Word to the Wise
Tuesday, January 22, 2019 - Tuesday in the 2nd Week in Ordinary Time
[Heb 6:10-20 and Mark 2:23-28]God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love you have demonstrated for his name by having served and continuing to serve the holy ones. We earnestly desire each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness for the fulfillment of hope until the end, so that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those who, through faith and patience, are inheriting the promise. [Hebrews]
JANUARY 22 DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE LEGAL PROTECTION OF UNBORN CHILDREN
At an archdiocesan gathering in San Antonio, I heard the following story. The scene is at home on the range where the deer and the antelope are at play. Along comes a rider on a broken down horse who stops and looks at the deer and the antelope playing and says, "You are the ugliest and nastiest creatures I've ever seen!" And then he rides off. One of the deer says to one of the antelope, "I think we've just heard a discouraging word." One need not be familiar with the old song, "Home on the Range," to agree with that reaction.
The long term effort to be faithful to God's promise in Jesus Christ requires encouragement, not just from leadership, but from one another. Everyday faithfulness is the essence of Christian life and it is not easy. We often hear of ______fatigue or "burn-out" in organizations that are dedicated to helping others. This can be true of the local church parish. It seems at times that it is the same faces all the time who do the work, and some of these faces simply wear out. Criticism and cynicism from those who do not join in the efforts gives rise to discouragement, the real enemy of faithfulness. This is true in marriage or religious life as well as in organizational life. (Those who work over a long time to keep the cause of the unborn child strong know this!] I once heard the story of a couple who were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. Someone at the party asked the husband, "Which years were the hardest?" He answered, "The first 50!"
God, indeed, does not overlook our efforts to remain faithful. Neither should we overlook one another's efforts but encourage one another in being faithful to Christ's teachings and our brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ. AMEN