Dear Church Family,
Things are starting to settle down as we enter into the fall season. It is one of my favorite times of the year. At the end of this month I will be making my eight-day retreat. It is good to meditate and reflect on a little license plate I have which says, “Attitude is everything. Pick a good one.” This reflects on St. Paul words, “Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus”. All of us in our spiritual life know we need to have Jesus’ attitude. Basically, it’s humility that even Jesus as God would become a human being like us in everything. Everything but sin! Jesus humbled Himself so much that He accepted Death on the Cross. With that attitude of humility, we know it’s the right way to go and we become all the better for it. Needless to say, you can check your attitudes you’ve had in the past. I am glad to say I am no longer there, not having different attitudes that one might have towards other people, other institutions, different businesses or whatever. We want to have a good attitude. I would imagine the attitude of the guy in the Gospel when his father said to him, “Son, come on out and work in the vineyard.” The son said in reply, “I will not,” but afterwards reflecting on things, he changed his mind and went into the vineyard. The son went through a process of saying, “That wasn’t the best way to respond to my father, after all he has done for me.” So, he reformed, just as we do with our various attitudes that we know aren’t of the Lord.
We don’t want to be like the second son who says, “Yes sir, I’ll go” but doesn’t go. He just gives lip service. He is a hypocrite and self-righteous. Jesus even says, “The poorest of all people and the most despised of all people, tax collectors and the prostitutes will be entering the kingdom of God before you because they have asked for forgivingness.” He says, “Change your mind and believe.” So, church family, it is a good way to go and it’s good to know that we are blessedly reassured that Jesus even lets us in at the eleventh hour as the book of Ezekiel proclaims. We can change our ways even up to the end. We say with the psalmist today, “Remember your mercy, Oh Lord.” Have the best attitude.
Love, Fr. Bob
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