Living with nothing to lose!

Trump almost being assassinated

“The most dangerous creation of any society is the man who has nothing to lose.” ― James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time

This got me thinking about Christ, a man who knew His end, His destiny, death on a Cross, and marched bravely towards it, all the while, not moving in fear, but in love.

I just came back from a beloved priest’s funeral this morning. I just had to watch my friend, give a Mass and funeral homily for his best friend, his friend of 70 years, from seminary days, his roommate.

What more does he have to lose?

Christ sends out men, apostles, who have nothing to lose,

He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick— no food, no sack, no money in their belts.  They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic. 

I just moved here…. wow, ask Fr. Jonathan, how much stuff I have!

Nothing to lose… that makes the apostles very dangerous men…

Take a look at Amos, what did he have to lose? his trees? He left his hometown, Judah, to go preach to northern Israel. And what did he get for his labors? “Get outta here!!!!”

I’m not even a prophet, I’m just a shepherd, and why does he get called? Because he learned how to pray!

You must know how to pray, maybe you don’t clearly hear God’s voice, but in prayer God changes your heart. Maybe you don’t hear his voice, but you mysteriously follow.

And this is the great mystery! Eph 1:3-14

He destined us for adoption to Himself

In Him we were also chosen

We aren’t Christians primarily because we wanted to be

He has made known to us the mystery of His will!

God’s plan of salvation was revealed to us in Christ

THAT WE MIGHT EXIST FOR THE PRAISE OF HIS GLORY

This is the point of life, if we praise God poorly, we won’t have much of an existence.

We have been given the Spirit, the first installment of our inheritance

“Not a spirit of cowardice, but one of power and love and self control!” (2 Tim 1:7)

So be apostles! - Sent!

You aren’t sent around the diocese in the same way that I am. But you are sent to your families, and jobs, and friends, and golf leagues, and bowling leagues, not to preach and teach specifically, but yes, to know Christ, and to live Christ out in the world. We Christians live differently.

The apostles had nothing to lose. What do I have to lose?

Its a fair question, what holds you back from being a Saint?!

Tomorrow is St. Kateri Tekakwitha day… she lost her tribe.

Quote: Teresa of Avila to her daughters

“You who have given up everything to follow Christ why have you now sought to take it back?”

One of my friends in the seminary said something similar… “I didn’t get married, I joined the seminary, I don’t cook for myself, and so as the day draws on, sometimes I can’t wait to just get home and turn on the TV and eat a microwave dinner!’

But that’s dumb! A wife and kids are better than a stupid microwave dinner!

We musn’t ever settle for anything less than Christ. We strive to hand over our lives to Christ so that He can guide us, we musn’t try to take back that which we have already offered to our Master!