Jesus' mindset is His Father, sending the Holy Spirit, and taking care of others around Him. He brings the Kingdom of God wherever He goes. His mind defaults to the above most important concerns in His Heart and Soul. He sees hungry people and feeds them. He sees blind and heals them. He sees sinners and forgives them. He sees the dead and raises them. His eyes are on the poor, the lame, the blind, the hungry, spiritually poor, those who seek holiness. When He awakes, all these are His focus. He defaults to all these.
What is our default mode. Is it "me" or is it "they"? What does our mind, our thoughts, desires and actions default to? He said to us: "Take up your cross and follow me." When we care for others, that is part of the cross because it is easy to visit the sick and imprisoned, to spend a hour in prayer every day, to visit Jesus at Mass and in the Blessed Sacrament at other times. It is not easy to get up to go to work or to do that load of endless laundry or to cook another meal for the kids and for your husband. Every morning we wak up, there is our cross smiling back at us. It's always there; it never needs refrigeration. It is always fresh! But Jesus said to take His yoke upon us because "My burden is easy and my yoke is light." It is not that our cross gas wheels on it so we can carry it like luggage in an airport. I am afraid it does not come with wheels; however, Jesus will be our "Simon of Cyrene" and help us to carry it. We do not carry it alone. He carries it with us.
This cross for some is the celibate priesthood. Jesus still is saying to them: "My burdenn is easy; my yoke is light." These men lay on the floor before the Bishop and before God to lay down their lives for Christ, to laly down all their desires for a personal family of wife and children, to lay down their careers in the wold. The parish become their family. They spouse becomes Christ! The same with brothers and nuns. They lay down all to follow Christ. Also, every husband and wife lay down their lives for Christ and for one another and for thier kids. No matter how YOU are called to follow Jesus, please lay down your whole life for him.
Lord, Jesus, help us to lay down our lives for You and others. Help priests to love their parish family, husbands and wives to love each other and the kids, nuns and brothers to love Jesus in those to whom they minister. Let all religious feel Your spousal love for them. Please us to default to caring for others, to thinking about others, and to give thanks to the Father for our life, and to thank the Spirit for praying and advocating our case before the Father. Eventhough it is God who has a case against us, it is the Holy Spirit who takes our case against God. That is why God is so compassionate as He was to the prodigal son. Thank You for giving us this loving Advocate who is so eloquent and forgiving. Thank You, Jesus, for the Father and the Holy Spirit - for Hope for the world to come. Amen. In Your name. Amen.
Love, Pio
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