“Lord, who can be saved?” is the question which His followers use to confront Jesus in today’s Gospel. I have to imagine that when the disciples gathered with Jesus ask this question of Him, after His pronouncement that many will try and enter the Kingdom but will not have the strength, they were confused, and some were fearful. Didn’t Jesus promise eternal life? Didn’t He tell us, “Knock and the door will be opened?”
What are we missing?
To be sure, Jesus desires our salvation; He suffered the wounds of his torturous Passion so that salvation would be a possibility for every soul, souls that God created purely because he loved us. That salvation is a gift, rooted in His perfect love for us.
Every gift, however, has at least two parties involved: the giver of the gift, and the receiver. Jesus offers salvation to each one of us, but it is up to us to be receivers of His gifts.
Often, we fail as the receivers! We have all likely received some gift in our lifetime that we were less than pleased with opening. For various reasons, the gift may seem inappropriate; did the person giving it to us even know our likes and dislikes? Why would they think that color would look good on me? Why would they think that I would enjoy that new hobby? Is this gift a gag of some type? Is there a candid camera running?
Sorry, no camera, but Jesus does give us gifts with expectations of us. His expectations for us, for our good and for our success, are rooted in His perfect love for us. He is the Giver. We are the receivers; do we have perfect love in return for God?
There is the challenge: God knows us, but perhaps we only know God superficially. We could pick the Lord’s Prayer, or the Creed, or the Beatitudes, and in three different ways we could understand Jesus’ desire for our sacred success. In each of these prayers and Scriptural passages, we encounter God’s Instruction Manual in how to be perfect. You and I have prayed each of these prayers many times before, and each time the words we say speak to our relationship with God, with our promise to be faithful to Him as He is perfect in loving us.
Have I forgiven those who have trespassed against me? If not, I should stop praying the Lord’s Prayer. Am I committed to being poor in spirit and the pure of heart? If not, then I should not expect the Kingdom of Heaven to me mine. Do I believe that Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father and will judge me for how I have used His many freely-given gifts when my life on earth is finished? If not, then I should stop praying the Creed.
Or, as the receiver, I could view each of those prayers as statements that I practice in my daily life: loving friends, strangers and enemies as I am loved.
So many questions! Am I ready to be loved perfectly by God, and to love Him back perfectly, as I encounter Him in each person? Can I choose to be Christ to one another?
- Father Jim
Hospice Care Information
Faith at Home
These links provides you with the latest one-page resource for families, Faith At Home; it connects to the theme of the upcoming Sunday Liturgy. This resource is updated each week and can be found on the diocesan webpage at www.dioceseoftrenton.org/faith-at-home and en Español at www.dioceseoftrenton.org/fe-en-casa.
May God continue to bless us and keep us close to Him.
Please support the Society of St. Vincent de Paul so that together we can help local families in need. Those needing help should call the SVDP helpline at 856-291-7313. Click this link to visit the SVdP website: www.SVDPmoorestown.org
Local food pantries include:
St. Matthew's Church, 318 Chester Ave.
First Baptist Church, 19 West Main St., Moorestown
Bethel AME, 512 N. Church St., Moorestown
Prince of Peace 61 E Rte 70, Marlton, NJ 08053
SVDP also has Thinking of You cards available. A gift can be given to the poor in the name of someone special at your
request. You will be remembered in the prayers and works of the Moorestown Vincentians. We are so very grateful for your
generous ongoing donations.
Our Promise to Protect
The Diocese of Trenton is committed to the initiatives outlined in the U.S. Bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People in regard to the reporting and investigation of sexual abuse allegations involving minors. The Diocese has in place a Victim’s Assistance Coordinator, who is available to obtain support for your needs and help you make a formal complaint of abuse.
If you have been sexually abused as a minor by a member of the clergy or anyone representing the Catholic Church, or if you know someone who was, you can report that abuse through the diocesan Abuse Hotline: 1-888-296-2965 or via email at abuseline@dioceseoftrenton.org.
The Diocese encourages anyone with an allegation to also report that abuse to their local law enforcement agency. The Diocese reports all allegations received to the appropriate county prosecutor’s office.
ONLINE GIVING OPTIONS
please click on the corresponding hyperlinks below
