Today's Gospel

What’s Your Excuse?

What is it that jumps out at you today? Remember, each day we're looking for one word, one phrase, one idea. It could be different for you, it could be different for me, it could be different for a hundred people, that's okay.

But that is how God speaks to us through the Scriptures, and that ultimately is what we're trying to do here each day, is learn to listen to God speaking into our lives, speaking to us through the Scriptures, and into our lives, wherever we are today, whatever it is we have going on in our lives. I think the idea that jumps out of me today is excuses. I think, again, if we took a very literal read on what Jesus is saying here, I think it could cast you know Jesus in sort of a harsh light, or you're accusing him of being pretty harsh with people here.

But if we look at it as a whole, what we see here is we see people saying yes, but no. We see people saying yes, but not now. We see people saying, "Yes, but it's not convenient right now, so I'll do it when it's convenient." And I'm like that. And I'm like that sometimes. Not all the time, but I'm like that sometimes. I think it's good for me to realize that. I think it's good for me to see that because I don't want to be like that. I want to be the one that says yes to God and it responds immediately, instantaneously, generously, abundantly.

And I do have my excuses, and I do have my justifications. And I had a teacher in high school, and think about him right now. Sometimes we'd say things in class, and he would say something like, "As excellent nonsense, Mr. Kelly." And just the idea of marrying those two words together, like excellent nonsense. And I think my excuses and my justifications are excellent nonsense. And I want to be called out of that. I want to be challenged out of that. That's what I am challenged in this reading to do today is to respond more generously and faster to whatever it is God is calling me to do, large or small.

Have a great day, and Be Bold, Be Catholic.