It’s time! Part of me wants to say, “Start your engines!” Summer is past, and it’s time to welcome the Fall season at St Mary of the Visitation Parish. This week we welcome back so many who have been away during the summer months, we resume many of our Children and Youth Ministries, we begin to once again ensure we are focussed being connected to our past, committed to our future and compassionately focussed on being a family of faith with something for everyone. I have looked at our plan for the Fall and all systems are “go” - but go - go where?
You see last weekend we began looking at a Vision of Right Living. We know that we want to do God's will in our lives and last weekend we focussed on the need to “Watch” - but not just watch anything, anyone, or anywhere - but to watch Where the Lord is, How the Lord speaks, and Who the Lord has placed in our lives. But that is only the first step in a Vision of Right Living - this Lord’s Day - its Step 2 - To Will!
A beautiful Gospel this Lord’s Day weekend - (Mark 7:31-37). They brought a man to Jesus who was deaf and unable to speak- and Jesus’ will was to open the man's eyes and release the man’s tongue. He was asked to do it, but not forced to - He willed it! The Will is powerful - there is so much we can will:
As we walk into a classroom for the first time on day one - we can will that it is going to be a great year or will that nothing good will come out of this experience
As we walk into work, see the co worker or customer, we can will that nobody is going to make me like them, work with them, or we can help them achieve success or meet their needs
As we come home, conflict with our spouse on the horizon, we can will that past hurts, angry feelings, deep seeded hatred will prevail or will that forgivness and a fresh start will reign.
As we interact with the bank teller, the grocery clerk, the car mechanic, the receptionist - we can will to be express patience - or not
As we consider the right choice to make, the selfless thing to do, the kind thought to consider, the correct moral teaching to live by, the Christ centered word to use - we can will those - or not
The Will is powerful - there is so much we can will - but there is so much that can change it or influence it - for the world and the church can be so different in what we will:
★ The world offers celebrities to idolize – the Church offers saints to follow.
★ The world offers noise – the Church offers Peace.
★ The world offers false dreams – the Church offers the Truth.
★ The world celebrates vice – the Church calls us to virtue.
★ The world offers earthly pleasures – the Church offers eternal heaven
But let’s no forget something we learned in Step One last week - we are called to watch - but if we are going to know what to watch - then we have to be where the Lord is. So too - if we are going to will - we have to will - where the Lord is!
This past week children from our parish returned to school - the majority to elementary school - but around 250 from our parish began their first day at St Benedict Secondary. So this week, I thought I would check it out and as I walked the halls in the midst of the teens I came to discover a young lad from our own Hespeler community is disarray. “I am not suppose to be here. This is not where I am suppose to be. I want to be where I am suppose to be” His frustration real and vividly apparent - I asked "where you suppose to be " His reply " 312 - will you go with me? "
How many times do we get asked that - will you go with me ? Its not just a question or query. Its not just a plea or a platitude, its not requirement or request - it’s a choice !
✓ Jesus did not have to open the eyes and release the tongue of the man.
✓ I did not have to walk that young lad to his classroom
✓ You did not have to be gentle with your child, understanding with your spouse, compassionate to the stranger, accepting to the newcomer, patient with the elder,
You willed it ! But a Vision of Right Living is as James (2:1-5) reminds us is about being - “ heirs of the kingdom that He has promised to those who love Him”. Part of willing, part of right living, is choosing as God chooses - and part of that is requiring us to not be haute, not be stoic, not be caustic, not be judgmental - but to choose as He choose! Here is the amazing thing - the outstanding thing - the champion act - when we will it - we become like Him, and in becoming like HIm - we become heirs to all He promises - we become rich in the eyes of God. We might be poor to the world - because we are not celebrities, we are surrounded by noise, we are not living false dreams or embraced by vice or earthly pleasures, but we are rich - we have willed it - because we are seeking to succeed as saints, living in Peace, speaking in Truth, stepping up in virtue and walking toward eternal heaven
Let me conclude with this. As you know we are very committed as a parish to Outreach and our Neighbourhood Ministry, St Vincent de Paul Society and our Haiti Project are important elements. Well during the month of July one of our little ones came to me saying that for his 7th birthday he had received $25.00. He wanted to give it to a charity but it had to be the right one. He asked to meet with me to discuss it. So ahead we did and I told him about each of the three and what they were about. Well last weekend we received in an envelope the $25.00 - to Haiti it went - with a simple sheet of paper as a note “This is the Will and Testament of. "Johnny"....” I wish my $25.00 to go to Haiti.”
What’s the will - not an end of life action - but choices in life that are leading to a Vision of Right Living. May we willed it today - to succeed as saints, to live in Peace, speak in Truth, stepping up in virtue and walk toward eternal heaven - for that is right living !