This morning as I was reading through the headlines & various blogs I subscribe to, I came across a story, originally written earlier this week in The Washington Post that grabbed my attention. The story told of six Franciscan Friars who undertook a 300 mile journey, walking from Roanoke, Virginia to Washington, DC clad only in their brown Franciscan habits and sandals. They each carried only a wool blanket, toothbrush, water, a change of underwear, and a cell phone (to be used in case of an emergency). The only other thing that these friars carried with them was their love for the Lord and their faith that God would provide them with everything that they would need.
The journey lasted six weeks. Throughout those six weeks, they encountered many people and were able to share the love of God with those people. Sure, some folks chastised them, swore at them, etc…but they tended to meet more people who were intrigued. There were many opportunities to minister. Cliff Hennings, who at 23 years old was the youngest of the six friars, was quoted as saying, “Dressed like we are in our habits, it's like a walking sign that says, 'Tell us your life's problems.'”
People confessed, people asked for advice, people gave them food and money. They didn’t plan on carrying money with them at all, but within the first minutes of their journey, people were giving them money, so they used what they received for food that they required, and gave the rest to others in need.
The full story can be read here.
I have always had a great respect for those who devote their lives to serving God. It is exceedingly difficult to completely give over your life to God – it always has been. Recall in Luke 18:22-23 (and similarly in Mark 10:17-22), where a rich man asked Jesus “what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 18:18):
“When Jesus heard this, He said to him, ‘One thing you still lack: sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.’ But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich”.
As human beings in this world, we want things. Things make us feel comfortable, show our status to others, open doors for us in some instances, etc. It’s HARD to give that up! We become so attached to our possessions, we can’t let go. I admire those who do give up their lives to wear rough brown robes, cinched with a heavy white rope. They are stronger than most of us. Many of us have the desire, but fall short when actually faced with the reality of it.
Thankfully, despite our selfishness and stubbornness, God’s love and grace rescues us. He can do the impossible - he cleans us and makes us holy so that we can have eternal life too. Thank God for that, because we surely cannot do this on our own accord!
That’s not saying that we should be complacent and comfortable in our lives. We shouldn’t just go about saying, “well, I’m saved by grace, so I can pretty much do whatever I want”. We should accept God’s love, and in accepting God’s love, we should be motivated to share this love with others and do good works. Help the poor, love one another, forgive each other.
Nope…it’s not easy. Jesus didn’t say it would be a walk in the park. But really, with all that God has done for you, don’t you think you should try?
"Lord it's hard to turn the other cheek, hard to bless when others curse you. Oh Lord it's hard to be a man of peace. Lord it's hard ~ oh it's hard ~ you know it's hard to be like Jesus!" ~ "Hard" by Rich Mullins (A Liturgy, a Legacy & a Ragamuffin Band, 1993)
The journey lasted six weeks. Throughout those six weeks, they encountered many people and were able to share the love of God with those people. Sure, some folks chastised them, swore at them, etc…but they tended to meet more people who were intrigued. There were many opportunities to minister. Cliff Hennings, who at 23 years old was the youngest of the six friars, was quoted as saying, “Dressed like we are in our habits, it's like a walking sign that says, 'Tell us your life's problems.'”
People confessed, people asked for advice, people gave them food and money. They didn’t plan on carrying money with them at all, but within the first minutes of their journey, people were giving them money, so they used what they received for food that they required, and gave the rest to others in need.
The full story can be read here.
I have always had a great respect for those who devote their lives to serving God. It is exceedingly difficult to completely give over your life to God – it always has been. Recall in Luke 18:22-23 (and similarly in Mark 10:17-22), where a rich man asked Jesus “what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 18:18):
“When Jesus heard this, He said to him, ‘One thing you still lack: sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.’ But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich”.
As human beings in this world, we want things. Things make us feel comfortable, show our status to others, open doors for us in some instances, etc. It’s HARD to give that up! We become so attached to our possessions, we can’t let go. I admire those who do give up their lives to wear rough brown robes, cinched with a heavy white rope. They are stronger than most of us. Many of us have the desire, but fall short when actually faced with the reality of it.
Thankfully, despite our selfishness and stubbornness, God’s love and grace rescues us. He can do the impossible - he cleans us and makes us holy so that we can have eternal life too. Thank God for that, because we surely cannot do this on our own accord!
That’s not saying that we should be complacent and comfortable in our lives. We shouldn’t just go about saying, “well, I’m saved by grace, so I can pretty much do whatever I want”. We should accept God’s love, and in accepting God’s love, we should be motivated to share this love with others and do good works. Help the poor, love one another, forgive each other.
Nope…it’s not easy. Jesus didn’t say it would be a walk in the park. But really, with all that God has done for you, don’t you think you should try?
"Lord it's hard to turn the other cheek, hard to bless when others curse you. Oh Lord it's hard to be a man of peace. Lord it's hard ~ oh it's hard ~ you know it's hard to be like Jesus!" ~ "Hard" by Rich Mullins (A Liturgy, a Legacy & a Ragamuffin Band, 1993)
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