I walk up to the Golden Gates and ask for an interview with Saint Peter. The Angle at the gate says that Saint Peter is really busy with more important stuff to do . I tell Angel What's His Face that I am not leaving until St. Peter reads my resume'. Finally the Old Beard Himself comes to the Pearly Gates and accepts my resume' through the bars of the gate and quickly reads over it.
"Not good enough," says he. Go back and do a "redo" and come back when your ready for a new position. "We are pretty well stocked up on saints right now and you fall short of our expectation."
"What do you mean that I fall short of your expectations? I've led a good life...I don't drink, smoke or fool around and try to keep the Ten Commandment! What more do you want?"
"Passion and good works," he replies. "What have you done to show your passion for the Lord? What about good works? What have you done or sacrificed for your fellow man, His children?"
Of course, in my passion I'm getting hot under the collar and get mad and yell back at good old Saint Peter, "Well, look at Augustine and all the stuff he did! I've never done any of the perverse stuff he did. What about Saint Francis? How dumb was he? When God told him to rebuild his church he started piling up rocks 'n stuff. And what about you, yourself, Peter, the Rock? I have read that you had a hot temper, tried to cut the ear off a Roman soldier, denied Christ three times, couldn't walk on water without assistance and were known to be very hard headed. And you got to be a saint," says I.
Saint Peter bows his head in thought and finally looks at me and replies to my little outburst. "All of this is true. Saint Augustine was a sinner for a good part of his life, but then the fire of God burned in him and he changed his ways. While Saint Francis might have been a little "dumb," as you say, he became a humble man through adversity and prayer, leading many others to follow his path to the Lord. As for me, Peter the Rock...it wasn't an easy journey. Yes, I am guilty of all that you speak of, but I too, found my passion and fidelity to the Lord. I traveled the known world the best that I could, preaching and teaching until I was finally martyred for my Lord. Now then, what have you done?"
So...I am thinking about this. I am a sheep within the flock. I follow: I do not lead. The world is full of sheep, some are falling off cliffs and some are preyed upon and consumed by the wolves. Humility, for the most part, is not a fashion statement. Passion is for the material world and goods. Adversity comes as an inconvenience in the free world. We...and I...are spoiled Christians. Suffering and pain continue to ravage the God's people, like a starving lion waiting to pounce and devour us. We tend to be oblivious.
Peter is waiting patiently on the other side of the Golden, Pearly Gates. He looks me in the eyes and speaks to me. "Go back and find your passion. Then rewrite your resume' and bring it to me when you are ready for me to see if your qualified for the job, for it will not be any easy accomplishment. Sainthood is not easily attained nor should it be." With that Peter turns from the gate and moves away. I think I've kept him way too long from more important works. So, I also turn with my resume' in hand...to do a "redo" find my passion.
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One of my favorite Psalms is the 23rd Psalm. It is a favorite of most Christians around the world. In some Bibles it is numbered as the 22nd Psalm. I also like the 83-84th Psalm. The 23rd Psalm is about peace and trust in the Lord, while the 83-84th Psalm are about rejoicing, happiness and joy in the Lord. Keep in mind that the Psalms are deeply embedded in the Liturgy of the Hours, the official prayers of the Church, along with the sacred readings. The church encourages us to pray the liturgy each day. There are other main denominations...other than the Catholic Church, that also urge us to pray the liturgy, daily or as often as possible.
A lot of "strange" thoughts, ideas, or minor inspirations come to me as I drift off to sleep. That is where the main part of today's blog came from. It wasn't a vision or revelation or any of that sort of thing; just thoughts that came drifting into my mind between wakefulness and sleep. I surprised myself for even remembering most of it.
Peace to all who read this poor blog.
END
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