Are you ready?

Readings for Wednesday, July 28:
Jeremiah 15:10,16-21
Psalm 59:3,4,10,11,17,18
Matthew 13:44-46

In the summer of 2006 I was working as a camp counselor at a boys wilderness camp in North Carolina. One day I got a package from one of my best friends back here in Louisiana. I opened it up and found a short note and a picture. As I pulled the picture out of the envelope, I was stunned at what I saw, more because of what it meant. It was an 8x11 picture of the feet of Christ nailed to the cross and at the bottom three small words: Are you ready?

The second chapter in the book of Sirach tells us: “When you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for trials.” These inspired words point to this fact that the Christian life necessarily involves the cross; the two are inseparable. Our gospel today shows the lengths to which we ought to in efforts to attain the Kingdom – we should be willing to sell everything, to risk everything, and to do so with joy because of the great treasure we have found.

Jeremiah stands as a reluctant witness to this. We hear him today frustrated that his mother even gave him birth. Everyone was upset with him because he prophesied that bad things were in store for the people of Judah. Despite the many curses that were cast at him, and the many struggles he had with that, he stayed faithful to the call of the Lord because he knew that the Lord would be faithful to him.

As we go through our day today and throughout the rest of this week, there will likely be some sort of cross for each of us to bear. The question for each of you is can you accept it joyfully for the kingdom? Are you ready