“Want to Be More Holy? Follow the Instructions.”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
July 14 – 15, 2018
Scripture: Mark 6: 7-13
7- He summoned the Twelve* and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. 8 – He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick—no food, no sack, no money in their belts. 9 – They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic. 10 – He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there. 11- Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.” 12 – So they went off and preached repentance. 13 – They drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
When we bake a cake and closely follow the instructions in our recipe, the result is a delicious cake.
When we follow God’s instructions and do as we are told, the result is we become holy.
His instructions cover every area of our lives. But, it is hard to listen if we think we are too smart. God always keeps his word. But, we doubt how much he loves us, even though we hear it over and over again in Mass and at Confession. When we doubt His word, we are committing the sin of pride.
Our first parents, Adam and Eve, did NOT follow God’s instructions. God gave them one rule: Do not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. When they disobeyed God, they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden.We do not need to form a study group or a committee to do research about what God wants and how to be holy.
We do not need to recreate the wheel. The work has already been done. He left us precise instructions on how to be holy. We just need to follow them.
Will it always yield results? No.
But, do not be discouraged if you think your efforts are unsuccessful and not yielding results….just keep doing what God asks you to do…you are doing His Will and planting seeds.
So…show YOUR compassion
YOU visit the sick and the elderly
YOU help the homeless and the hungry
YOU get your hands dirty.
But…we must be holy first. People need to see Him in us. Remember…the only time your neighbor may see God is in your face. Mother Angelica once said: “I am a mirror to my neighbor, and in that mirror, he must see a reflection of Jesus. If that mirror is cloudy or distorted, Jesus’ reflection will be so vague it will hardly be seen.”
How will you apply this message to your life? Are you ready to get YOUR hands dirty?