Witness of life

Today's readings are reminders to me on how I should be living my life. First, I should not be like Jonah, who refused to acknowledge his mission (being unforgiving of the Ninevites whom God wished to save), fled onto a ship, only to be caught on a storm, tossed overboard and swallowed by a big fish.

When we run away from responsibilities we do not like, or when we are not honest with ourselves, we become like Jonah. We tend to put conditions on how we should live our lives and thus we end up disobeying God. We place our own selfish needs before others, even if that was not our intention initially.

I was like Jonah on my recent vacation. I felt justified in pursuing my own interests because I had already sacrificed a lot for the trip and so I ultimately failed to consider fully what would make the time abroad enjoyable for my mother. As a consequence we ended up doing too much by her reckoning, and churches just did not enthral her as much as they did me. I failed in making the vacation a good one for her even if that was what I really wanted. Sigh.

Yesterday my circle of Friends met (we are each journeying towards a covenantal relationship as an ICPE Mission Companion early next year) and we watched a video on worship and evangelization.

 

When Mario Capello shared that the witness of life is an irreplaceable form of mission, I realized I had not been a very effective witness, even if I had thought I was doing an okay job. 

Witnessing means that if I choose to love God with all my heart, being, strength and mind (today's Gospel from Luke chapter 10), I must love my neighbour as myself. This love of neighbour must extend to all people, and in every encounter.

 

I cannot pick and choose when, where and whom I wish to serve but must respect the dignity of the other especially in instances where our preferences diverge, or when I do not even like the other (making loving them tough). I also cannot choose to love myself more than others as and when I wish to, especially when it is a stretch for me (even tougher when I really do not want to do something, like Jonah).

 

It should be obvious by now that the witness of life, showing others a certain way of life that is consistent in that it is a true gift of self is not humanly possible. It really isn't if we rely on our own strength. But if I rely completely on God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, then I have a fighting chance.  

So I would say my biggest lesson from the trip is although I will never be the perfect daughter, I can listen more carefully, hear the unspoken needs and wants of my quiet mother, then act accordingly to fulfil those needs and wants with a modicum of fuss.

 

This sensitivity to others, family members and strangers alike, can only come if I listen more closely to Jesus and develop His unerring ability to read the hearts of others.

 

As A shared with me, "Rise up, call upon your God!" (Jonah 1:6) speaks to her and reminds her to not rely on her own strength. If I do as she does, then in my everyday, ordinary life, others can see God who is invisible, fully alive within me. And that is how I desire to witness.