Excuses

Why aren’t you and I doing more?

God calls us to be his servants: to proclaim the Gospel and to put our Christian love into action.

St. Paul encourages us in today’s first reading (Romans 12:5-16ab):

Do not grow slack in zeal,
be fervent in spirit,
serve the Lord.

So, why aren’t you and I doing more?

Like the people in today’s Gospel (Luke 14:15-24), we have many excuses.

Sometimes, like the people in today’s Gospel, we have other things that occupy our attention: either related to work or related to our personal lives.

Sometimes, because we are not clergy or religious, we may even think “It’s not my job.”

St. Paul reminds us that we each have a place and a role in the Body of Christ as given to us by God.

We, though many, are one Body in Christ
and individually parts of one another.
Since we have gifts
that differ according to the grace given to us,
let us exercise them.

Enough, then, with our excuses.

Let us exercise the gifts that God has given us
by the power of the Holy Spirit
and in the name of Jesus.