the say based upon Psalm 100:2)
Study
When we come with joy into the presence of the Lord, we put ourselves into a situation when we can truly listen to what he has to say to us. No TV. No smartphone. No distractions.
The disciples today had the advantage of dialogue to overcome their lack of understanding. When they didn’t “get it,” they asked Jesus for clarification.
We don’t have the benefit of such an exchange unless the Holy Spirit intervenes with clarity. That’s why we have to be able to cut out the clutter and the clatter. That is why we need to engage in piety and assume practices that allow us to hear the Lord despite the cacophony around us.
True piety demands that we engage in certain actions to bring us into a closer
relationship with Jesus. Our pious practices allow us to experience quiet moments conducive to listening – like that final moment Mary has with Jesus after the execution and before the Resurrection. When we make time for Jesus, we put ourselves in a position to use our ears.
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| La Pietà by Michelangelo Buonarroti |
One of my favorite spiritual books is the Rule of St. Benedict – especially the version in which Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB, comments upon each section. The very first word of the Rule is a marker for today’s Good News: LISTEN!
Listen carefully, my child, to my instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart. This is advice from one who loves you; welcome it, and faithfully put it into practice. The labor of obedience will bring you back to God from whom you had drifted through the sloth of disobedience. This message of mine is for you, then, if you are ready to give up your own will, once and for all, and armed with the strong and noble weapons of obedience to do battle for Jesus, the Christ.
Jesus wants that quality time with you while you and He can still enjoy it. He wants to talk to you. Walk with you. "You have been told, O man, what is good, and what the LORD requires of you: Only to do the right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God." Walk humbly with your God. A walk in the Garden. A walk down a city street. When you walk with a friend, you talk. To each other. And you listen when the other talks. True Piety is a relationship with God, founded upon listening to his message and then directing your life -- your whole life -- to God.
Action
Take a new look at La Pietà by Michelangelo Buonarroti
all over again. Listen to what Jesus has to say to you are you spend some time with him and his mother.
Pray for the men of the 135th Cursillo who are in talk day today. Pray that they may listen to the message Jesus has for them to deliver and that they hear the constructive critiques offered by their teammates.
Pray also for the participants in the Retreat for those who are Seriously Ill this weekend at San Damiano.
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