Have you ever had one of those days when you feel like doing absolutely nothing? You stare at your computer screen or the full basket of laundry or your tool box and you don’t move a single muscle. You have no motivation to do anything at all. You don’t want to talk to anyone or listen to anyone or go anywhere. Sitting on the couch and staring out the window sounds just fine… staying in bed, even better!
We’ve all had those days and I’m having one today, in fact. Nothing seems to be going right, not my kids’ attitudes, nor my husband’s health nor my personal stamina. My patience is short, my to-do list is long and I’m pretty sure it’s not my calling to cheer anyone up today. It is taking all my willpower to just BE. To just be where I’m supposed to be, when I’m supposed to be there, putting one foot in front of the other.
Friends, on the one hand, I don’t think it’s altogether a bad thing to have days like this. It slows us down, forces us to focus on the essential and gives us a chance to be thankful for better days (like vacations! Yeah, I think I need one of those…). And if we are able to in the moment, it also provides us with an opportunity to realize just how weak we are and just how much we rely on God’s grace to uphold us for absolutely everything.
While we’re staring at that computer screen, we can thank God for the technology that makes our work easier. While we’re staring at that basket full of laundry, we can thank God that we have clothes to put on our backs. And while we’re staring at that tool box, we can thank God for the strength and ability to fix whatever needs fixing. As the first reading alludes to, let us not deceive ourselves, thinking any of it is our own doing. It is all gift. And it all comes from the Giver of all gifts.
Today’s Psalm Response proclaims: “The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it. For he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers… [W]e shall receive a blessing from the LORD, a reward from God [our] savior.” If we allow them to, these words can realign our hearts. They put us in our place, reminding us that God is the Creator and we are the created. But they also remind us just how much He wants to bless us, as is evident in the story of the miraculous catch of fish from today’s Gospel. Just as the disciples caught so many fish that their nets were bursting, so can our hearts burst with joy at all the blessings our God has given us, even on those days when we feel like doing nothing at all.
Daily Reading
Wednesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1 1 Cor 7:25-31 Brothers and sisters:In regard to virgins, I have no commandment from the Lord,but I give my opinion as one who by the Lord’s mercy is…
Saint of the Day
Saint Paphnutius
Saint Paphnutius, an Egyptian ascetic and bishop, endured persecution, defended faith at Nicaea, and supported clerical marriage tradition.
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