Daily Office Readings for Monday of Proper 26: Year 2
Morning, Psalms 56, 57; Evening, Psalms 64 and 65
Ecclesiasticus. 38:24 to 34; Revelation 14:1 to 13; Luke 12:49 to 59
“How different the one who devotes himself to the study of the law of the Most High!” (Ecclesiasticus 38:34)
I have a friend who really appreciates the life lessons she received from her former pastor. She said he would take his own money to post bail for one of his parishioners when he was arrested; he broke his own Church tradition and served real wine at their Holy Communions, and other such acts that taught her to live a faithful Christian life. He was a barber by trade.
Our Ecclesiasticus reading for today tells us that we cannot be both. The author says that we either devote ourselves to secular work or we devote ourselves totally to the work of spiritual healing and worship. The writer tells us that we can’t effectively do both. I disagree.
For one thing, the secular work we find ourselves in was either handed down to us as the family business or, it was evaluated for us in some kind of career test, or something we thought would be nice to do, or such a craft pays well. Real spiritual healing and Church worship are not career choices. Such Godly vocations are Callings. Jesus Called fishermen to follow him. He didn’t stop them from being fishermen, he qualified them to do the Lord’s work in addition to being fisherman. We still need both today. I don’t believe we must forgo one in order to do the other. We don’t qualify ourselves for the Lord’s work. God doesn’t call the qualified, God qualifies the Called.
There are many doctors and scientists today who are people of faith and some are also life changing Christian clergy. The point is, that many of us are like Saint Paul who was a tentmaker and who was also called to take the Gospel of Christ to the Gentiles. You too may be such a saint who God is calling to do such work, the Lord’s work.
Today we remember All Faithful Departed, All Souls Day, (November 2) and information about this commemoration may be found at: All Faithful Departed (All Souls)
As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and to serve, and to teach others to love and to serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
Let us pray: For the Right Use of God’s Gifts (BCP p. 827).
Almighty God, whose loving hand hath given us all that we possess: Grant us grace that we may honor thee with our substance, and, remembering the account which we must one day give, may be faithful stewards of thy bounty, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
