It was a quiet evening at Hope Hospice that night back in 2007. Unresponsive at this point, Mom seemed comfortable in her hi-tech bed. My sister Diane and I spent three and a half long weeks by Mom's side, 24/7. One night in particular we had the TV show "Jeopardy!" lingering in the background. I will tell you right upfront, I suck at this game (of course, depending on the subject . . . 70's music and movies I can be fierce competition!). As usual, I half listened to the "answers" not quick enough to figure out the "question." The final Jeopardy! "answer" was read . . . something about a Spanish painter . . . and I knew the answer! I yelled out "Miro!" The response from the players . . . "who is Miro!" I started woohooing, proud I finally got one right! Within seconds, Mom's nurse came running in. "Is everything ok?" she asked calmly with an empathetic look on her face. All of the sudden, I realized I was in hospice, and loud noises coming from a room are usually cries of grief at the loss of a loved one. I assured her there was no change in Mom, and I just got a little excited about getting the Final Jeopardy! question right. She just smiled and nodded, closing the door behind her . . . I'm sure . . . to keep the noise level down.
The Gospel today (Mark 12:28-34) shows Jesus confirming when one of the scribes got it right:
One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, He is One and there is no other than he. And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
In Anne a lay apostle's book Climbing the Mountain, she states very clearly what "getting it right" means to God:
"God is seeking exceptional. God is seeking passion. God is seeking a return on the total and selfless love that He has for each one of us. It is this caliber of love that led Him to a violent and humiliating death on the cross. Dear friends, He is entitled to our best in the way of love. Love of God creates calm in the soul. An apostle who is climbing the mountain will begin to feel calm more often and excited less often. Gradually, sometimes very slowly, the excitability that is constantly fueled by the world will fade as the apostle withdraws from the swirling and retreats into the calm waters of the spiritual realm. This is good. Love of God will encourage this, or rather, demand this, and great progress will follow. Love of God results in a desire to please Him. We begin to desire to serve Him as He wishes to be served. We want to get it right for Him. The desire to be good and holy is rooted in Christ but initially bears many elements of self-interest. As the soul progresses up the mountain, these elements dissipate and are replaced by more pure motivations."
Lay apostles, I don't know about you, but I want to get it right! The more I remain calm and peaceful (of course, those who know me know I get quite excited about things and the Italian comes out very quickly!), the more I tend to make decisions with Him in mind. It's kind of an internal challenge I give myself in chaotic situations . . . most of the time, it's a good decision to keep my opinions to myself when I can't offer solutions. So, today, surprise yourself by getting it right . . . speak up, listen, assist, bandage, feed . . . whatever it takes!
Thank you, Lord, for helping me to get it right in the times I actually do. Without Your continual guidance, I don't even want to imagine where I would be today!
God bless,
Bonnie
The Gospel today (Mark 12:28-34) shows Jesus confirming when one of the scribes got it right:
One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, He is One and there is no other than he. And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
In Anne a lay apostle's book Climbing the Mountain, she states very clearly what "getting it right" means to God:
"God is seeking exceptional. God is seeking passion. God is seeking a return on the total and selfless love that He has for each one of us. It is this caliber of love that led Him to a violent and humiliating death on the cross. Dear friends, He is entitled to our best in the way of love. Love of God creates calm in the soul. An apostle who is climbing the mountain will begin to feel calm more often and excited less often. Gradually, sometimes very slowly, the excitability that is constantly fueled by the world will fade as the apostle withdraws from the swirling and retreats into the calm waters of the spiritual realm. This is good. Love of God will encourage this, or rather, demand this, and great progress will follow. Love of God results in a desire to please Him. We begin to desire to serve Him as He wishes to be served. We want to get it right for Him. The desire to be good and holy is rooted in Christ but initially bears many elements of self-interest. As the soul progresses up the mountain, these elements dissipate and are replaced by more pure motivations."
Lay apostles, I don't know about you, but I want to get it right! The more I remain calm and peaceful (of course, those who know me know I get quite excited about things and the Italian comes out very quickly!), the more I tend to make decisions with Him in mind. It's kind of an internal challenge I give myself in chaotic situations . . . most of the time, it's a good decision to keep my opinions to myself when I can't offer solutions. So, today, surprise yourself by getting it right . . . speak up, listen, assist, bandage, feed . . . whatever it takes!
Thank you, Lord, for helping me to get it right in the times I actually do. Without Your continual guidance, I don't even want to imagine where I would be today!
God bless,
Bonnie
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