Lectionary: 57
Adults: What difference has it made in your life when you made a decision in accord with Jesus’ teaching?
Children: When will you have to make a decision this week? What will help you make a good decision?
by Thomas Gette
As finicky as they can be in certain moments, a GPS is a wonderful tool, one that has essentially given us a generation of people who would scratch their heads at the concept of an atlas. Simply plug in a destination address and begin driving. Helpful visual cues and a friendly voice guide us along the way. After following all the instructions point by point, we arrive at our destination. It pays to be a good listener!
There certainly is a leap of faith in allowing the GPS to guide us along our way since nothing manmade is ever perfect. Yet, we put our trust in the little device and follow the driving instructions. Rather than feeling limited by the exact instructions, we find comfort in believing that the GPS will lead us to our final destination.
In the Gospel passage for this Sunday, Jesus tells us that if we love him, we will obey his teaching. So often the biggest complaint about the faith is all the “rules” that need to be followed or that it requires a change in how we live our lives. Following the commandments and living a life of virtue are not meant to be constricting. They are meant to guide us along our way, similar to the GPS but better. God doesn’t make mistakes.
When we make decisions in accord with Jesus’ teaching, we are choosing to trust that these instructions for a life of holiness will get us to where we are going. Doing so is liberating because it helps us choose what is right. Choice is surely an aspect of freedom, but it is a double-edged sword. We can certainly choose the wrong way. We are often faced with so many options that it can be hard to choose. But when we have the teachings of Jesus to help us in our life choices, we walk in freedom.
On our journeys, the GPS adds to our sense of freedom. When we follow the instructions, we gain peace of mind that we are heading in the right direction. We might sometimes take for granted the reward of arriving at our destination, but we are always happy with the directions so we can get there safely and easily.
So it is in our walk of faith. Being obedient to the Lord gives us a sense of peace that we are heading in the right direction. God ensured we have a choice. Are we going to steer off the road into a ditch, or are we going to remain on the Way?
Thomas Gette is a family man with a passion for the domestic Church. He holds master’s degrees from both Franciscan University and the Catholic University in Leuven, Belgium.