Love Thy Neighbor

I've been saying a Novena to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel for my niece. She is a teenager, a very typical teen, with typical teen issues, and I've been praying that she will learn to listen for God's voice, so that she will hear Him when he speaks to her. But, at Mass today I realized that maybe praying for her to hear God is not exactly the right prayer.

Today's Gospel is one of my favorites. And one of our dear parish priests, Monsignor Maloney, hit the nail on the head with his homily today. He said, I love the way Jesus responded to the scholar's question -- he allowed him to realize that he already knew the answer.

And isn't that true of all of us. We know the answers. We know what God asks of us in our heart of hearts. In that quiet place between our thoughts. Even young children know what is right and wrong. If you ask them what they should do, they always know the right answer. They just don't always choose to do the right thing. We're all like that -- we know what's right, we just sometimes choose something else.

During the readings at Mass today my attention was drawn to an elderly couple sitting in front of us. They were sitting right at the end of the pew, with room for about five people between them and the next couple. And during the first reading, a man came up the side aisle and sat next to him, right at the very end of their pew. There wasn't even a kneeler it was so far down. I saw the woman look at the newcomer and shake her head a little -- I think a little disturbed that he came in late, or maybe that he chose their pew to sit down. But, she didn't move over. Now, it is completely supposition on my part as to what was in her head. I don't know that she was having unkind thoughts, but I do know that she glared at the man, and I also know that she didn't welcome him by moving over. After the homily the man moved to another pew.

And during Monsignor's homily I thought, yes, we all know what we should do, but what keeps us from doing it? Are we sometimes busy judging others and not focusing on God's message for us? Are we lacking courage -- fortitude to do what we know is right? Monsignor Maloney concluded his homily with a prayer for us to have strength to do God's will. He said, "We ask for God to tell us what he wants from us, but what we really need is for Him to help us find the strength and the courage to carry out His will."

So, I offer this prayer today, on the Vigil of the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, for the strength to always carry out God's will.

Mary,
you heard a voice.
You answered, "Yes,"
risking shame and disgrace,
ridicule and rejection.
Still, you said, "Yes."
Yes, to the promise
you received from God.
Yes, to the birth
of a firstborn son.
Let your trust be our inspiration,
your faith
be our guide,
your hope
our course for courage.
This we ask
in the name of the child
you bore,
the Savior of the world,
who came
through God's abiding love
and your spoken word.
Yes.
So be it.
Amen.