Today, I received some not so great news. It really doesn't matter what it was, but what matters is how I have reacted. The news isn't life threatening. I won't be without a place to live any time soon, but it has not made me happy.
But I have spent the entire day feeling sorrow for myself. I'm in an awful mood. Everything that I encounter rubs me the wrong way. I know that this mood and my behavior is not good for me or those I love.
Then on Facebook, I saw a post by Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP. and it felt like a cold bucket of Gatorade was dumped on my head. I really need to hear he post, especially the last paragraph which is below:
Think about this: Is it a human notion of justice you want applied to your eternal life? An economic balance? Do you truly want what you deserve? What you’ve earned in this life? Do you want the Father to give you a just compensation for your life’s work in His name? The whole point of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ is that we won’t be given what we deserve (thank God!); we won’t receive from the Father what is owed to us (thank God!). He owes us nothing. All the work we do we do for His greater glory, and He still owes us nothing. Do we want justice from God? Or do we want mercy? We want mercy. And Christ has bought that mercy for us and given it to us freely. There's an eager little devil out there waiting to pounce on our witness to the Lord. He will offer us an opportunity to sin and delight the Liar. What is this temptation? It is the temptation to believe that we work for the Lord out of our own generosity, out of our own time, out of our own resources, and we are therefore entitled to a greater reward when we outwork our neighbors. My time, my resources, my talents belong to God. And so do yours. Our freedom is a gift. All that we do in God's name we do with His gifts for His glory. Because without Him we are nothing.
All that I have is his! Without him I am nothing! Forgive me Lord!
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