Saturday, July 15, 2017

Come as You Are

Jesus said to his Apostles: "No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master.  It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, for the slave that he become like his master.  If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household!  "Therefore do not be afraid of them.  Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.  What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.  And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.  Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?  Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge.  Even all the hairs of your head are counted.  So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.  Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.  But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father."  Matthew 10: 24 - 33

Today’s Gospel speaks to the heart of what it means to be a child of God. When we follow Jesus it comes with challenges, and there are many times we find ourselves wondering if we can really follow God’s plan for us.  God’s love for us is so enormous that we can never fully realize the love that God has for each one of us. 

I remember a song that I heard a long time ago and the refrain was. “Come as you are, that’s how I want you.  Come as you are, don’t be ashamed…”  Recalling that song made connecting to this Gospel much easier.  God’s love for us is beyond anything we could ask for or even imagine and is always there for us.  This day let us come to our God as we are with all our joys and sorrows, our successes and faults, and remember that no matter what our God loves us just the way we are.

Pat Schifini, OSU

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