5th/6th August, 2017
We commit ourselves in faith to a gift we’re never quiet ready for.
A young seminarian soon to be ordained a priest was serving in a parish as a deacon. After he preached and in the foyer talking with parishioners an elderly person stepped forward and in the midst of them all said “ This man when preaching is preaching the word of God. Listen to him!” He went on to say to the young deacon, “You have a great gift. Don’t you dare waste it!”
In a way something like this happens to Jesus in this weekend’s Gospel. It happened to him once before you will remember, at his baptism. And, being truly human, he was probably never quite ready for what would entail. He must have been awed at times by the powerful effect of his healing and his preaching on the people he touched.
There is something awesome and a bit terrifying about knowing that we’re called by God – and we are all called in some way, even if not in so many words. It may be a feeling we have about our purpose in life. It maybe someone challenging us to use our gifts. We know that each time we listen to the voice of God, we need to take the plunge, ready or not, into the depths of a Christian life.
When we discover how much we are loved by God, we find that we begin to reach out to people in new ways. We become more willing to risk others’ disapproval in order to speak out for what we believe is right. Even if we begin with a clear vision of what God wants of us, we only arrive at a sense of what it really means as we struggle with living that call in our everyday lives. With Jesus we need to head down the mountain into Jerusalem.
Stay close to the Lord – Listen to Him and you will hear!
Every best wish
Love and prayers
Dean Peter
Safegarding Officer - Tim Morrison. Phone (03) 5144 4100
