I try to be a good person but know I am so far from
perfect and so I sit here and ask my Lord what is
keeping me from being a saint. Jesus looks at me, loves me and says,
"Matthew, you lack one important thing. You must give
every last part of you to your family, your neighbors and all those I place in
your life who need to be loved. Then let go of every worry, every ambition,
every prideful thought and instead follow me in every breath you take."
Like the rich man Jesus spoke to in Mark 10:17-22,
there
are so many things that I possess that I don't want to let go of. In fact
salvation seems to be a ludicrously impossible notion. But for God, all things
are possible... even me. He will lift and carry me when I fall and give me the grace I need to grow. Like a
fire that purifies imperfections, my God can turn my ugliness into something
beautiful.
These were some thoughts from a recent Holy Hour I made on Feb 27. A verse
from the days readings (Mark 10:21) especially stood out to me which reads “Jesus,
looking at him, loved him and said to him…” There is a lot in that short statement.
First Jesus looked at the young man. He gave him his time and saw where he was
at. Then it makes a point to say He “loved him.” He didn’t just say "I am God and here’s the
deal." He loved the man first and foremost. It was only after loving him and
through His loving him that Jesus tells the rich young man what he must do to
be perfect. This is a reminder to me first that Jesus does see me and loves me
as I am which is a beautiful thing. And going beyond that it’s also a blueprint of how I need to be
present to others. If I’m going to be a follower of Christ, I need to look
closely at the people around me and love them like Jesus does or my words little.
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