FROM GOOD TO BETTER
I will never forget the words of my rector when I went back to the seminary after spending a weekend at home. I was telling him about a fascinating experience that I had on my way to the seminary. I told him, “I ‘saved’ someone from hunger and humiliation.” “How?” he asked. So I narrated, “I dropped by a fast-food restaurant to get myself some snacks. An old beggar came and ordered a cup of coffee. But he was short of a couple of centavos. I volunteered to pay for the coffee and even got him a donut. He smiled to say thank you, then went to a corner to consume his food.” And then I concluded with, “I felt so great, Father!” And then he dropped the bomb, “Did you join him at his table as he ate?”
Just as I thought I had already done enough, there he was telling me that something greater could have been done.
Jesus practically said something like this in today’s Gospel. It is good to do as you are told on a Sabbath, but something greater can still be done. And if that opportunity presents itself, then it is what you should do. This, I believe, is where we most often fail in fulfilling and responding to our Christian calling. We settle for the good when something better can still be done. We content ourselves with simply going to Mass when we know serving at the celebration of the sacrament can be a better option. We simply give dole-outs to those in need when our very presence can help them more. We cry and feel sorry for those who are suffering or in distress, when a warm embrace or a shoulder to lean on is what they can really make use of.
There is something greater that has to be done. And we’ll all be better off opting to do that greater thing. Fr. Sandy V. Enhaynes
REFLECTION QUESTION: What’s the better thing that you can do today to help someone in need?
Lord Jesus, may I never tire of extending myself for the good of others.
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