From the Deacon's Desk

Each day, I reflect upon a word or a phrase inspired by the readings of the day. I encourage you to do the same and perhaps incorporate that word or phrase into your daily prayer.

“Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?” (Acts 1:10-11)

LOOKING AT THE SKY: In our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, the two men in white garments asked the apostles, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?”

The men shared a sense of urgency on Jesus’ behalf. What they were really saying was, “Don’t just stand there staring at the sky – get busy!”

It is not the first time we have heard such urgency from Jesus.

After the resurrection, Mary Magdalene was standing outside the tomb, mourning the loss of her friend and Lord. Suddenly, she realized that the person she thought was a gardener was actually the risen Jesus. She was overwhelmed and frozen in her tracks. She was unsure of what to do next.

Jesus would have none of that. He said to her, “Stop holding on to me!” He didn’t want her to get caught up in the event, but rather to focus on the work at hand. He wanted her to get busy.

Here’s the problem: As much as we want to obey Jesus’ command to “proclaim the gospel to every creature,” the task can seem overwhelming.

The apostles had watched Jesus in His ministry. He had told them to watch and learn because they were going to need to spread the Gospel some day. But the thought of actually doing it left them staring at the sky.

We know our time is coming to do the work, but when it is actually in front of us, we feel unprepared. The sense of responsibility can be overwhelming.

Instead of drawing on the lessons we’ve learned, our tendency is to dwell on the reasons that we cannot accomplish the task at hand: we’re too young or too old, too inexperienced, too busy, or maybe…too scared.

And when it comes to God’s work? We do not feel worthy; we’re not holy enough; or we’re not comfortable sharing our faith with others.

We have all been given what we need to do the work of God, “each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.”

We have not been asked to do anything we are not capable of doing.