3rd Sunday - Reflection by Fr. Leo

Peter, Andrew, James and John are called by the Lord to join him in his ministry as apostles.  The radical response of the disciples always takes me by surprise.  These men, though leaving as brothers, leave “life” as they knew it behind.  I always feel bad for the dad’s who not only lose the presence of two sons, but workers as well.

Even today there are some men and women who hear and respond to the call of the gospel in radical ways.  Here I think of the monastic orders of women and men who leave all to live quietly in God, not just for themselves, but for us.  What is radical is their balance between being and doing, which, because of their solitude, becomes continual prayer.  They live a life weighted more heavily on the Mary side of being than on the Martha side of doing.

Though we may not be called to monastic life, I do believe we are all called to a radical response to Christ in the gospel.  I’m not advocating becoming super pious and speaking of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in every sentence.  I’m thinking of a mindfulness that keeps the mystery of Christ before us at all times.  An openness if you will, to seeing God in all things.  This “mindfulness” is developed over time by taking some time in silence and solitude to be with the Word and allow God to speak to our inner soul as we turn off the endless chatter of our minds and hearts simulated by a distracting world.

Meditating with the scriptures or a book of short meditations for the day opens the door for those wordless moments of contemplation that takes place in us between the worlds.  This is it, and it’s not complicated.  What is amazing is how these brief moments begin to open our eyes to the presence of God through the day,  to the point where all things can speak of the grandeur of God.