Monday of the 30th week in Ordinary Time [479] Ephesians 4:32-5:8 Psalm 1:1-2, 2-3, 4+6 Luke 13:10-17

Weekly Guide for Daily Prayer

Recently, my husband and I visited our daughter and son-in-law and our grandson, Henry who celebrated his second birthday.  It was wonderful to watch Henry delight in everything that was going on around him, as he tried to imitate and do whatever we adults were doing - preparing a meal, washing dishes, sweeping the floor, reading a book, etc., as well as repeating words and phrases that he heard us say.  It is amazing the things that a two year old can ‘pick up’ from the world around him or her!!!

I am reminded of the eagerness of young children to imitate the people around them as I read Ephesians today, where we are called to be images of God: “Try, then, to imitate God, beloved children.” 

What does this mean to each of us?  What is our image of God? How ARE we to act, to live, to be?  Ephesian’s passage encourages us to to be kind to one another, compassionate and forgiving as God has forgiven us...and to give thanks. 

However, it seems that we are surrounded by opposite messages in our world today.  Regardless of one’s political leanings, it is always the ‘they’ of the other side who do everything wrong. Often times, one’s religious identity and intention are defined by others’ skewed interpretation of a given religion.  In our uncertain economic times, programs that would assist the least fortunate are maligned for the great expense involved and/or targeted for budget cuts.  Angered sport fans seem to need to lash out at the coach or players for a lost game.  I wonder what image of God is at work here...

Yet, in my day to day interactions with others, I find myself getting caught up in a judgmental ‘reactive’ mode at times.  How did I treat the company representative who needs to be sure that our furnace problem needs to be corrected before the snow flies?

Where was my patience with my co-worker or family member regarding an unfinished project?   Is it ok that I only accomplished a few things on my ‘to-do’ list today?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus raises the ire of the synagogue leader as Jesus heals the bent over woman of her crippling disease of eighteen years on the Sabbath.  The leader’s indignation, based on Sabbath law, totally missed Jesus’ caring concern for the woman’s suffering. 

From where does my/our anger, indignation and judgement arise in our daily lives?

If each of us are called to live into our unique image of God, what might we do to live out the commitment of our Baptismal vocation--to be God-presence, in our interactions with others?

Taking quiet time daily to be reflective...sitting in God’s presence and opening to knowing God more deeply offers a time to re-center myself so that I might REAL-ize what it means to ‘imitate God’...be God’s presence today.  I pray that I/we might re-member our call by making time to be with our God so that we can be kind, compassionate and forgiving ...be imitators of God today, and everyday...and to give thanks!