Tag: Allison Gingras

God commands us to give our Sabbath to the Lord, not as a recommendation or suggestion, but as a command. If God made room for it on the tablets given to Moses, perhaps we ought to pay attention to how we spend our Sundays!

As a child, my entire family put aside work, school, errands, and chores—setting Sunday apart from the rest of the week. Although sadly, we didn’t always attend Mass, we visited and enjoyed a meal with my maternal or paternal grandparents. Sometimes, we’d score a free meal from both. Over time, my family’s lives and the world around us changed, making keeping our Sundays for rest and focused on the Lord much more difficult. 

Spiritually, a faith not attended to quickly deteriorates. As a mother of young adult sons, I’ve witnessed first-hand how the longer they go without making time for Christ in their life, the wider the cavern between themselves and the Lord gets. Although a relationship with Christ should be built every day, giving Sunday to the Lord provides a sturdy tether to keep us from completely floating away.

In addition to making time for worship, the command requires us to rest. A worn-out body becomes overwhelmed, less effective, and even sick, ultimately unable to work to its full potential. Work is my jam, and all my work is for the Lord, making this command especially challenging. 

I am so blessed to work in Catholic ministry, and I sometimes confuse making time for God with items listed in my job description. Additionally, I have a domestic church to run, and like most women, I am always chasing the end of my to-do list. It is tempting to stare down the 12-plus awake hours of Sunday without opting to complete back-logged work or a lingering household task.

So, looking toward next Sunday, what do you have on your calendar? What blessing does the Lord have awaiting you in the rest of the Sabbath? Commit to giving Him the whole day; then at the end of the day, be sure to look back and count the many ways you benefited from following this commandment. 

If God commands it, we can all rest assured that He intends it for our good and is guaranteed to help make us holy. And, if you must work or attend to household tasks, be sure to glorify the Lord in all you do.

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Today’s Responsorial Psalm is, “The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.” To more completely recognize the beauty, reassurance, and power of this promise, it may help to know a bit more about the work of a shepherd. 

The shepherd is responsible for the flock’s welfare and safety. Sheep aren’t as dumb as they are often typified; however, they can still get themselves into a lot of trouble. Well-meaning sheep, who merely want to graze upon the green pasture, can graze away from the flock into harm’s way.  Sheep can become lost, putting them in grave danger from predators or even stumble off a cliff while fixated on eating the grass before them. 

The shepherd’s ultimate concern is flock perseverance. The sheep’s natural predators, such as wolves, coyotes, foxes, and mountain lions, either seek the sheep out of hunger or stumble upon those that have lost their way.  St. Peter warns us that sheep are not the only ones with a natural predator in need of protection: “Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for [someone] to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). 

There was a time when I was ignorant to the “snares of the devil” (2 Timothy 2:26) to the point of even denying his existence, which is his greatest snare. The more unaware of danger we become, the more vulnerable we are. Like the sheep, Jesus, the Good Shepherd, gratefully pursued and guarded me. Protecting us from the predator means preserving us for Heaven. He values every single soul, and there is great rejoicing for each claimed for eternal glory.

Maybe a less known fact about shepherds, they are often trained to assist the sheep with health issues. Just like sheep, we are susceptible to diseases. Humans, being multifaceted beings face more than just physical ailments. We must contend with our emotional and spiritual well-being as well. Jesus, the Divine Physician, is more than adequately equipped to tend to those needs.   

In addition, like the shepherd, who “will make frequent checks on the ewes at all hours of the day and night, and may assist the ewe if birthing problems occur,” Jesus is ever-present with us, and we find additional guardians in his angels and in his saints. 

Shepherd herding was a very lowly position, required a strong sense of protection for their charges. The Biblical accounts of shepherds consistently portray them as dedicated, perhaps due to the well-being of the sheep being not only important to them but their families and communities as well. The more you know about the characteristics of a good shepherd, the more gratitude will fill your heart over the Good Shepherd—Jesus—the one who guards his beloved flock.

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Spend any amount of time in the Scriptures or attending Mass, and you may be tempted to let your mind drift during the readings with the misleading rationale, “I’ve heard this all before.” While that is likely (and hopefully) true, do you take into account that each time hearing the Word of God, you are not the same person who heard it the last time? With every passing of each day, especially if we take to heart the call for daily conversion, we are a new creation in Christ. Between the first time you heard this passage in John’s Gospel until today, many things happened, skewing how you perceive the message. You are older, perhaps wiser, and experienced many simple and profound moments that continue to shape you and your relationship with Jesus.

