The Catholic Calendar for Monday, July 11, 2005
Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
St. Benedict, abbot

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Exodus 1:8-14.22
Psalm 124:1-8
Matthew 10:34--11:1

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

In today's Gospel we hear Jesus speak about the tremendous cost of discipleship.

When you hear the words He speaks it might be enough for some to think, "Why bother, what sense is there in that?” It isn’t a careless question or, one that is associated just with great and hardened self-centered sinners, but one that I am certain many of us have had cross our mind.

Why bother indeed? That is a question of a a thinking, pragmatic person and it requires a thoughtful and equally pragmatic answer. The trouble is the answer makes no sense unless there is more to life than what we normally perceive. It is entirely a matter of grace and acceptance of grace to see beyond this life to life everlasting.

After all, without grace we would not even be able to appreciate the things of this world which are signs of God's loving concern; and what is more, we would have no reason to believe that God has even more in store for us than we could ever imagine.

Let us then just simply and humbly ask God for the grace daily to be a worthy disciple, to put everything else that concerns us in perspective and grant us faith to see beyond what is apparent and be willing to take up our cross daily to follow Him.

- Donna Raye Nelson, OCDS
(drn3rd at hotmail dot com)

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