[Pearls Ep 169: Bringing Sunday into the week.]
If you have kids, or perhaps were one at some point, the question “How long till we get there?” has come up.
Actually, when Steve was a kid, that question only came up once. It was rewarded with a look of withering consternation from his mom that promised Old Testament repercussions if it was repeated.
But imagine if the answer to “how long?” was, “the rest of your life.”
As it turns out, that is the answer to the question of how long it takes to grow in holiness. But that is as it should be.
Consider our reflection on Jesus’ message that “my sheep know my voice.”
One of the most fundamental ways we come to know Jesus’ voice is by listening to and meditating with His voice in Sacred Scripture.
But Christian meditation is just one piece of coming to know His voice – though a very important piece. The “rest” of how we learn to know His voice is nothing less than giving our entire life over to Christ – living a sacramental life, doing our best to grow in virtue and conquer vice, and so on.
“Oh, is that all.”
Well, that’s Jesus’ message to us – “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Mt 16:24,25)
We must “lose our (worldly) life” to find new life Christ.
This is why we often make the point that discipleship is the work of a lifetime. But that’s why we were given a lifetime in the first place…
What else is our lifetime for, if not to become saints – to draw intimately close to God and become exactly who He created us to be? It’s a tall order. But, apparently, God believes we have it in us – and who are we to doubt Him? He created us after all.
Calling it the “work of a lifetime” can seem daunting – especially for us instant-gratification types. But it is actually very positive. Not only does it clarify what our lifetime is meant for, but also:
- It should be reassuring to know that we are not expected to become spiritual masters overnight. God is patient with us, and we should be as well.
- It’s not to say that everything must take “forever.” There are times that we have sudden flashes of inspiration, or “growth spurts.” Therese of Lisieux reminds us: “The good God does not need years to accomplish His work of love in a soul; one ray from His Heart can, in an instant, make His flower bloom for eternity.”
Here we are and it’s Monday. An entire week ahead of us. Let’s pray that, come next weekend, when we look back on the week, we’ll see one small way that we were able to “know His voice.”
It’s not a question of “how long till we get there?” It is a question of, “did I get a little further this week?” If we do our small part to stay close to the Lord, we can prayerfully look back on the week and listen for Him to say, “You sure did, let me show you…”
Easter blessings –
Steve and Karen Smith
Postscript: The Good Shepherd (John 10:1-10)
Jesus said: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.”
Although Jesus used this figure of speech, the Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them.
So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through Me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”