Look with renewed eyes at John’s Gospel. Ask for wisdom and grace to hear and discern what wisdom or blessing God has for you today. Here are a few passages from John 6:1-15 to contemplate:

• “Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples.” When a Rabbi sat down, his students knew to gather near because he was about to teach, as a Rabbi always taught from a seated position.
• Jesus said, “Have the people recline.” Jesus’ instructions for the people to recline placed them in a posture that prepared them to receive God’s blessings. Here the blessing would soon be bread and fish to satisfy the hunger of all present and a powerful prefiguration of the True Food; He will come to satiate far more than our physical hunger.
• “Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining.” During the Miracle of the Multiplication of the Loaves and the Fishes, we hear what should be familiar words to the faithful. The taking, blessing, and breaking of bread all with a heart of thanksgiving to God—a formula we see again when Jesus institutes the Eucharist.
• When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples, “Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted.” The disciples filled twelve wicker baskets with the remnants. All those present, reclined, and trusting were satisfied with still an abundance left over. Truly, God’s generosity cannot be matched or depleted.
• “Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.” Jesus, though indeed King, withdrew to avoid the people’s actions because His Kingdom is not of this world. The people wanted Him to attend to their physical needs; however, He desired a far more critical calling to care for their spiritual well-being. Again and again, we see Jesus withdraw to make time for prayer, quiet contemplation, and time along with the Father, an example we can also learn from and emulate.

What new things did you notice in reading today’s Gospel? What words or actions touched your heart or intrigued you? Where do you see God speaking to you, teaching you, maybe even challenging you? Are you willing to come closer, recline, listen, and be fed by Jesus? 

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While thankfully not a leprosy sufferer, I have dealt with eczema for many years, including a severe bout on my hands that left them virtually unusable. At their worst, swollen with horrendous peeling, I kept them hidden out of embarrassment. 

Many nights, I lay in bed, tears streaming down my face with the same prayer on my lips, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” During that time, and even now, when I read today’s Gospel of the leper, my heart stirs with empathy and a strong kinship. 

Unlike the leper, my prayer would take years to be answered, but in God’s perfect timing, and according to his loving will, my hands were eventually, miraculously healed completely.

Like the leper, I knew the healing power found in Jesus. While I longed for physical healing, what I found instead was profound spiritual healing. During the three years of battling this particular eczema flare, I learned some of the most valuable lessons of my life. And, inadvertently, my story too glorified God, as so many people ended up walking alongside me in witnessing my suffering, prayers, and eventual healing. Without intending to, I became a model for humility and trust as I needed to rely on people for basic needs and watched my vanity melt away as my worth tied more closely to my faith than my appearance. 

During this time, I learned the true healing Jesus offered was forgiveness for my sins, that the cleanliness I longed for more than anything was inside my soul. A doctor may help me find healing for my hands;  but only my Lord and Savior can bring healing to my soul. Remarkably the Lord revealed many similarities between the eczema on my hands and the sin on my soul. While doctors offer diets, creams, and medications for my hands, Jesus offers the Sacrament of Reconciliation for my soul. While the medicines took years to work, the sacrament’s grace came instantly and in full healing force!

Other similarities I recognized between battling chronic illness and habitual sin:

1. The root cause cannot always be determined and can lay dormant within somebody for years.
2. To truly eradicate it, one often needs to investigate deep into oneself to discover the root cause of the issue.
3. It is often painful, uncomfortable, embarrassing, and can create significant anxiety, and usually, we try to hide it, thinking that it will make it unnoticeable.
4. To be adequately healed, you need to see a physician, and for each, nothing beats the Divine Physician.
5. The longer you put it off seeking help for the condition, the more unnecessary suffering you will endure. 

No suffering we endure can match that which Jesus took on for us. As today’s Gospel Acclamation reminds us, “Christ took away our infirmities and bore our diseases.” Jesus does wish to make us all well. Like the leper, before we ask anything, we should also pay Jesus homage. My praises come not for what He will do for me but for the ultimate gift He has already given. 

