Go, Get Out, Scram!

Did it ever occur to you that we get kicked out of church EVERY Sunday!

One of the professors at St. Meinrad, Fr Godfrey Mullen, OSB, wrote a meditation on that exact point. I quoted him in my heading today.

I don't know about you, but there are times when I would love to bask in the revelation that I have just become what I received. I could sit there in quiet contemplation of the fact that I am the body of Christ, part of and holy. Unfortunately, that is not our mission, because just moments after we receive this supreme gift of love we are sent forth "to love and serve the Lord"

Go in peace

No matter how much we want to stay, we are called to serve. Our membership in the body is one of action. It reminds me of the prayer I learned as a young girl.

Christ has no body but yours,

No hands, no feet on earth but yours,

Yours are the eyes with which he looks Compassion on this world,

Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,

Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.

Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,

Yours are the eyes, you are his body.

Christ has no body now but yours,

No hands, no feet on earth but yours,

Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world.

Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

- St Teresa of Avilla (1515-1582)

Gentle Nudge or Bums Rush?

This message is applicable to many areas of our lives. I have been contemplating the end of my job at the end of June. I know it will be hard to leave after six years at the parish. I realize that I am called to leave at this time. I wanted to move slowly at cleaning out my office, and take my time, but the timetable has been moved up on me by circumstance.

The parish has decided to renovate the office building and will be demolishing my office in the next few weeks, even before my parish committments are complete, so I have to be out of my office by next week instead of the end of May. At first I was feeling as though they were saying "Here is your hat, what's your hurry", but the more I think about it the more I see the above message that I learned from Fr. Godfrey's meditation; If I am truly being called out of that place to something new, then why am I lingering?

So, next week I will be cleaning out my office (oh Lord Help, I am no more organized than I was before) and since they are going to pay me till the end of my contract regardless I will take the extra free time as a wonderful bonus from God and not as a snub from them.

God is good all the time.

Even when he says Scram!

Pax