"Let us begin, brothers, to serve the Lord God,
for up to now we have made little or no progress"

This quote, attributed to St. Francis, was not him telling the brothers so much that they have not done anything, but more that what they have done is nothing in comparison to what they can do, strengthened by the grace of God. It is also a not so subtle reminder, not to become prideful, boastful, or self righteous about our works ('cause the works may be ours, but the power to do them ain't).

Listening to a homily by Fr.Larry Richards, I was, as per usual, knocked to my knees by one of his sucker-punches , um, statements.

"We play this false humility game, of oh God I'm not worthy to do your work"

We, I, say this not out of true humility, but as an excuse for not being about our Father's business, as an out for not doing what we know we should. It is an easy trap to fall in, especially if our focus is not completely on the Source of our to good.

If a bodybuilder lifts a car off the trapped driver in an auto accident, he will be honored, and folks might start going to his gym. If a 99 year old grandma does the same in Jesus' name, God will be honored, and a few more folks might show up to Mass.

So be brave, and do the impossible, because through Christ, you can!

For me, I love that these little blows of the hammer, that notso gentle pounding that is forging me into a lil' Christ, always seem to come just as complacency starts to settle in, as the silly cares of this world take my eyes off the prize of the next (and of how many folks I want to bring with me).

As we approach Pentecost, please pray that we, I, stop worrying about our own strengths, and rely more fully, on the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

oh, I see an overturned car, gotta go (O: