SATURDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF EASTER
You do not belong to the world. Interestingly, most of Christ's words seem so simple. You do not belong to the world. Christ has chosen you. What does that mean for you and me, in May of 2020 amidst a pandemic? It means that today and every day, we live as Christ taught us to live. We are willing to lay down our life for another. To put the good of the other before our desires, wants, and needs. As Christians, as Catholics, as believers, we are called to act differently. Differently? Yes. Instead of focusing on ourselves, we chose to make sacrifices for others. Oh pandemic, how you have offered us the perfect opportunity to see how our society focuses so inwardly. Let's look to the mask for a small example. Wearing a mask is uncomfortable, feels strange, and it makes talking a little difficult. A cloth mask does very little to protect the wearer; it protects others. Wearing a mask is a sacrifice; it is offering someone else the gift of protection. It is looking outward. Our world needs more people that are willing to live out their faith every day, to look outwardly with our lives. Saying we are Christians does not make it so. Being Christians who focus on belonging to Christ instead of desiring to belong to the world is the greatest gift we can offer to humanity. When we belong to Christ, our actions and words are different; they serve to please the Lord.