Job says of God that we could not respond to His majesty even once in a thousand encounters (Jb 9:3, 15). God is so mighty that we would be amazed that He would even listen to our prayer (Jb 9:16). If the omnipotent Creator of the Universe would even ask one thing of us, we should jump for joy to do whatever He asked.
In today's Gospel, two people responded to the call of Jesus by saying "Maybe, but not now" (see Lk 9:59, 61). The two potential disciples had good excuses. However, the first disciples Jesus called answered Him by immediately dropping everything to follow Him (see Mk 1:17-20; Mt 1:18-24; 9:9; Lk 5:10-11, 27-28; Jn 1:35ff). The first disciples were just as busy as the people who gave excuses in today's Gospel passage. Yet they put their hands to the plow and did not look back to their former life (Lk 9:62).
Jesus demands all our attention, all our life in response to His call. This seems excessive, but consider the calling from God's viewpoint. God gave us everything when He gave us His Son, Jesus. God's calling is urgent and His timing is always best. We always are busy with urgent tasks that compete for our attention (see Mt 22:5; Lk 14:18-20). We also have an enemy constantly distracting us from God's priorities. To say "Yes" to God, there is always something else to which we must say "No."
How will you respond to Jesus' call in your life?
| PRAYER: | Father, I give You permission to re-order everything in my life so that You always take first place. |
| PROMISE: | "Whoever puts his hand to the plow but keeps looking back is unfit for the reign of God." –Lk 9:62 |
| PRAISE: | St. Wenceslaus came from a diverse family. He had both Catholic and pagan relatives. He was blessed to be raised by his pious grandmother, St. Ludmilla. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College