Do you remember the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade? Action-packed Harrison Ford movie . . . adventures you would never catch this squeamish-at-the-sight-of-anything-slimey-hopping-or-slithering kind of girl in close proximity to. Sitting safely in a movie theater or on the couch in the comfort of my own home makes it a virtual adventure and I can handle that! So, what was it about today's Gospel that made me think of Indiana Jones? Basically, Jesus prayed about who would be His Twelve Apostles. He didn't just randomly pick from all His followers. He prayed for God's guidance in making the right decision . . . to do the Father's Will. There is a line in this movie which I find quite profound and related to today's Gospel:
Grail Knight: But choose wisely, for while the true Grail will bring you life, the false Grail will take it from you.
By Jesus choosing the Twelve He did, God's plan unfolded perfectly. Through His death and resurrection, we are saved (Luke 6:12-19):
Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,
Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground.
A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon
came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured. Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and healed them all.
In Anne a lay apostle's book Lessons in Love, she describes beautifully how choosing wisely leads to living (and thriving in) a life for Christ:
"Young men and women of God, choose wisely. Ask yourself if the person you are dating is willing to view marriage through the eyes of Christ, never mind living it out that way. If the person you are dating does not share this sacramental view of marriage, how can we expect him or her to exercise it later? If the person you are dating does not view the formation of children with the most reverent sense of responsibility, how can we expect them to exercise it fully as a parent? Such cruel disappointment God’s children experience in unwise marriages, and yet, such humility from suffering and such miraculous healing of many marital unions."
Lay apostles, just as Christ called upon Our Father in heaven when He had to make some important choices, we must do the same. Pray for wisdom. Pray for the right answers. Choose wisely.
Thank you, Lord, for the lessons when I have chosen hastily and the graces when I have made choices after discussing it with You!
God bless,
Bonnie
Grail Knight: But choose wisely, for while the true Grail will bring you life, the false Grail will take it from you.
By Jesus choosing the Twelve He did, God's plan unfolded perfectly. Through His death and resurrection, we are saved (Luke 6:12-19):
Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,
Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground.
A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon
came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured. Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and healed them all.
In Anne a lay apostle's book Lessons in Love, she describes beautifully how choosing wisely leads to living (and thriving in) a life for Christ:
"Young men and women of God, choose wisely. Ask yourself if the person you are dating is willing to view marriage through the eyes of Christ, never mind living it out that way. If the person you are dating does not share this sacramental view of marriage, how can we expect him or her to exercise it later? If the person you are dating does not view the formation of children with the most reverent sense of responsibility, how can we expect them to exercise it fully as a parent? Such cruel disappointment God’s children experience in unwise marriages, and yet, such humility from suffering and such miraculous healing of many marital unions."
Lay apostles, just as Christ called upon Our Father in heaven when He had to make some important choices, we must do the same. Pray for wisdom. Pray for the right answers. Choose wisely.
Thank you, Lord, for the lessons when I have chosen hastily and the graces when I have made choices after discussing it with You!
God bless,
Bonnie
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