THE WILL OF THE ONE WHO SENT ME

 

Many years ago, as a young priest working in the seminary, part of my daily duties was to work with the boys in the farm. That meant planting, weeding, watering and harvesting, depending on the time of year. We had a good, old reliable tractor and a not so reliable carabao, who preferred to wallow more in the mud than obey the orders of his caretaker. He had a favorite shady spot on campus and, to temper his self-willed and recalcitrant ways, he had to be tethered by the nose.

But he would have none of it. He thrashed about and protested and pulled with his might away from the leash that limited his forays in the 15-hectare campus. This, the carabao did, until the inevitable happened. His nose got frayed with all his pulling and protesting. He freed himself eventually, at the cost of a deformed and bloody nose.

For us seminary formators, he instantly became the icon and perfect example of disobedience to the superiors’ will.

Today, we have the perfect icon and example of its opposite — obedience to the will of the Father. St. Paul puts it nicely thus: “usque ad mortem.” He was obedient all the way up to death. Yesterday, we reflected on the gift and mystery of the Eucharist. Christ is the “bread come down from heaven.” I have it on Paul’s authority that “he shed off everything that is divine and took on the nature of a slave.” This is what coming down from heaven boils down to: humility and utter obedience to God’s will.

It is hard to obey. Take it from that hapless carabao who did not want to be tethered. But we don’t need the lesson of a non-rational animal to teach us this. We know from experience that it is difficult to be doing the will of someone other than ourselves. It is always better to do what suits us, what pleases us, what seems rewarding for us.

But the lesson of the “bread come down from heaven” is unmistakably clear. He came not to do His own will but “the will of the One who sent Him.”Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

 

Reflection Question:

Do I find it easy or difficult to obey someone’s will other than my own, especially when it does not suit or please me?

 

Give me a heart that is obedient to Your will, Lord.

 

St. Walbert, pray for us.

COMMITMENT BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY

People rarely seriously complain about having to do something they know is their duty to do. Yes, there are some who do, but hopefully they are in a very small minority. However, when it comes to doing things that are above and beyond the call of duty, then we are probably all liable to complain every now and then. One of the most impressive things about the life of Mary is that she seems to almost embrace her call as a duty. Wow! Is there anything we can complain about given that we have not been asked to do anything as significant or seemingly impossible as this? I think not, at least not with any good excuse.

Jesus also demonstrates not just an extraordinary level of obedience but selflessness as well when He dies on the cross to free us from our sins. We have no excuse when it comes to trying to argue our way out responding to such an enormous grace. How can we  be so selfish that we would not consider at least a few acts of selflessness and self-sacrifice in the course of our life as disciples of Jesus? If you can think of an excuse for me, please let me know.

The next time we find doing something for someone else difficult, we should reflect upon what Jesus has done for us. We will find that our procrastination will be very difficult to justify and that we should just get on doing what we know we should be doing out of love for others. This is where the example of the lives of the saints can also be very helpful because, generally speaking, they lived lives similar to that of Jesus. We cannot excuse ourselves from their example, as they are not divine like Jesus is.

We are generally very good at looking for excuses to avoid certain duties and optional sacrifices in our lives. Let us use some of that energy to be more proactive and do these things without making a fuss. I think we will be pleased with the result.Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

Reflection Question:

Are there duties in my life that I am not fulfilling faithfully? How can I turn this lack of faithfulness around?

 

Jesus, help me to open my heart more fully to the graces You give, particularly those that will help me to be faithful to my duties as Your disciple.

 

St. Kennocha, pray for us.