You are anxious and worried about many things

How true are these words to us in our world of devices, instant news, and immediate gratification? Even in work we find ourselves consumed with multiple roles and then becoming disillusioned and upset when others don't seem to pick up the slack. There is no doubt that there are some who are leaders and some that are followers but keeping true to the Gospel passage today it is important to keep things in perspective. Why am I upset about the tasks that I have taken up? Am I doing these things in order to be recognized, to be elevated to a position of superiority, or am I truly serving the Lord?

In my daily life I find myself consumed at times with worries about money, work and household tasks, my children, and the general future of our nation and world. The necessity to immediately answer the e-mail or text takes precedent to carving out quiet time. What becomes of these anxieties?  Even those who are associated with the work of Lord and Christian charity find themselves overwhelmed with business of the day.  All of this brings discouragement which itself disconnects us from mercy of Lord.  "Why are they not doing something?" one may ask.  "Why don't they respond to my text, SnapChat, or e-mail quickly?" A better question is how much time have I spent with Lord today? Have I spent time as Mary at the Lord's feet listening?

The Potter's Wheel

As a child I was fortunate to have the experience of using a potter's wheel as my father taught ceramics at our local high school.  I looked forward to the time spent trying to form a cup or vase. There were a few simple rules about molding something from clay; keep the clay moist which meant occasionally splashing small bits of water on the mound spinning on electric wheel or dipping your hands in the water and then resuming the work on clay, don't increase the speed of the wheel too fast or the clay will fly off,  and clean up.  Other than that my father allowed my brother and myself with a watchful eye to experiment.

In today's reading we read about Jeremiah and the potters house.  From my limited experience on the potter's wheel I find some connections to the passage. Keeping the clay moist as an object is formed reminds me of the spiritual cleansing or Sacrament of Reconciliation that needs to take place as we journey to the Kingdom of heaven. Every now and then water needs to be splashed upon us in the form of God's infinite mercy for us to become the image God intended us to to be.  Increasing the speed of the wheel which forms a imperfect object or causes the clay to fly off correlates to the futile attempt to live life in today's world full of immediate gratification, materialism, rage,  and cultural relativism. We become disengaged with our truer sense of what is right and slide off the wheel into the depths of sin.  Fortunately God in his infinite mercy is there to pick us up and place us in the center of the wheel to begin the process of forming a object of beauty only if we allow Him to do so and place our life in his hands.

As the clay spins the potter takes the various tools to add grooves to the object and using his hands sometimes squeezing the clay an image begins to appear from the blob. The excess clay from the use of the tools is thus removed much like the bad fish in today's Gospel. Little by little the once blob of clay takes form.  Once finished it is fired and glazed.  As one can see God's work is never done with us as we are the proverbial piece of clay.

Even after we have made the conscious decision to give up our life to God, we need to be dusted off, cleaned, and shined as to become the true image of God's work in us.  Taking this in mind let us reflect not only us as the object that is being formed, but how we can through God's grace also assist in formation of others around us.

Passing by on the other side

The Gospel story of the Good Samaritan always strikes a chord with me.  It reveals my self-centeredness and lack of compassion which can be difficult to reconcile with. Years ago I was in a downtown area of a large city and was approached my a homeless man who was looking for an additional shirt to keep him warm from the elements which at the time were quite frigid. I was fully decked out in multiple layers of clothing and told the man I could not spare anything at the time. That in itself was not true as I had been blessed with a good job, adequate housing and clothing, but I proceeded on my business in the area not thinking anything of my actions.  However that image still haunts me today.

I was as the just like the priest and the Levite in the Gospel a passerby not willing to be a laborer for God's work.  In a world full of self-centeredness there seems to be a lack of compassion towards those less fortunate. However, there is a Good Samaritan in all of us.  Some people have a natural inclination to helping the needy, poor, and homeless.  They are as the State Farm commercial says "a good neighbor." If you struggle in this area try reading this book, Love, Skip, and Jump by Shelene Bryan.  It has helped me to to carry out the Gospel message of the Good Samaritan with a wealth of ideas.  Carrying a small care package in your car of socks, a bottle of water, hotel toiletries from recent trips and a granola bar was one that appealed to me.

But the struggle still goes on. There are endless numbers of homeless and ill people on the streets where I live. I can choose to look the other way when I am driving by or a quick prayer can be all that I offer. I believe that we are called to be a good neighbor.