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