Wednesday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Intention: For the gifts of integrity, dedication, and compassion for all who serve as educators, formators, and caretakers of the young.
Today’s Gospel | Luke 9:57-62
As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding on their journey, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” And to another he said, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.” And another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home.” Jesus answered him, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.”
From the Ninth Meditation for the Time of Retreat | Saint John Baptist de La Salle
Let it be clear, then, in all your conduct toward the children who are entrusted to you, that you regard yourselves as the ministers of God, carrying out your ministry with love and a sincere and true zeal, accepting with much patience the difficulties you have to suffer, willing to be despised by men and to be persecuted, even to give your life for Jesus in the fulfillment of your ministry.
The zeal that ought to inspire you is meant to give you these dispositions, so that you recognize that it is God who has called you, who has destined you for this work, and who has sent you to labor in his vineyard. Do this, then, with all the affection of your heart, working entirely for him.
Prayer
Eternal Father, we are good at making excuses. In our daily lives, we can always find reasons to avoid or delay answering your call to discipleship. Help us to let go of the fears or selfishness that hold us back and fill us with a zeal to build your kingdom. Just as your Son gave of himself to fill the emptiness in the world, may we seek to do your will without hesitating or counting the cost. We ask this of you who lives and reigns with your Son and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.