Friday of the Second Week of Advent Dec. 15th

Friday of the Second Week of Advent
December 15, 2006


“I the Lord, your God, lead you on the way you should go.”
Isaiah 48:14

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When I was four years old my dad was putting up a string around our garden. He asked me if I knew why he putting up the string and I told him, “No.” He said, “I am putting up the string so little kids like you won’t run into the garden.” Always try to get around things, I replied, “Little kids can jump over that string.”

Of course, the string was strung around the border of the garden to keep people from walking or running on it thus destroying the growing vegetation. Hence there was a purpose to the string. I suppose, you could say, that there was a string attached to doing what my dad was doing. In a small way, my dad was leading me in the way to go.

Is there ever no string attached to what we say, think or do? Is it possible to have thinking, words or actions that are simply neutral, neither for the good nor the bad?

Whether we assent to it or not, we have been given an incredible responsibility if we call ourselves Christian and proclaim that we know and love Christ. We do believe that there is a string attached to what we think, say and do. We do believe that there is “a way to go.” And we know that we have a ways to go in totally understanding “the way to go.”

Knowing that there is no such thing as “no strings attached” and knowing that there is “a way to go”, let us come before God and others in utter humility to learn about God’s way.

Let us pray: “Lord Jesus, teach me that there are strings attached and there is ‘a way to go.’ Help me to see that what I do leads to either good or bad. Teach me your way and give me the grace to always live it. I want to think and act and speak as you think, act and speak. Thank you for fullness of life and joy I will have when I follow your way. Amen.”

Love is spelled T-I-M-E,
Fr. John