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I have a lot of crazy things to bemoan. Most were embarrassing or even downright stupid: such as smoking, swearing, skipping school, driving too fast, bullying the poor boy that sat in front of me in math class. The world meant everything; I wanted my peers to embrace me as I worked toward acquiring the latest and greatest material things. It feels as if my entire teenage years were spent trying to fit into some specific group or place.

While perhaps these activities are typical at that age, they were still dangerous, absolutely awful, and in the end, downright sinful.  Yet, I didn’t care; I suffered from an earthly, misguided tunnel-vision.  I worried only about what I could see, without a thought beyond this realm or of the eternal consequences of my behavior. Leaving it all behind to follow Jesus never entered my mind; that life seemed dull and hollow—if it was even real.

In my teens, I longed for what was below. I cared what other people thought of me. I sought acceptance and approval from my peers, whatever the cost. It was an incredibly egocentric period, yet ironically a time filled with uncertainty and insecurity. 

My dreams included marrying someone rich but also being rich and famous myself. I read Cosmo and Tiger Beat magazines and strived to look as model-like as possible and judged and scorned those who did not. At parties, I sought the most popular people to impress and joined the ridicule of those not in that group. My validation of worth came from the world’s view, and being someone of significance in the eyes of family and friends, even strangers, enveloped my whole being.

I wish I could look back at my life and say these thoughts and behaviors remained a part of my immature teenage self, but alas, that is not so. Gossip, judging others, making poor choices to belong to a particular crowd would follow me throughout most of my life until I discovered the Truth. Joy came when I was finally willing to be last and strive toward heavenly rewards. 

Through tradition and Scripture, I learned that there is more, much more, beyond this earthly dwelling place, and finally allowed what is above to matter more than this world. This renewing of my mind was not easy and came with many tears, regrets, and painful confessions. Yet, it was not impossible, and the freedom and hope I now feel striving not to belong to the world are by far more amazing than anything I attempted to attain here below.

As you think about your current state of life, can you say you are more concerned with the things of Heaven? Are you rooted in the things of earth? Could you leave them behind to follow Jesus?

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Sometimes when I read the Twelve Apostles’ names, my mind wonders what did Jesus see in each one of these men that drew him to invite them to be his followers? Did Jesus see a light in their eyes or hearts, even Judas, which gave him hope in the role each would play in the establishment of his Church here on earth? Furthermore, what did these twelve men perceive in Jesus, which caused them to leave everything and everyone behind to follow?

What does Jesus see in me? I, too, am invited to “come and see,” as the Apostles were. I, too, am called to “follow Him.” To pick up my cross daily and accept the invitation to be one of his disciples. Through the gift of hindsight, the written Gospels, and 2000 years of tradition, the choice for us would appear easier. The first disciples responded with incredible faith. Yet, maybe it is equivalent to the faith we show in assenting to follow an unseen God?  Regardless, how blessed are all who allow Jesus to breakthrough into their lives and come to Him.

Every encounter I have with Jesus Christ, be it in reading Scripture, receiving or adoring the Eucharist, receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, or as I sit in prayer with my Lord and Savior, I know I am never the same person again. Even brief encounters with His grace change and strengthen me.

With simple words, Jesus “summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him.”   Some Apostles come by direct invitation from Jesus, yet others begin to follow after an invitation from another whose heart burns from their encounter with Jesus. Regardless of how you come to first know of Jesus, it is only through experiencing Him directly that you truly choose to follow. That brings me to my second pondering on the calling of the Apostles. What did they see in Jesus which led them to remain and abide with Him? 

I can’t imagine what those early days were like, as they traveled alongside and listened to His every word. Never before spoken words, sometimes baffling and even frightening, yet knowing in their heart this was their long-awaited Messiah offering redemption and salvation.

What I love so much about the Scriptures—they are not just accounts of what happened two thousand years ago, but they are truth and light for each of us today. Each lesson shared by Jesus still teaches and inspires you and me. Jesus makes promises not only to those within His earshot in the Holy Land but also to us. At times, I may be a little “Doubting Thomas” looking for evidence or proof for myself; however, I do believe Jesus to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life. With my whole heart, mind, and soul, I have come to know and believe there is no other way to the Father than through His Son, Jesus Christ. Today, I reaffirm my decision to “come and see” and always follow Him.

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