I have always been amazed by the subtle and not so subtle ways that God gets our attention! A little over five years ago, a dear friend sent me a greeting card which contained a ministry job position advertisement which she had cut from a Catholic, Jesuit magazine. She wrote a short note which read: “This job at Creighton University sounds like you.” I chuckled to myself when I read her note because I had a subscription to the same magazine. However, since I was very satisfied with the pastoral ministry work which I was involved in at the time, I wasn’t looking for a new position and I hadn’t read the advertisement. My immediate reaction was to think: “Why did she send this to me? I’m not looking for another position.” I shrugged and put it down. However, after her note sat on my kitchen counter for a few days, I picked it up again and re-read the ad. While reflecting on the description of the position and studying the university ministry website, I began to feel a growing sense of excitement. As those feelings stirred within me I remember thinking, “God, are you involved in this?” I knew I needed to pay attention to my heart. I prayed and reflected about the possibility that this might be an invitation from God and eventually decided to apply for the position. This week I am gratefully celebrating my fifth anniversary at Creighton. I believe that God worked through my friend. If I had seen the advertisement myself, I doubt if I would have thought, “This sounds like me.” But when I read the ad through her eyes, everything changed. God calls us in a variety of ways; we just need to pay attention. In today’s Gospel, we read that: “As Jesus passed by, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.” I marvel at what seems like Matthew’s immediate response to Jesus. Unlike me when I drew back and hesitated upon receiving the note from my friend, Matthew seemed so sure of himself when he “got up” and followed Jesus. |