Friday of the Third Week of Advent Dec. 22nd

Friday of the Third Week of Advent
December 22, 2006


"Hannah brought Samuel and presented him at the temple. Hannah said, “Now I give him to the Lord; as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the Lord.”
1 Samuel 1:24-28

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I love to play tennis. One time I played a really good player. He hits shots that I never have come close to encountering in an opponent before. You might say my experience was a close encounter of a very good tennis player kind (smiles). This player went to a Division 1 major college on a full-ride. Besides being gifted athletically, what was the reason for his level of success? Dedication. He told me about how year after year he would practice tennis four to six hours a day. Through his dedication he became a very good tennis player who performed at a high level.

You and me as Christians want to perform at a very high level. We want to be like Jesus who is full of grace, love, goodness and salvation. But in order to get there we must be dedicated to the person of Jesus Christ!

In our scripture for today we learn how Hannah dedicated her son Samuel to the Lord. My mind, upon reading this, went right to my own mother. When my dad asked my mom to marry him within three weeks of meeting her (Yes, I do not recommend proposing after 3 weeks of meeting someone!), my mom replied, “Let me do a novena for nine days and then I will tell you my answer.” Obviously and thankfully, my mom said, “Yes.” But, she only said “Yes” after she sought out what God wanted her to do. An amazing story, right? I just think of her dedication to God from the get-go. Always trying to follow God and dedicate her life, her husband and her family to God and his will for us all. We absolutely needed God because marriage and family life is not easy and will only work with oceans of grace. I really do not think I would be alive today (I am the youngest of 8 boys) or serving as a priest if it was not for my mother’s ferocious dedication to God. She brought my dad and all of us to the heart of God. It would have all fallen apart before I came to be as John Matthew if my mom was not so dedicated to Jesus.

Even though we might have the dedication, not many of us can be Division 1 tennis players because we do not have the talent for it. But what we all do have the talent for is to be a great Christian. The question, then, becomes one of dedication. If we are not dedicated to pray each day then we will not pray each day. If we are not dedicated to serving the poor, then the poor will not be served by us. If we do not dedicate going to church as much as possible then it will fall by the wayside. The question is, “What could be more important than being dedicated to Jesus in prayer and the church so as to take him to the world?”

Imagine the tennis player practicing 4-6 hours a day for years practicing tennis. Now imagine if we spent 4-6 hours a day for years getting to know Jesus. Think about that ROI-return on investment.

Love is spelled T-I-M-E (how much time do you give God, how much do you love him?),
Fr. John