Working for Jesus

Quite a few years ago I was employed full time cleaning pens at the sale barn in Lemmon.  A rancher approached me and asked if I'd like to work for him on his ranch.  This was an awesome opportunity and so I took it.  I had visited with this rancher prior to the job offer.  But, that was about the extent of me knowing him.  Over the couple years I worked there I learned more about this guy and got to be close friends with him.  Had I not worked beside him, I may not have got to know him so well.

Now I promised to keep on this theme of making Mass Matter to Men.  I heard an excuse at Pastoral Ministry Days about why some men don't want to help out in ministry.  But I'll take it a step further.  I think an excuse for men NOT to pray, go to Mass, and go to Confession is this:  They don't feel close enough to Jesus.  Yesterday I touched briefly on WHY WE ARE HERE.  Like why did we journey out into this desert?  Did we come into this Lenten journey to feel comfortable?  Did we enter into this Lenten journey so to feel good about ourselves?  We answered this simply to get close to Jesus.  Well what if we suck at praying, what if we just can't understand the bible, what if blah blah blah...  They are all excuses we have that Satan is putting in our hearts.

Just because you don't "know enough about God" or feel "close to God" doesn't mean you can't do His work.  Saint Augustine said, The Church is a not a hotel for saints but a hospital for sinners.  Think of my story about the rancher, true story by the way, I got to know this guy so well because I was willing to do his work and found him right beside me with his sleeves rolled up no matter what my "qualifications" were. 

I know God is calling each on of you MEN into a ministry.  If you're married, your calling is to be the SPIRITUAL LEADER OF YOUR HOUSEHOLD.  If you're single it is your calling to be pure and chaste (which also leads into your marriage...again totally different subject).  Start leading people to Christ, lead your family in prayer, participate in the MASS (FOR THE LORDS SAKE SPEAK AT MASS!!) when you begin to work along side of Christ, you will begin to know him most intimately.

Matthew 11:27 says:
No one knows the Father except the Son and anyone whom the Son wishes to reveal Him.

I challenge all of you to take up the flag, be a spiritual leader of your household, stop making excuses and dive in.  When you start working along side the SON he will reveal his FATHER.  We need to know Jesus in order to enter the kingdom of heaven and he needs to recognize us.  Remember if we deny Jesus in front of men, Jesus will deny us in front of His Father.  Which one is worse?

Peace Brothers