Homily for Monday of the 20th Week in Ordinary Time, Year II
Jane Frances de Chantal, pray for us!
Mary, Mother of our Vocations, pray for us!
St. Paul, model of conversion, pray for us!
JMJ
For daily readings, see http://www.usccb.org/nab/081808.shtml
Today's story about the young man who went away from Jesus sad, because he had many possessions, is about more than avoiding greed, although the story provides sufficient reason to do that as well. The young man's pride runs even deeper than his greed. It is his pride that causes the man to want to justify himself over and against his peers. More tragically, it is his pride that prevents the man from following anyone but himself. Most of the vocations to the priesthood and religious life today that are lost follow the pattern of today's Gospel story. If Jesus' call to follow Him more exactly does not match our own expectations, then we assume we are not called to follow Him in that way. Jesus' call to leave everything to follow Him is contingent upon our first hearing His promise to give us 'everything' that He has received from His Father. If Jesus is prepared to give us everything that He has, it is only right for Him to ask us to leave everything in order to accept the gift He has in mind for us. This gift will always exceed our expectations and most likely, our imagining as well. For us to offer Jesus just a part of our lives, or for us to ask Him to follow our plans and our desires, is a failure on our part to trust His promise, or to realize what He is really offering to those who use their freedom to follow Him exactly. Many vocations are lost today because we too have the pride of the young man in today's Gospel. Lord, make us humble like the Virgin Mary, ready and excited for the vocation which you have chosen for us. May we be ready to leave everything to follow you!
+m
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