Deacon Tom Writes,
“What Would Jesus Do?”
“Observe what is right, do what is just.” Sounds sooooo simple, doesn’t it? But somehow, in the midst of the complexities of life, there are times when knowing the “right” thing to do or knowing the “just” thing to do does not translate to what we “actually” do. Some people use the acronym “WWJD” to help them overcome their hesitation to doing what is right and just. You may have seen their formula for success written on a bumper sticker or two as you drove along the highway. Do you recognize these letters: WWJD? They stand for this message “What Would Jesus Do?” Perhaps we could use a new acronym to guide our thought process when we are confused about what the “right” or “just” action to take is: JDWJD - Just Do What Jesus Did!
Jesus is always teaching his disciples how to live and act in ways that are pleasing to God. Today we encounter Jesus teaching us about breaking down barriers that separate and divide us from one another, barriers that stand in the way of our practicing the central tenet of our faith and becoming one with each other as we are called to do at our Eucharistic Banquet.
In today’s gospel Jesus and the disciples encountered a woman whose daughter was tormented by a demon. The disciples can’t be bothered with her and they advise Jesus to “Send her away.” Pretty harsh response from the Apostles, isn’t it? But, what else could they possibly do with her? She isn’t “one of their kind,” not one of the “chosen people.” Isn’t that how we deal with the difficult people in our lives; those individuals who we wish would just “go away;” those people who are different from us, always challenging us and our ideas, beliefs, practices. That seems to be how we react to people who are always making demands of time, our finances, or “who keep calling out to us” for something or who simply don’t have the same likes, attitudes or lifestyles as we do.
Fortunately, Jesus has a better grasp on what’s the right thing to do. He listens to the Canaanite woman and is able to recognize the depth of her faith, although it is not that of the Jewish people. He is able to see what strong faith she has. He is moved by this faith and the woman who possessed it and he grants her favor. Her faith and the very presence of Jesus in this woman’s life, even for this brief moment, was life altering for her and for her daughter who was healed.
Jesus told us that we would be able to do greater things than he if we only had a little faith. It shouldn’t surprise us then of the remarkable power our presence has in the life of others. This is because God abides in each of us. We have his power to reconcile ourselves with one another; we have the power to cast away loneliness and fear; we have the power to bring the presence of Christ everywhere we go, even to those who “keep calling out to us” and who refuse to “go away.” We have the power to do many of the things Jesus has done. All we need to get started is to ask ourselves in any given situation, “What Would Jesus Do?” and then DO IT!
Enjoy the Day!
Deacon Tom
Please Visit www.deaconspod.com and listen in as the three deacs engage in a contemporary conversation exploring the treasures our Catholic faith has to offer to those thinking of coming into or leaving it.
OTHER RESOURCE
Recommended Reading: No Man Is An Island by Thomas Merton. "Without a life of the spirit, our whole existence becomes unsubstantial and illusory. The life of the spirit, by integrating us in the real order established by God, puts us in the fullest possible contact with reality — not as we imagine it, but as it really is."
Recommended YouTube Video: The Lifelong Journey of Discovering God and Ourselves: Thomas Merton and the True Self. Fr. Dan Horan O. F. M leads us into Merton’s foundational work on discovering our true identity as we seek to answer the two questions: Who am I and Who is God. Good listening here with another of the contemporary Franciscan Friars, Fr. Dan Horan.
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