Dear Parishioners,
When I was studying in the seminary over thirty years ago, I was invited to fly to Phoenix to give a retreat to a group of young people. In those days, I would travel giving lots of talks and retreats. It was exciting to do so and to experience the life of Christ being lived out in other parochial settings. It was rewarding.
I am a bit tired these days and the body is not as vibrantly alive as it once was. My spirit is tired, too. I suppose we are all a bit tired. In the past, I used to say: “It is better for one to get tired doing ministry rather than tired of ministry.”
Some days I’m not sure what tired I am experiencing and that leaves me feeling unsettled. However, one thing that I have learned long ago in ministry is that we cannot spend our lives seeking the approval of other people and substitute that approval for God’s approval.
In our Scripture today, the disciples are criticized for not fasting. They did not need to worry about the disapproval of people because they had the love and approval of Jesus.
Whose approval do you seek?
The journey continues…
Blessings,
Fr. Mark
