“Watch Out For Ice”

Well, here we are…it’s 2021. So far, so good !  I touched a bit upon my “New Year’s Resolutions” in yesterday’s BLOG, and I’d like to report that minutes into the new year, I’m doing pretty well…. hmmmm. So, today I’d like to mention a couple of things that all of us should pay attention to.  

First, let’s make sure we have support for our vocation. I noticed this prayer in Magnificat …. “Merciful Father through the intercession of St. Kevin of Glendalough, lead me to the place where my vocation will blossom.” (Magnificat, Dec. 31, pg. 459) That sounds pretty obvious. If you’re planting a flower, you look to provide the conditions where it will grow… the proper soil, sunlight, moisture. Well, we should look to do the same for our vocation. 

If you’re a single person, look to be around others who can encourage and support you in your vocation..…. working as a bartender in a “honkey-tonk” usually will not help you  grow in holiness. 

If you’re married and looking to raise a holy family, look for a place where other families are doing the same thing and can provide support. We all need help and support…good examples, encouragement, teaching and formation in order to reach our goal. If our goal is to live a life in Christ, being an example and help to others and getting ourselves and family to heaven, then we need to find a place “where my vocation will blossom.” When the sun is shining and all is well, we can be the “Lone Ranger”…but when the storms come and we trip and fall, then we need to have support to keep going. Proverbs reminds us that “a brother who is helped by a brother is like a city walled.” (Prov. 18:19). So, one suggestion for 2021 is to find a place “where your vocation will blossom”.

The second suggestion is to “watch out for the ice”…. especially in the dark. If you’ve ever slipped on the ice, you know that you can go down in a millisecond….one moment you’re walking along “whistling” and the next moment you’re on the ground rubbing your sore fanny. Wooooo, I didn’t see that coming. Temptations are like ice…. “black ice” that you may not notice. Let’s be alert and watchful. As the prayer that Jesus taught us says, “lead us not into temptation”. Lord, guard us against temptation…keep us watchful and alert. We must look out for danger areas…and not presume we can navigate dangerous areas without caution. (ie. I’m not that confident using a table saw. I know it is a very dangerous tool, so I’m very careful… I pray before I use it and am very deliberate.) Well, we need to be like that in regards to temptations. 

2021 can be a great year for us and our loved ones. But, let’s remember that we need support and we need to be careful.. and then “all will be well with my soul”. 

Happy 2021 !!!