Today's Thoughts...

Today’s Thoughts: Today, we finish our journey through the first week in Ordinary Time. In the Gospel, Jesus walks along and sees another person who might make a difference at one of his disciples - a tax collector – perhaps the least likely candidate to be a disciple according to attitudes of the time.  Jesus sees in Levi the very follower he needs and asks him to drop what he is doing and come follow.  Can you imagine Levi looking into Jesus’ face with astonishment and saying, “Who me?” Why is this Jewish man speaking to me in such a nice, invitational way? Levi must have seen something in Jesus’ look that caused him to change his entire life.  Did his heart skip a beat for a moment?  Did Levi realize that all his hopes and dreams were somehow met in this encounter with Jesus?  Well, in all honesty, we just don’t know, but we can imagine.  Most of us have come to moments in our lives when we experienced a crossroads.  The proverbial fork in the road – did the path we took make all the difference like it did for Levi?
 
In life it seems that if we believe in God at all, it is hard for us to believe that God is profoundly interested in our ordinary activities; profoundly interested in a young man making his living by extorting money from his neighbors who pay taxes.  Is it possible that God is profoundly interested in what we are doing today? In what we are doing at our computer?  In what we could be doing for the Kingdom today?
 
Is it possible that God is inviting, calling, cajoling us to come join the journey?  It is not only possible - it is the promise and fulfillment of all that is important about being human.  Levi can help us see that as ordinary as we might be, God has great things in mind for us.  Things far more important than any petty pursuit of our own.  Let’s go – it is a new year and a new opportunity to become what we have been created and called to be.
 
Have a great Saturday everyone!