So, what’s your excuse? Do you want to hear mine?

Today’s point of our gospel is our call, to be honest with God and one another. We should strive to relate and serve each other to the best of our abilities. How do we respond when we receive that question, call, and invitation? God’s invitations are always there for us. Are we listening to them?

This is an excellent wake-up call for many who spend more time being creative with excuses than thinking about the innovative ways we can share and build up the body of Christ.

I’ll never forget when I heard the words of the first reading sung at the International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin, Ireland, in 2012. Based on this reading, the whole country of Ireland had been singing this theme song for the Congress. They prepared for a year, and you could tell they were ready. Processing into the stadium, it sounded like the grand symphony of heaven, with all the angels singing! Paul is enticing, through positive words, ways to encourage the community to share their gifts and talents. He doesn’t use this parable of Jesus in our gospel, but through his positive writing and speech, he communicated a way to affirm the gifts of the community and bring them forward. No excuses!

Many of us need those “push-come-to-shove moments.” Many of us need soft, gentle ways of being encouraged to support something, live out our faith, and share our lives. Many of us recognize that the Holy Spirit is also gently leading us.

What’s next for us? There’s no excuse not to contemplate and act on God’s Spirit within!

Prayer

Gentle Spirit, we pray for the General Chapter of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament that is being held in Vietnam. Guide the decisions and vision of the Capitulars. Back here at home, lead us and invite us to live our lives in complete service of you. Make us diligent in trusting that we are open to your guidance and ways of holiness through Christ our Lord.