MSFriend, Author at Shepherd of Faith

The Would Be Followers of Jesus – Luke 9:57-62

As they were proceeding on their journey someone said to him: “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus answered him “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” And to another he said “Follow me.” But he replied “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” But he answered him “Let the dead bury their dead. But you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” And another said “I will say farewell to my family at home.” To him Jesus said “No one who set a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.”

In this passage Jesus warns his disciples that the road ahead is not going to be easy. Even He did not have a place to rest his head. He admonishes the followers who want to handle their business first before proclaiming the kingdom of God. As a matter of fact, he says they’re not fit for the Kingdom of God. Those are strong words!

The term “would be followers” implies that a desire to follow is present but the action is lacking. Sound familiar? It does to me. When I read this passage, I immediately thought of all the times I get the sudden desire to pray or meditate. Unfortunately I give in to the pressures of daily life and fail to ACT on the desire.

What upsets me most about myself is the fact that I KNOW where the sudden desire to pray comes from. It is actually the Holy Spirit prompting me from within. It’s His calling out to me. When I ignore that prompting, I ignore God’s calling. In that moment I’ve lost the opportunity for God to reveal Himself to me. When I think of all the lost opportunities…………………I’m disappointed.

Sometimes I’m on a roll and consistent with my practices. At other times I’m being pulled away by thoughts, activities and responsibilities. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve felt the desire to contemplate or write in recent months but ignored it because I have other things on my mind. How horrible is that? Ignoring the Spirit even though I know how fruitful His action and presence will be. Today I refused to be sidetracked and Lord knows how many distractions there were. It was interesting for me to witness the distraction and then get myself back on track when I realized THAT was exactly the topic of this post. A lesson in perseverance for sure!

I have read many books on the practice of contemplation. Contemplation is just sitting in God’s presence and surrendering to His action and presence.. The beauty and benefits of simply sitting and allowing God’s presence to envelope us described in these books makes me DESIRE to contemplate more often than I actually do. It’s what I believe Jesus is getting at in this Gospel.

I would venture to say that Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, moves within each one of us as He moved through the Samaritan town on His way to Jerusalem. In those days the Samaritans didn’t welcome Him because they were more focused on His destination (Jerusalem) and not His journey. At times we refuse to welcome Him as well. Maybe because we hope to create the perfect environment and perfect life for ourselves before we can bask in His presence. It’s quite possible that, like the Samaritans, we get so caught up in the destination (where we want to be spiritually, emotionally, financially) that we ignore the journey, the in-between, the lessons and our relationships (with others and ESPECIALLY with Jesus).

The truth is our chores will never be done. Our lives will always be busy. We will never be perfect. Once we realize this, we can listen more intently to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. We can be true followers of Jesus. In that way we give Him somewhere to rest His head – our souls! God Bless You!

the beauty of the rosary — Rosary Devotion

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, my trip to Lourdes, France resulted in my having a deeper devotion to the Blessed Mother and a desire to pray the Rosary more often. Although there are many misconceptions about the Rosary, what I love most about it is it gives me the opportunity to meditate on the pivotal moments of Jesus’ life and ministry. You see, the Rosary is more about contemplating Jesus than about “worshiping” Mary. In fact, devotion to Mary is NEVER about worshiping her but it IS about acknowledging the fact that she played an extremely important role in bringing about the salvation of the world. Because she said Yes Jesus Our Savior, The Word was made flesh!

When prayed genuinely and with intention the rosary invites us to meditate on each mystery while the melody of the prayers we’re reciting play in the background. The rosary should never become rote prayer that we rush to “get through.” It should be an event we earnestly prepare for because through it flow many graces we must be prepared to receive.

Don’t get me wrong, there are times when the distraction of everyday life cause me to lose sight of the beauty of the rosary. Despite my effort to remain aware of its beauty and benefits and my desire to make it a regular part of my life, there are times when I claim I don’t have the time or energy. There are also times when my focus is just not there. However, just like in meditation we have to bring ourselves back to the moment and our intention. Back to the “word” in meditation and back to the “mystery” of the Rosary. Awareness is the key to getting back on track.

As I meditated on the Glorious Mysteries the other night, I was moved by the Mystery of the Ascension. Just imagine the sense of loss the disciples must have felt. First, their leader, friend and strength dies on the cross. They lose Him once and bury Him. Three days later they are elated when they realize He has risen from the dead. Can you imagine? The relief, the awe, the comfort and then………..He’s gone again.

They’re told not to worry. He promises to send an advocate, but who could have known what that really meant? What or who would it be? Would it be enough? Could this so called advocate ever take His place? It must have been heartbreaking for them to experience this loss for a second time. It was for good this time or so they thought. Who could have known what Jesus had in store for his disciples. Despite the pain and uncertainty, they trusted in His promise and they waited. Amazing! Do we possess that same sense of trust? It’s certainly something we should strive for.

While pondering the mystery of the Rosary I tried to imagine my life without Jesus. Of course, Jesus is not physically present to us today as he was to His disciples. However, He is present to us spiritually and stillness helps us to feel that presence more profoundly. Life without Jesus……..what would that look like? For me it would be depressing, devoid of hope, difficult to cope with.

As I imagined what life would be like without Jesus I was saddened to think of non-believers and all who keep Jesus on the periphery (like a good luck charm they pull out when they need it) and not in the center. I can imagine the lack of hope, depression, despair and cynicism that resides in their minds and hearts because I’ve been there before. It’s what is wrong with the world but it doesn’t have to remain that way. Prayer and God’s graced helped transform me. I pray that somehow, some way hearts will be opened to receive the graces God is so ready to shower down upon them. The graces that will move Jesus from the periphery to the center. THAT’S the only way our world will become a better place.