Getting older is not always fun… but it is inevitable. If you’re fortunate, you get to maneuver through it by the choices you make. By enjoying the moment and the people you’re with, it can be quite enjoyable. It’s would sure be easier to navigate if some of the guesswork with answers about decisions and problems were more clear-cut…
Today’s Gospel (MT 17:22–27) is about two of life’s certainties… death and taxes. Jesus tells His disciples how He will be handed over to the authorities and put to death. They were overwhelmed with grief. Jesus was their everything! And then before the dust even settles, Peter gets confronted by the temple tax collectors! Peter is got to be thinking, “Now what are we going to do Jesus? We don’t have any money! We left our home and jobs to follow you around.” Jesus (a guy close to my heart here) solves the problem by sending Peter out to catch a fish, telling him to “go to the sea, drop in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up. Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax. Give that to them for me and for you.”
You’d think with all the fishing I’ve done, that I’d have caught a fish or two with coins in their months… Seriously, Peter already had the answer to his problem, go to Jesus. When life’s problems, twists and turns confront us as they inevitably will, we need to bring them to Jesus and listen for His answer or direction. Listening to Jesus is a developed gift. He is always speaking to us…in the silence of our hearts, in music, in nature, in the words of the people around us, in Scripture (especially), EVERYWHERE! But we have to listen, even when it seems nonsensical. Have a coworker persecuting you? Love and pray for them! Have someone who shows no gratitude? Pour our more generosity upon them. Have someone demand you carry their pack for a mile? Carry it two. Most of the time, our common sense will tell us what to do. How do we know when it’s Jesus’ answer and not just our own? The way to check ourselves is to ask “Is this course of action going to hurt anyone? Is this course of action the most loving?”
“Lord Jesus, this life is hard sometimes. Help me to make the right decisions, under difficult circumstances… ones that glorify You and prepare me for Eternal Life with You. Amen.” Peace and All Good, my friends!
