When I was a youth minister, “What Would Jesus Do” was everywhere. Do you remember that? “WWJD” was plastered on hats, tee shirts, rubber bracelets, lollipops, stickers, keychains, notebooks and more. It was a good question, meant to encourage us all to pause and consider, before speaking or acting, what Jesus would say or do in that situation. I’m not sure how much it really helped. We cannot think like Jesus in any way unless we know him. And before we can know him, we need to believe that he loves us and saved us; to believe that his Father is our Father and we are deeply loved and cared for by the Father.
Two phrases cause me to pause in today’s Gospel: “It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher (Matthew 10:25) , and “So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:41). How often do we think enough is not quite enough? We can do more, better, try harder, say more prayers, serve only organic, fresh food cooked by our own hands to our family, make our own clothes, never overdo it on screen time, and spin flax into gold. Then, maybe then, we will be enough.
What Jesus wants for us is to be like him. When you look at Jesus and think, okay, I want to be like him, what comes to mind for you? For me, it is his love, compassion, radical obedience to the Father, prayer, solitude, community, healing, and service. That is the disciple I want to become, so then, when the Father calls me to do something that my humanity says is not possible, I can go to the other verse that struck me, “Do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
In life, we are often asked to serve one another in a way that seems insurmountable. If we rely on our own organized, competent selves without first turning toward God, we may not serve well or have the best outcome, for ourselves or the other person or situation. Become like our teacher; become like Jesus. He knows who he is, the Son of the Father. Know who you are, a child of the Father. If we become like Jesus in knowing who we are, then we will not need to be afraid. We will be able to embrace enough, doing what God asks of us.
Deanna G. Bartalini, M.Ed.; M.P.A., is a certified spiritual director, writer, speaker and content creator. The www.LiveNotLukewarm.com online community is a place to inform, engage and inspire your Catholic faith. Her weekly “Not Lukewarm Podcast” gives you tips and tools to live out your faith in your daily life.
