How many
procrastinate and tend to put things off for whatever reason?
This Sunday
as we welcome young people to the Eucharistic table making first communion, I
want to tell you about my procrastination.
I was
baptized into the Catholic Church at two weeks old. I was never catechized
because my dad became a Baptist minister. But I married a Catholic woman and
was raising my children in the Catholic Church but I didn’t make my first
communion until I was 35 years old.
I kept
putting it off. And, the Lord kept calling me.
It was the
same thing about becoming a Deacon. I told my wife the Lord was calling me. But
I made excuses. I got other things I have to take care of first. I have a job.
I have a family.
I kept
putting it off. And, the Lord kept calling me.
In both
instances, I was scared or unsure. Maybe I didn’t know how to do or what to do.
I felt uncomfortable in a way.
I should have
learned my lesson; but still, I procrastinate. Like on this this homily. I was
a little blank. I couldn’t hear or understand what message the Holy Spirit was
speaking to my heart. So, I googled procrastination and spent an hour reading
about it.
Then I prayed
the Liturgy of the Hours and asked the Holy Spirit to send me inspiration.
The prayers
for the Hours begin: God come to my assistance, Lord make haste to help
me.
It’s amazing
we put off our work for God and ask God to hurry up and come help us. It also
funny the message He put in my heart, stop
procrastinating– why aren’t you doing my work.
That’s where
we procrastinate. Proclaiming the Gospel of the Lord and doing His work in this
world.
Usually,
procrastination is intentional; like that shown by the apostles in today’s
gospel.
Over the
couple weeks before this gospel narrative the experience of the apostles
included the crucifixion of Jesus, the resurrection, and His appearing to them
not once but twice behind locked doors. They had even received the Holy Spirit
when the risen Christ, breath upon them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
The apostles
should have been on fire!
Instead,
Peter announces, “I’m going fishing.” And, 7 of the 11 apostles said they were
going with him.
Instead of
going out and being the fishers of men Jesus wanted them to be, they were going
back to the comfort of what they knew. They were running scared.
Fishing was
something they knew. It gave them comfort.
Maybe the
devil put in them a longing for what was comfortable to procrastinate from
doing the hard and demanding ministry Jesus had asked from them.
These first
priests were scared little children in the world. Maybe they felt, they were
not worthy or didn’t know exactly what to do. And, they went out and fished all
night and 7 expert fishermen didn’t catch a single fish.
In the
morning, Jesus appeared on the shore and called them just as they acted: “Children
did you catch anything?” The apostles acting like children instead of the
adults tasked with doing what the Lord asked of them.
Why aren’t we
doing the Lord’s work?
Jesus will
ask us to do things we consider hard. They are the same things he asked the
apostles; things outside our comfort zone.
When the Lord
puts something uncomfortable before us we tend to be little children. We don’t
want to look foolish or be ridiculed or have someone think we are wacky
religious.
He sends us
to ministries and works outside our comfort zone. The Holy Spirit moves us to
work with the homeless or volunteer for hospital ministry or start a prison
ministry or work to feed the hungry. Maybe our
ministry is to stand on the street and proclaim the gospel of the Jesus Christ.
Most of the
time, we must start these ministries and works with nothing than the need. So we
procrastinate and it’s intentional.
If we put it
off, maybe someone else will do it. The devil encourages procrastination
to keep us from what Jesus has asked of us.
We avoid
Jesus speaking to our hearts. We out off all Jesus asks of us. If we are not doing
what the Lord asks; it's like fishing all night and not catching a single fish.
Jesus
questioned Peter the rock on which he built his Church, the same Church that is
all of us.
"Simon, son of
John, do you love me more than these?"
Simon Peter answered,
"Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed
my lambs." He
asked Peter a second time, "Do you love me?"
"Yes, Lord, you
know that I love you."
Jesus said, “Tend my
sheep." Jesus said the
third time, "Do you love me?"
Peter was distressed
Jesus asked him a third time, "Lord,
you know everything; you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed
my sheep.
Finally
to Peter, Christ speaks these words to all the Church, Follow me.
Follow Jesus
Christ to the places you will feel uncomfortable and feed the hungry, give
water to those who thirst, clothe the naked, and take care of the sick and
dying. Follow me to places were you may be ridiculed or mocked because of me by
preaching the gospel the good news of Jesus Christ.
He’s not going
to stop asking you. He’s not going to stop calling you. “Do you love me?”
We as a
Church, Christians, believers answer: “Lord, you know everything; you know that
we love you.” If that is the case: We
should have been on fire!
“Why
aren’t we doing the Lord’s work?
Don’t
procrastinate. Obey God. The Lord will tell us where to cast our nets.
Be good, be
holy, preach the gospel and cast your
nets in the way you live your life and
love one another.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment