Saturday, February 25, 2012

Saturday after Ash Wednesday

Jesus saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, "Follow me."
And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him.

Two very simple words: Follow me. It can be daunting sometimes to think that Christ calls us to labor with him in the vineyard. How can he possibly call me? We sometimes get in the way of allowing a grace-filled moment to change our lives even when it is right in front of our face. Jesus reminds us to recognize our own vulnerability, weakness, and humility so that we may share in the Lord's labor. For one very simple reason, we turn our attention away from ourselves to God. Humility is an awareness of who we truly are in the eyes of God. Through this awareness, we celebrate and give thanks for the gifts God has bestowed on us. We are all like Levi: sinful, broken, and desiring to be better. Levi dropped everything because he saw in Christ: truth, love, and joy. A simple request from Christ allowed Levi to trust that God was calling him to an experience of radical service and love. In this Lenten Season, how is God inviting us to recognize our weaknesses in order to serve his greater glory? Through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we too can be transformed to move outside ourselves and identify and encounter the love of Christ that compels us to serve and to love the Church and one another.

reflected by Alex Llanera, S.J.

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