New Church Life Sept/Oct 2013 | Page 24

new church life: september / october 2013 We cannot raise the dead or heal a paralytic, but we can show our love and compassion to all, even those with whom we are in complete disagreement. Doing so gives us the opportunity to be agents of the Divine mercy. Think for a moment: have you seen the effect of mercy in your life, or in the life of another? Has the Lord healed some aspect of your life that was in disorder? Has He given you the ability to do something that would be impossible for you to do on your unaided resources alone? Is He doing for you today what you could not do for yourself yesterday? If so, you, like Matthew, are a witness to Divine mercy. Then Jesus went about to all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues . . . and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitude, He was moved with compassion for them, for they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples: “The harvest is truly plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:35-38) After healing every disease among the people, the Lord stopped and commented on the work ahead. Though He was facing the crowds in Galilee, He was referring to us in our time as well. It is not difficult for us to think of people we are in contact with who are “weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” (Ibid.) We can ask: how can I help Him? How can I be a laborer and help with the harvest? It is a deeply personal question, which each can answer in his own way. But here are some suggestions. First, we can recommit ourselves to follow the Lord each day. This is not easy, for “Divine providence constantly travels in a different direction than man’s will.” (Divine Providence 234) Then, recommitting oneself, we can ask ourselves: what would I have to leave behind in order to follow the Lord at this time in my life? Matthew left his profession and all the trappings that came with it. For us, following the Lord generally means changing the axis of our lives away from self, and toward the Lord and others, in the same way the earth slowly turns toward the sun in springtime. However, to be more specific, we may have to say goodbye to self-will, attachment to worldly possessions, pride, resentments or an unwillingness to trust in Divine Providence. Each conscience has the answer to this question. Secondly, we can remember that it is progress, not perfection, when it comes to spiritual growth. “It is an error to believe that the state of a person’s life can be changed in a moment, so from wicked, we can become good.” (Ibid. 458