This Sunday might be call "Integrity Sunday." We can prepare to celebrate it, with the graces our Lord wants to offer us, by chewing the gospel carefully.
Jesus invites us to prepare for Sunday by looking in the mirror. Do I give the Lord "lip service," saying prayers, going to church, but living my everyday life quite independently, quite un-related to God and what God asks of me in my relationship with others? Another way of asking ourselves the question is this: Does my desire to be a follower of Jesus go far enough? Perhaps this reflection helps: Do the people I live with and work with most closely see the integrity of my life, or do they see that I don't always "Walk the talk"?
We know this example very well. When it feels like my life is "built on sand," I feel so lacking in integrity. Without a firm foundation, I feel that the decisions I make, the stances I take, the example I give others, are all shifting sand, depending upon the circumstances I'm in, which way the wind is blowing, the pressures I'm under, even on what wins me some advantage or makes me look better. But, when our hopes and desires, our security and our sustenance are rooted firmly in the Lord alone, we can withstand some real buffeting, without collapsing. If this preparatory chewing and reflection excites in us a desire to not only listen to our Lord, but to act on his invitations to us, then we are ready to go and celebrate on Sunday. We are ready to offer ourselves more completely, and give thanks and praise at a deeper level. We are ready to be sent forth into a new week, to put our faith into daily practice. |